From 23 to 25 May, members of Regnum Christi – consecrated women, legionaries and lay people – gathered in Magdala, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, to participate in the workshop-seminar “Live the Mystery”, an experience of prayer, reflection and spiritual communion. Answering some questions, they share with us how they live the charism from their vocational reality, the challenges involved in living in a conflict zone due to war and how this seminar has helped them to rediscover the sense of community, of a spiritual family that forges apostles.

The participants, from different countries and missionaries in the Holy Land, shared how this experience renewed their vocation, illuminated their mission and inspired them to communicate more deeply the message of Christ; they reflected on four key dimensions of the charism: the call of Christ, the creation of community, the evangelizing mission and apostolic formation. Each day of the seminar integrated prayer (Lectio Divina), lectures and workshops to exchange ideas.

Fr. Rafael Ducci, L.C., participated in person as part of the Life and Mission team of the general directorate, while Cecilia Ruiloba, consecrated and current head of Life and Mission of Regnum Christi in Spain, offered a virtual conference. In total, twenty people attended in person, forming a representative community of Regnum Christi in the Holy Land.

REDISCOVERING THE COMMUNITY
For Samantha Rivera, a lay member of Regnum Christi for 23 years and resident in the Holy Land, her life is deeply marked by this spirituality of Regnum Christi.

Samantha, what did this seminar mean to you?

The workshop helped me reconnect with our charism, especially with that personal calling that Christ made me all those years ago and that continues to resonate in my mission as a Regnum Christi laywoman. Today, as I live in the Holy Land and serve in a center entrusted to our institution, that call takes on a new hue. It was a profound renewal and an invitation to rediscover the sense of apostolic community from this very significant land.

How do you currently live your membership in Regnum Christi?

Regnum Christi has been a part of my life for 24 years and remains a fundamental part of it, because it is, first and foremost, my spiritual family. It has given me the opportunity to continually renew myself as an active member of the Church. Living daily with consecrated women and legionaries, my spiritual life is profoundly marked by this spirituality. It also enriches me to share with other ecclesial realities, which helps me to live my apostolic mission with greater awareness.

Fr. Luis Eduardo Rodríguez Alger, L.C., is a Salvadoran priest newly ordained in March 2025. During these days he commented that the workshop motivated him to continue deepening the formation of formators in the style of Jesus.

Fr. Luis Eduardo, what did this seminar bring to your understanding of the charism of Regnum Christi?

I loved to delve into what the Holy Land can bring to all members as the source and origin of our charism, which is profoundly Christ-centered. Contact with the land of Our Lord reminds us of the reality and historicity of the mysteries of faith and of God’s infinite love.

Are there aspects of the charism that you would like to continue exploring?

Yes. I would like to continue to deepen the formation of formators in the style of Jesus: how he empowers his apostles to be leaders and transform the world, and how he knows how to read the signs of times and places to reach people’s hearts.

Kathleen Nichols, a consecrated woman for 32 years and originally from Wyoming, USA, shares that the Holy Land is ideal to live the mystery and become living witnesses of the Gospel.

How did you live the experience of the seminary in Magdala?

It was a profound privilege. This encounter acts as a kind of family reunion, revitalizing our shared vocation and projecting how to facilitate encounters with Christ in our Middle Eastern context. Interacting with one another helps us appreciate the unique calling that the Lord has extended to each of us within Regnum Christi.

What challenges and opportunities do you see in the mission in the Holy Land?

The challenge is to recognize and embrace the different but complementary vocations of lay people, consecrated women and legionaries. When we all contribute to the common mission, a good work is transformed into a vibrant experience. The Holy Land is ideal for living the mystery and becoming living witnesses of the Gospel.

Cecile Martin-Houlgatte, a consecrated woman for 32 years and originally from Paris, France, thinks that, despite the war that is being experienced in the area, she feels that Jesus continues to walk there as he did with the disciples of Emmaus.

How does the current context of the Holy Land impact the mission?

The reality is complicated by the war and the decrease in Catholic pilgrims. But like the disciples of Emmaus, we feel that Jesus is still walking with us. Our desire is to make this experience reach more people.

What inspires you about the charism of Regnum Christi to apply to today’s world?

The world aspires to spirituality and relationship, but it moves too fast and forgets the beauty of the human being as God intended. This prompts me to offer the gift of a relationship with Jesus Christ and moments of silence, where his love is revealed. The Holy Land is privileged for this.

Fr. Eamon Kelly, L.C., Irish priest and vice-principal of Magdala, invites us to value the Encounter with Christ as a dynamic community.

Q. Eamon, what is your assessment of this seminar?

The Living the Mystery seminar is very encouraging. It reminds us that we are for the mission and that substantial elements such as the cursillos, which formed the first generations of Regnum Christi, are being resumed. It is hopeful to revalue the Encounter with Christ as a dynamic community that forges apostles. The examples of evangelization that are emerging around the world motivate us to think outside of stagnant schemes and to let ourselves be led by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the living history of Galilee, the Living the Mystery seminary  has been much more than a formation. It has been a renewed call, a fraternal reunion and a compass to continue to make Christ present from this Holy Land to the whole world.