Following the guidelines for the formation of religious in the Catholic Church, the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992) on priestly formation, and the the document The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (which is the 2016 version of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, issued by the Congregation for the Clergy), our members receive a formation that comprises the whole human person in order to prepare them to be molded into an image of Christ (alter Christus) at the day of their ordination.

Spiritual Formation

The spiritual formation is above all Christ-centered: learning to discover Jesus Christ in the Gospel, the Eucharist, and the Cross, and developing a personal and loving relationship with him, especially through prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Celebration of the Eucharist. Other important aspects of Legionary spirituality includes devotion to Mary, love for the Church, filial adherence to the Holy Father, and the faithful living of the religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Intellectual Formation

Academic formation is provided by the program of our college and seeks to be well-rounded, select, and deep in order to prepare the seminarians for the intellectual challenges of today’s society. Emphasis is laid on the interior disposition and conviction with which the students are expected to develop a thirst for knowledge and profound understanding of culture in its underpinnings, a sense for beauty, goodness, and truth, and the ability to communicate a humanism inspired by Christianity in a convincing and attractive way.

Human Formation

In the area of human formation, the seminarians are trained in their character, in the exercise of human and Christian virtues, in their personal presentation within dignity and simplicity, and in the acquisition of social skills that allow them to relate charitably and constructively to others. The readiness to sacrifice one’s own desires for the greater good, the awareness of the value of time, and a spirit of joy and enthusiasm present some of the traits that should be developed.

Apostolic Formation

The brothers receive an apostolic formation that is rooted in the desire to form apostles by bringing the message and experience of Christ’s love to others through the testimony of one’s own consecration to God, through charity, and through the direct apostolic work of evangelization. For this purpose, they receive instruction on the specific apostolic charism and methodology of the Legion of Christi and the Regnum Christi Movement, and are given the opportunity to engage in apostolic projects that serve the local community, always under the guidance of their formators and other experienced priests working in the apostolate.

Formation Pathway

A Legionary begins his life in the congregation, after a period of candidacy, with a two-year period as a novice, a time that culminates in the profession of the religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

He then dedicates one or two years to an intensified program of Humanities studies, followed by a period of three years in Rome to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.

Several years of apostolic internship provide a first experience of full-time work in one of the Legion’s apostolates. The last stage of formation consists in three years of theology studies towards a Masters and concludes with priestly ordination.