Novitiate and College of Humanities of the Legionaries of Christ

The Novitiate and College of Humanities of the Legionaries of Christ in Cheshire, Connecticut, is a formation house dedicated to forming priests for the Congregation. New members of the Legion of Christ who are assigned to the North-American Territory spend here their first fours years after joining as their first stage of training for religious life and priestly ministry, before studying philosophy and theology in Rome. The formation time in Cheshire is divided into a two-year Novitiate and two years of Humanities. After the second year of Humanities, an Associate of Arts Degree is offered. The College is accredited by the State of Connecticut.[1] As of 2018, there are about 20 novices and 70 professed religious studying at the College.

Novitiate and College of Humanities of the Legionaries of Christ
Address
475 Oak Avenue

Cheshire
,
(New Haven County)
,
Connecticut
06410

United States
Coordinates41°30′44″N 72°54′13″W
Information
TypeNovitiate, AA in Religious Studies and Humanities
MottoChristus vita vestra (Christ Is Your Life)
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
DenominationRoman Catholic
Patron saint(s)Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, St John the Evangelist, St Paul
Established1965 (current location 1982)
DeanFr. Andreas Kramarz, LC
RectorFr. Kevin Meehan, LC
Color(s)Red and White   
AccreditationState of Connecticut
Websitewww.lccollege.org

History

The building was constructed in 1961 by the Missionaries of La Salette as a minor seminary. The Legion of Christ acquired the property in 1982 and moved the novitiate from a much smaller house in Orange, Connecticut. In 1991, the program of humanities was begun and a new wing was added to house the professed seminarians.[2]

The novitiate began in the US in a home in Woodmont, Connecticut in 1965. In 1971, it was moved to Orange before receiving its current location in Cheshire.[3]

As of 2017, all professed novices of the Legion of Christ worldwide who study humanities are doing so in Cheshire.

Novitiate

Legionaries consider the Novitiate the University where one studies Christ. The novitiate is geared towards the profession of the religious vows at the end of the two years. Each novice must discern if God is calling him to be a lifelong member of the Legion of Christ and a priest.

The schedule of the novitiate focuses on prayer and learning the spirit of the congregation. They have daily Mass, rosary, adoration, and spiritual reading. They also have weekly spiritual direction and regular spiritual conferences.[4]

Once a year, the novices dedicate a month of their summer to manual labor or, alternatively, charitable work. By such work, they come into contact with the struggles of others who fight to put food on the table.[5][6]

College of Humanities

At their College of Humanities, the members of the Legion of Christ undertake studies in humanities (Western Civilization, Literature, Art and Music Theory and History), oral and written communication, foreign languages (Latin, Greek, and Spanish), Mathematics, Physics, and Biology for Bioethics.[7]

Each year, the humanities students do a week of work with similar goals as the novices month of work.[6]

References
  1. "Colleges & Universities". www.ctohe.org. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  2. "Novitiate & College of Humanities". Legion of Christ. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. "United States". Legion of Christ. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  4. "Novitiates". Legion of Christ. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. "Ten Thousand Hours in the Sun". Legion of Christ. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. "The Dignity of Work". Legion of Christ. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  7. "Program". Legion of Christ College of Humanities, Inc. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  • Official Site of the Legionaries of Christ in Cheshire, CT: LCCheshire.org
  • Official Site of Legion of Christ College of Humanities: LCCollege.org
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