Meet the Renewal Delegates 11 Connie VanDorpe: Ohio Valley 1

Hello!  My name is Connie VanDorpe.  My husband, Bruce, and I have seven children and we live in Dayton, Ohio.  FAMILIA was my first exposure to women of the Movement and I was deeply touched by their charity and willingness to give of themselves to help others come to know Christ in a deeper way.  As a result of their tremendous example, I was incorporated into the Regnum Christi Movement in Rome 2001.  My team members and the Legionaries opened my heart, mind, and soul to the awareness of Jesus as a person who loves me and who was longing for an intimate relationship with me.  This accompaniment has truly guided me along the path that God had designed for me.  Apostolically, I have been involved with FAMILIA and Challenge and currently serve as a Team Leader and the Group Leader for Dayton and Minster, Ohio.

The Movement has also had a profound impact on our family.   Our children have been involved in Conquest, Challenge, Camp River Ridge, mission trips, and ECYD and Regnum Christi Mission Corps.  Several have been blessed to attend the apostolic schools and the Immaculate Conception Program.  Br. John, our oldest son, is currently in his apostolic internship with the Legion in Guadalajara, Mexico.  Our family has been immensely blessed to experience nearly the entire spectrum of this phenomenal spiritual family of Regnum Christi.  The mystique of this Movement is tangible!  Every center we have visited of the Legionaries or Consecrated Women or gathering of lay members has had the same spirit of family!

Since my love for the Movement is rock-solid, I was initially a bit skeptical about this lengthy process of Statue review.  However, the renewal process has shown me that all of us, each member, is having the chance to renew our understanding and commitment to Regnum Christi.  My most sincere hope for this review of Regnum Christi mirrors what was shared during the Renewal Convention in Atlanta:  That we adequately and completely capture in writing who and what we are as a Movement;  That these renewed Statutes reflect our experiences, the essence of what sparked our love for Christ and our desire to serve Him by helping others share in the same;  and that this foundation we prepare will allow the Holy Spirit to touch many more souls for many years into the Church’s future.   I am honored and humbled to be called to serve the Movement in this historical moment.