Formation
As a whole, the Legion is dedicated to advancing the Church's mission in the world, and to this end submits candidates to a rigorous formation of four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual and apostolic. This formation has caused critics to accuse the Legion of producing priests and religious who all speak and behave in the same way. In fact, the Legion has been called a cult by these critics. But, the Legion's defenders argue as members of a family receive similar upbringing, so the members of the Legion are formed in like ways, but still respecting the freedom of the individual.
Contact with the family is moderated, so as to not restrict their mission, although they are allowed considerably more contact with their families than religious in past centuries. If they live in the same country as their parents, the religious and priests are permitted to visit their families usually once a year provided it does not inhibit their individual assignments. In addition, they are permitted to visit for landmark anniversaries of parents and grandparents and, their families are encouraged to visit them normally two or three times a year. However, the novices do not go home during their two-year novitiate, but their families may visit. The high school seminarians are permitted to go home several times a year such as vacation in the summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas along with familial dates.
All members of the congregation are required to write their families every two weeks, for the high school seminarians, every week. Periodic phone calls, encouraged to be around an hour, are also permitted: once a week for the high school seminarians, three times a year for novices, and roughly once a month for religious and priests. The above are the usual, but each individual case is seen with the superior.
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