Álvaro Corcuera
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Álvaro Corcuera Martínez del Río LC (22 July 1957 – 30 June 2014) was a Mexican
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. He was the former
General Director A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
of the Catholic Order of the
Legion of Christ The Legionaries of Christ (in , abbreviated L.C.) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic religious congregation of pontifical right founded on January 3, 1941, by the Mexican Catholic priest Marcial Maciel. It belongs constitutively to the spiritua ...
, serving since January 2005. On October 15, 2012, he went on sabbatical until the convocation of a general chapter; he had an advanced incurable brain tumor, which was undiagnosed at the time.


Early life

Father Álvaro Corcuera
Martínez del Río Martínez or Martinez may refer to: Places Argentina * Martínez, Buenos Aires * Coronel Martínez de Hoz, Buenos Aires Province France * Hôtel Martinez, in Cannes Mexico * Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz Spain * Martínez, Ávila, a municipalit ...
was born on July 22, 1957, in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. His parents are Pablo L. Corcuera García Pimentel and Ana Francisca Martínez del Río Fernández de Henestrosa de Corcuera. He was baptized four days later at Christ the King and St. Monica Parish. Corcuera was among the founding class of students at the Legion of Christ's Irish Institute ('' Instituto Irlandés'') established in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. The prestigious private school now includes grades from preschool (or kindergarten) through grade 12. In 1969 at the age of 12, Álvaro traveled to Ireland along with a few other young students as part of the founding group of the Legion's Irish language academy, now called Dublin Oak. During his stay in Dublin, he had his first inklings of a priestly vocation. In 1981, recalling his stay in Dublin, Corcuera wrote: “The novices’ example, along with the unforgettable experience of being close to the founder Father Marcial Maciel and the other priests living there at the time, had a decisive impact on me. The opportunity to serve the different priests’ masses and above all just to be near the founder helped me to see with great enthusiasm the possibility of having Jesus Christ so close and giving him to others all over the world.” On June 27th, 1971, Álvaro Corcuera became one of the founding members of the youth group of ECyD (''Experiences, Convictions and your Decisions'', formerly officially translated as "Education, Culture and Youth Development" although the original Spanish meant "education, culture and sports"). Later he became a member of
Regnum Christi Regnum Christi, officially the Regnum Christi Federation (Latin: Regnum Christi Foederationis) is an international Catholic Federation. It is made up of lay Catholics, as well as the religious congregation of the Legionaries of Christ (seminaria ...
, the lay movement affiliated with the Legion. Among other activities that year, he participated in the course organized by the Legion in Reajo del Roble (Madrid, Spain). At that time, he first thought of becoming a consecrated layman in Regnum Christi.


Consecrated and legionary life

On April 13, 1975, he became one of the first members of the Regnum Christi Consecrated Men. Seven years later, reflecting on his consecration, he said: “Joining Regnum Christi made me see that self-giving to Christ, wherever it might be, was the best gift that I could desire. Consecrated life was an experience that I could never completely assimilate because of its depth and greatness. It is a great gift.” That year he began studying for a degree in educational sciences at Anahuac University (
Universidad Anáhuac The Anahuac University Network is a private universities system grouped and administered by the religious congregation of the Legion of Christ. The network is composed of several universities, some with different names and educational approache ...
) in Mexico City, and graduated in 1979. Álvaro and several other consecrated members of Regnum Christi volunteered as aides for Pope John Paul II's first visit to Mexico in January 1979. In September of that same year, Álvaro joined the Legion of Christ as a
novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...
. A year later, when asked about his motivation to make the decision, and he replied: “I discovered the main reason in the tabernacle, where you hear Christ’s call: “Come, follow me”. Leave everything and surrender yourself completely.” He did his ecclesiastical studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (The Angelicum). He was ordained a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, on June 29, 1985, by Archbishop
Santos Abril y Castelló Santos Abril y Castelló (born 21 September 1935) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church. After a career in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See, he held a number of positions in the Roman Curia and from 2011 to 2016 was Archpriest of the ...
, then
Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
to
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. On Christmas Eve that same year he was ordained a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Rome by
Eduardo Martínez Somalo Eduardo Martínez Somalo (; 31 March 1927 – 10 August 2021) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent most of his career in the Roman Curia, first in the Secretariat of State from 1956 to 1975 and from 1979 to 1988, and then l ...
, future prefect of the Vatican department now called the
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DICLSAL and formerly CICLSAL; ), is the dicastery of the Roman Cu ...
and future cardinal. Father Álvaro Corcuera earned a licentiate degree in philosophy and theology at the
Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
. He served as rector of the Center for Higher Studies in Rome until his election as General Director of the Legion and the Regnum Christi. He was the founding rector of the
Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (Italian: ''Pontificio Ateneo Regina Apostolorum'') is an educational institute of the Catholic Church in Rome. The Pontifical Athenaeum is directed by the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. ...
in Rome, from its establishment in September 1993 until the end of the 1999–2000 school year. During that period he served as secretary of the Committee of Rectors of the Pontifical Universities of Rome. On December 7, 1999, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Anahuac University (Universidad Anáhuac) in Mexico City. On April 20, 2001, the Holy See appointed him a consulter to the Vatican's
Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...
.


General Director

In January 2005 he was elected General Director of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi by the Third Ordinary General Chapter of the Congregation after Marcial Maciel was deposed by the Vatican due to sexual abuse scandals. In two letters dated in October 2012, both he and Cardinal Velasio De Paolis announced that he would be taking a sabbatical until the next General Council is convoked in late 2013 or early 2014. His powers were delegated to the order's Vicar General, Sylvester Heereman, LC. He was doing so for health reasons, but at the time it was not known he was seriously ill. Cardinal De Paolis is the papal delegate for the legion named in 2009 after an
apostolic visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...
concerning sexual misdeeds by the former head of the order, Marcial Maciel. Fr Corcuera's sabbatical was not a disciplinary or punitive matter, and he maintained his title without exercising it. In January 2013, he began cancer treatment for a brain tumor. In mid June 2014 he announced the brain tumor was not in remission, and he was living his last days in prayer with the Lord. Corcuera died on June 30, 2014, in Mexico City. Father Eduardo Robles Gil Orvañanos became his successor in February 2014.


See also

*
Martínez del Río Martínez or Martinez may refer to: Places Argentina * Martínez, Buenos Aires * Coronel Martínez de Hoz, Buenos Aires Province France * Hôtel Martinez, in Cannes Mexico * Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz Spain * Martínez, Ávila, a municipalit ...
*
Legion of Christ The Legionaries of Christ (in , abbreviated L.C.) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic religious congregation of pontifical right founded on January 3, 1941, by the Mexican Catholic priest Marcial Maciel. It belongs constitutively to the spiritua ...
*
Regnum Christi Regnum Christi, officially the Regnum Christi Federation (Latin: Regnum Christi Foederationis) is an international Catholic Federation. It is made up of lay Catholics, as well as the religious congregation of the Legionaries of Christ (seminaria ...


Notes


External links


Legionaries of ChristRegnum Christi MovementMission Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corcuera Martinez del Rio, Alvaro 1957 births 2014 deaths Religious leaders from Mexico City Legionaries of Christ 20th-century Mexican Roman Catholic priests 21st-century Mexican Roman Catholic priests Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Deaths from brain cancer in Mexico