As readers of The Mystery of Things know, Debra has had a longtime interest in the dangers and effects of “cult”-like groups within the Catholic Church. When the news broke in 2009 about the so-called “secret life” Fr. Marciel Maciel, founder of The Legionaries of Christ and its lay adjunct, Regnum Christi, as well as some of the alleged abuses within the two groups, inspired in large part by the need to keep the secret, Debra began writing a series of blogs which were soon published on Catholic Exchange in four installments:

• Patterns of Scandal in New Ecclesial Movements, part one: Discerning a Pattern
• Patterns of Scandal in New Ecclesial Movements, part two: Appearance vs. Reality
• Patterns of Scandal in New Ecclesial Movements, part three: Conscience and Canon Law
• Patterns of Scandal in New Eccleisal Movements, part four: Q & A with Canon Lawyer Pete Vere