You really don't get it.  You're happier living with myth.  Secrecy at the "heart of it's mission' is utter callowness.   Its mission is to help people pursue the universal call to holiness.

It exists to provide formation; that's it; it does so at ZERO cost to anyone who wants the formation.

I am a member, and I am free to request my spiritual direction from another...but not just ayone can give spiritual direction...as in any organization of small size (90K world wide...with only a small percentage of members priests, and a slightly larger percentage of that are numerary members...who have been trained in how to get give spiritual direction)..so there aren't a plethera of people available/trained to give spiritual direction in every city..so sometimes you get direction from who is available.  

In fact this is better than "shopping around" for someone who will tell me what I want to hear!! 

With respect to money...Allen did the homework..and you haven't...and he came up short.