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June 4, 2026

Welcome to the Territory! Six new LC brothers join the North American Territory this summer

/ LC Cheshire, Legionaries of Christ, Legionaries of Christ News, Regnum Christi, Regnum Christi News

This summer, the North American Territory of the Legionaries of Christ welcomes six brothers in formation to different localities across the territory as they take on new assignments in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines.

Five of them are among twenty Legionaries who will be ordained to the transitional diaconate this year globally, in anticipation of their priestly ordination in 2027.

Br. Santiago Canales

Santiago_canales

“My only goal is to serve the Lord and his souls with a joyful and faithful heart, always obedient to his will.”

Br. Santiago Canales is originally from Puebla, Mexico, where he attended a Regnum Christi school from kindergarten through high school. He then obtained his bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology at Ibero-American University in Mexico City, and before entering the seminary, he worked as a mentor at a Regnum Christi university in Mexico. A key step in his discernment process occurred when he volunteered for two years with the Magdala Center in the Holy Land.

On September 4th of this year, Br. Santiago will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in Puebla, Mexico. He will then go to the Philippines, where he will serve as a formator for ECYD at Everest Academy in Manila. Br. Santiago is looking forward to this new mission, where he will have the opportunity to experience a new culture, learn from the faith of every person the Lord places in his path, and be a reflection of Christ’s love to everyone he encounters.

“It fills me with great hope to be able to collaborate with the other branches of Regnum Christi and to keep building together the Kingdom of Christ that he yearns for. My only goal is to serve the Lord and his souls with a joyful and faithful heart, always obedient to his will.”

You can follow Br. Santiago on Instagram @santiagocanaleslc.

Br. Andrew Kang

Andrew_kang

“I am looking forward to sharing my joy and faith with young people, and I hope to become the best Legionary I can be.”

Br. Andrew Kang is from South Korea and is currently preparing for his ordination to the transitional diaconate. His ordination will take place on August 26, 2026, at 3:00 PM in Seoul, South Korea. After spending two years of formation in the United States and three years in Rome, Br. Andrew returned to Korea for a year and a half to fulfill his mandatory military service. He then served in the Philippines as a missionary before returning to Rome to complete his studies. He is very happy to now be returning to the United States, where he will be serving ECYD in Louisiana.

Br. Andrew is eager to begin working with the young people of Louisiana and to contribute wholeheartedly to Christ’s mission.

“I am looking forward to sharing my joy and faith with young people, and I hope to become the best Legionary I can be by working closely with my brother Legionaries and helping to build a strong spirit of teamwork and fraternity.”

Throughout his formation, Br. Andrew has been actively engaged in digital evangelization. On Instagram, he has been blending elements of Korean culture, like K-pop, with his love for the Catholic faith, as a way to bring the Gospel to a new generation. Follow him on Instagram @coreano_lc.

Br. Darius Lawrence

Darius_Lawrence

“I have a lot to learn from the students… and I pray that the Holy Spirit uses me as an instrument to share with them the joy that is a life lived with Christ and the family of the Church.”

Br. Darius is originally from San Diego, California. He has spent most of his formation in Europe, attending a year of novitiate and doing his internship working in an apostolic school in Germany, then spent the past five years in Rome completing his final studies in theology while also serving as a philosophy professor at Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on September 5th in Dallas, Texas.

In his new assignment, Br. Darius will be serving as an assistant chaplain at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he looks forward to putting his years of study and preparation to good use. Serving in a secular university promises to give Br. Darius plenty of opportunity to dialogue with people unfamiliar with the Catholic faith and the Church, and he is even planning to occasionally set up a chair in the main campus courtyard with a sign that reads “Ask me anything!” (with the subtitle “I don’t promise to have all the answers, but I love questions!”)

“I think I have a lot to learn from the students—what moves them, what their dreams and worries are—and I pray that the Holy Spirit uses me as an instrument to share with them the joy that is a life lived with Christ and the family of the Church.”

Br. Darius also produces a YouTube channel called Church Headlines, where he publishes a regular news recap about the most significant events happening in the Church and the world. You can watch Church Headlines on YouTube or listen on Spotify, or find it in podcasts on the Regnum Christi app.

Br. Maximilian Nguyen

Maximillian_Nguyen

“I’m so looking forward to meeting you, serving the Church with you, and building something great for God together! Get pumped!”

Br. Maximilian Nguyen is from Overland Park, Kansas and has been serving in youth ministry as he prepares for his ordination to the temporary diaconate. He will be continuing this work with youth as an ECYD formator, serving the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.

Br. Maximilian is looking forward to returning to the mission field of North America after many years of study and international ministry (he recently assisted with Holy Week Missions in Abidjan, Ivory Coast!). His years of formation and ministry experience have equipped him to continue serving God’s people on their spiritual journey, especially through his assignment to work with youth.

And this is an exciting time to be Catholic in North America, according to Br. Maximilian, who believes that Canada and the United States are on the cusp of a beautiful renewal of faith.

“My goal is to become a part of that renewal with the people that I serve! For those I don’t yet know, but perhaps will know soon, I’m so looking forward to meeting you, serving the Church with you, and building something great for God together! Get pumped!”

Br. Maximilian is also an avid photographer. You can follow him on Instagram and see his photography at behance.net/maxnguyenlc.

Br. Bernardo Ross

Bernardo_ross

“My goal is to simply learn from everyone around me, and bring others a little closer to Christ!”

Br. Bernardo Ross is originally from San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015, where, after a profound conversion from a secular college lifestyle, he discerned a call to the priesthood. He, too, will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on September 5th in Dallas, Texas.

During his ten years of formation in the United States, Mexico, and Rome, Br. Bernardo has focused on ministry with young adults and the formation of Christian leaders through the Regnum Christi charism. His pastoral experience has centered on accompanying young people in their spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and mission to bring the Gospel into contemporary culture. He is looking forward to taking this experience to Houston, Texas, where he will begin his ministry with young adults.

“I hope to be able to plug in and contribute to the mission in the RC Houston community and bring Christ to others there. In this first year, my goal is to simply learn from everyone around me, and bring others a little closer to Christ!”

Br. Bernardo is passionate about evangelization through modern media, seeking to present the Catholic faith in a clear, engaging, and intellectually honest way for a generation searching for meaning, vocation, and truth. Creatively engaging contemporary culture, he strives to open paths of dialogue that lead people closer to Christ. You can follow him on Instagram and TikTok.

Br. John Sester

John_sester

“I hope to guide and serve with the Heart of Jesus, and I hope to spend my diaconate in preparation for the depth of the priesthood that is to follow.”

Br. John Sester is from Rogers, Minnesota and loves reading, writing, sketching, playing guitar—anything that has to do with the artistic expression of the human heart. He has recently completed his theology studies in Rome and will be ordained to the transitional diaconate along with Br. Darius and Br. Bernardo in Dallas, Texas on September 5th.

Br. John is looking forward to shifting from the previous stage of personal formation to this time more focused on service—he is taking on the role of assistant rector at Sacred Heart Apostolic School in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, where he will be working as a teacher and a member of the formation team.

“Now I have arrived at what I have been preparing myself for, and it is an exciting transition! I hope to guide and serve with the Heart of Jesus, and I hope to spend my diaconate in preparation for the depth of the priesthood that is to follow.”

You can follow Br. John on Instagram and Facebook.

We welcome these six brothers with gratitude and joy as they begin their new assignments, and we look forward to the gifts, energy, and witness that each of them will bring to the communities they serve. Please keep them in your prayers as they embark on their new missions!

Welcome to the Territory! Six new LC brothers join the North American Territory this summer Read More »

pope leo encyclical

Pope Leo explains the Role of the Church and the Magnificence of Humanity in the Age of AI in his First Encyclical

/ Christian Life, International News, Regnum Christi, Regnum Christi News

Pope Leo XIV has released his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), and it may become one of the most important Catholic documents of the AI age.

In his first new encyclical of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV offers criteria for technology to contribute to building a more fraternal, more just society, more aware of the dignity of each person, and points out the importance of adopting a more human perspective on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

A technology that is already part of our lives

AI is already part of the daily lives of millions of people. It’s present at work, in studies, on mobile phones, in internet searches, in content creation, in task organization, and in many daily decisions.

Faced with this historic transformation, an inevitable question arises: Is Pope Leo XIV saying we shouldn’t use Artificial Intelligence? The answer is no. Magnifica Humanitas is neither a rejection of technology nor a condemnation of digital progress. The Pope recognizes that AI can bring enormous benefits, facilitate work, expand access to knowledge, and open new possibilities for human development.

The encyclical’s central concern is to help ensure that this technological revolution retains a human face. Leo XIV invites us to ask ourselves what kind of society we are building and how to ensure that AI strengthens human dignity, human relationships, and the common good.

In this video, Br. Darius Lawrence, LC, explains what the encyclical is all about.

Rather than instilling fear, the document proposes criteria for navigating this era of change with responsibility, hope, and a profoundly human and Christian perspective. Below are ten key points from the Pope’s new document on AI.

  1. Artificial intelligence can enhance the best of human creativity

The Pope acknowledges that technology stems from human intelligence and freedom. AI can help us research, organize information, develop projects, learn faster, and open new possibilities in work and communication.

Used wisely, it becomes a tool that expands capabilities and promotes human development.

  1. Deep thinking remains an irreplaceable asset.

The speed of technological responses makes personal reflection, discernment, and the ability to analyze in depth even more valuable.

The encyclical invites us to cultivate an intelligence capable of listening, interpreting and understanding reality beyond the immediacy of algorithms.

  1. A person’s value surpasses any level of productivity.

In a culture marked by efficiency, Leo XIV reminds us that every human being possesses an infinite dignity that never depends on their performance, their success, or their ability to produce.

Technology finds its noblest meaning when it helps improve people’s lives and strengthens their dignity.

  1. Technological progress can become an opportunity to share more

AI opens up unprecedented possibilities for democratizing knowledge, improving services, and generating new forms of collaboration between people, communities, and countries.

The Pope encourages us to direct these advances towards the common good, so that their benefits especially reach those who live in situations of fragility or exclusion.

  1. Ethics provides direction to technological development

The encyclical proposes to revisit great human questions: what truly helps people grow? what builds fraternity? what fosters a more dignified life?

Leo XIV reminds us that technology reaches its full greatness when it advances together with moral responsibility.

  1. Human relationships remain at the heart of every society

AI can facilitate connections and communication, but the Pope emphasizes that friendship, mutual care, listening, and compassion remain at the heart of the human experience.

The strongest societies are those that preserve real spaces for meeting and closeness.

  1. Seeking the truth becomes an even more important task

In an era where artificially generated images, voices, and content circulate, the value of intellectual honesty, critical thinking, and the sincere search for truth grows.

The encyclical encourages building a digital culture based on trust and responsibility.

  1. Human work deserves to be supported and protected

Technological transformation will bring new ways of working and new opportunities. Leo XIV invites us to embrace this transition while always safeguarding the dignity of workers and promoting truly humane working conditions.

Authentic progress integrates people and strengthens their participation in society.

  1. Human fragility also has value

Contemporary culture often admires speed, control, and perfection. In contrast, the Pope reminds us that human life also flourishes in vulnerability, rest, patience, and mutual dependence.

Technology can be a great help when it accompanies human life as it is, with all its richness and limitations.

  1. The great task of this era is to safeguard our humanity

Ultimately, Magnifica Humanitas poses a crucial question: how can technological development contribute to people fully living out their human vocation?

Leo XIV invites us to use AI while preserving what makes a person unique: inner freedom, openness to others, the capacity to love, the search for meaning, and openness to God.

Between Babel and Jerusalem

The Pope uses two biblical images to describe the present moment. Babel represents a humanity fascinated solely by power and dominion. Jerusalem symbolizes a society built on communion, collaboration, and mutual care. AI, Leo XIV affirms, can help build either of these two cities.

Therefore, the encyclical invites us to ask ourselves what kind of humanity we want to strengthen amidst this historical change. These key points offer only a first glimpse into the richness of Magnifica Humanitas. Throughout the document, Leo XIV develops a broad and profound reflection on human dignity, technology, work, truth, social life, and the future of humanity in the digital age.

This encyclical invites us to consider how to integrate technological development into a truly human vision, open to fraternity, the common good, and God, amidst a historical transformation that is already part of our daily lives. You can read the full document here.

You can find Regnum Christi North America’s policy on the use of AI, published earlier this year, here.

Pope Leo explains the Role of the Church and the Magnificence of Humanity in the Age of AI in his First Encyclical Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Francis Caracciolo

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Frank, Fight on, my bold young nephew, fight on!  Your cause is just and the Kingdom needs your victory, but it also needs your integrity.  Forgive me for being so candid, but a man in my position (I haven’t seen natural light for ages – my very skin is becoming fluorescent) pulls no punches.  If you are lobbying to start Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on campus, even once a week for an hour, you should already be spending personal time with Christ in the Eucharist.  Otherwise, your efforts will carry a political overtone, as if you were more interested in contradicting the powers that be than in bringing more of your fellow students closer to Christ.  Ask yourself why you don’t spend more time in the chapel, keeping our Lord company and speaking to him about what’s important to you and what’s important to him.  Today’s saint would have a word or two of advice for you. St Francis Caracciolo had the inspired idea to start a congregation of priests who would lead an active and a contemplative life at the same time.  It was in the aftermath of the Protestant rebellion, and the Church was in great need of worthy ministers. As co-founder and second superior general of the congregation, St Francis obliged every member of the order to spend an hour a day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  He understood deeply that the heart of fruitful activity in the Church and the world is union with God, intimacy with Jesus Christ; and he further understood that in the gift of the Eucharist Christ has left us the most powerful means to grow in his friendship. Francis’ own life showed the results of his frequent and intimate conversations with Christ in the Eucharist: he performed numerous cures merely by making the sign of the cross over sick people; his ministry in the confessional and from the pulpit moved so many people so deeply that everyone simply knew him as “The Preacher of the Love of God”; and as death approached and he retired from his more active duties, he was often found prostrate in his cell and transported in ecstasy.  So closely was he bound to his Lord that he entered the better life at the young age of 44, and his dying words were the excited exclamation, “To heaven! To heaven!” If you want to do something lasting for the Church, for your college, and for your neighbor, you have to be united firmly to the living vine that is Jesus Christ, and the best place to make that happen is on your knees in front of the Eucharist. Love, Uncle Eddy

St Francis Caracciolo Read More »

26-06-04-DM

June 4, 2026 – The Secret to Happiness

/ Daily Meditations

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Opening Prayer: I know you are with me, Lord, as I come before you in prayer. I offer this time to you, because you deserve my praise, and I need your grace. I want to know you more clearly, to love you more dearly, to follow you more nearly (St. Richard of Chichester) today and every day. Enlighten and strengthen me, Lord. Help me to discover and accept what you want to give me today, and be pleased with the offering of my heart and mind to you through this prayer.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Sincerely Questioning the Lord: Unlike the Sadducees and Pharisees who have been questioning Jesus in the Gospel passages of the last few days, the scribe who comes to Jesus asks a sincere question. Scribes were experts in the Jewish law, in the biblical commandments and all the many norms and customs that had been derived from those commandments over the centuries. And there were hundreds of those commandments, customs, rules, and norms. A popular topic for debate among scribes had to do with which of those many commandments was the most important one. Knowing which was most important could make following God a lot simpler, a lot more focused. The scribe came to Jesus to test his wisdom, to see how Jesus would answer the question about the most important commandment. And the scribe responds to Jesus’ answer by showing that he understood the Lord’s wisdom and accepted it. We can see Jesus smile as he complements this inquirer on his humility, prudence, and sincerity: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” What question is on my heart today? What question do I want to ask Jesus today? What question am I sincerely seeking an answer to? Ask it now, and hear the Lord’s response.

     

  2. God’s Commandments as the Path to Life: From the biblical perspective, God’s commandments are not arbitrary laws set up as a kind of obstacle course to test people’s devotion to God. Rather, God’s commandments are a revelation of his wisdom and goodness; they unveil the path that will lead us to the fulfillment and fruitfulness we all yearn for in life. As today’s Psalm puts it: “All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees” (Psalms 25:10, today’s psalm). When Jesus points out the two most important commandments, therefore, he is actually placing in our hands the secret to happiness. How many self-help books are published every single year claiming to have discovered that secret! And yet, those books keep getting published, and people keep seeking that elusive happiness that we all long for. Jesus’ answer remains the sure path, if only we would follow it. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength means putting God in the center of our lives. It means giving top priority to spending time with God, getting to know him, and following his will by living lovingly the moral law, the teachings of the Church, and the duties of our state in life. And loving our neighbors as ourselves is a natural outpouring of loving God—this is why Jesus links these two commandments so closely. As St. John puts it in his first letter to all Christians: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 Jn 4:20-21). Learning to love God with our whole selves and to love others as ourselves is our great task in life, and nothing else—nothing else—will satisfy our hearts.

     

  3. Healthy Self-Love?: One aspect of this discourse often overlooked is the how Jesus instructs us to love our neighbors: as ourselves. This means that there is a healthy way to love ourselves, and that is the model for how we should love our neighbors. There is also an unhealthy kind of self-love. We call that selfishness, self-centeredness, or self-absorption. The healthy kind of self-love is part of the virtue of humility. Humility recognizes that, as human beings, we all have basic needs and built-in limitations. Accepting our limitations and taking reasonable care of our needs is a way of acknowledging that we are not gods, that we are not self-sufficient. Many times, when we find it difficult to be patient with others, to forgive others, to be generous to others, the root of that difficulty can be found in a lack of humility. In a certain sense, then, we will only learn to accept, love, and value others (and thus treat them with Christ-like patience, mercy, and generosity) to the extent that we learn to accept, love, and value ourselves. As we learn to see ourselves through God’s eyes, our blindness will subside and we will also learn to see others through God’s eyes.

Conversing with Christ: Thank you for coming into this world and conversing with those of us who have questions, like the scribe in today’s Gospel. Thank you for caring enough about us to walk with us, to patiently instruct us. Thank you for giving us your commandments, and for giving us the grace to follow them. I want to learn more and more deeply how to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And I want to learn to love my neighbor as myself. I know that learning to love is not something I will ever be able to check off my to-do list. I know that learning to love as you love is the great adventure of my life. Be my teacher, Lord, and my guide, and my inspiration: “Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me by your fidelity and teach me, for you are God my savior” (Ps 25:4-5).

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will live out this Gospel passage by doing three things: 1) I will offer you some sort of gift as a sign of my love for you; 2) I will give something to myself that expresses a healthy awareness and acceptance of my own needs and limitations; 3) I will give some sort of a gift to neighbor, not looking for anything in return but just looking to love that person as I love myself.

For Further Reflection: Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.

Fr John Bartunek, LC, is an author, speaker, and Creative Director at RCSpirituality, an online spirituality center providing a variety of resources for spiritual growth.

June 4, 2026 – The Secret to Happiness Read More »

SHN-Day2

Novena to the Sacred Heart – Day 2

/ Sacred Heart Novena

Remain in His Spirit

V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,

A. because he loved us with so great a love.

V. In him is the fountain of life;

A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.

OPENING PRAYER

Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)

GOSPEL (Jn 7:37-39)

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’’” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive.

REFLECTION

Let us now turn to the Holy Spirit, whose fire fills the heart of Christ. As Saint John Paul II once said, Christ’s heart is “the Holy Spirit’s masterpiece”.  (…) It is the Spirit who enables us to grasp the richness of the sign of Christ’s pierced side, from which the Church has sprung.” (Dilexit nos, no. 75)

His wounded side, understood as his heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, comes to us as a flood of living water. “The fount of the Spirit is entirely in Christ”. Yet the Spirit whom we have received does not distance us from the risen Lord, but fills us with his presence, for by drinking of the Spirit we drink of the same Christ. (Dilexit nos, no. 102)

FINAL PRAYER

Heart of Jesus, we ask you that as we draw near to drink of the Spirit that flows from your heart, you will immerse us in the springs that are pouring out your grace and your salvation throughout the whole world.

Spirit of the Heart of Jesus

Pour Yourself into My Heart

Novena to the Sacred Heart – Day 2 Read More »

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!