Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC, ordained to the priesthood in 2001, taught theology and Scripture at the then Mater Ecclesiae College in Rhode Island and is now a part-time chaplain at Overbrook Academy in Greenville, R.I.
He holds degrees from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum in Rome, and Northwestern University in Illinois.
He was an assistant publisher of the National Catholic Register and Faith & Family magazine and an editor of the Zenit news agency’s English edition. He has written for SpiritualDirection.com and ePriest. Fr. McIlmail also worked in spiritual retreats in the Northeast, New England, the Midwest, and the South and assisted with mission work in Mexico.
Born in Philadelphia, he worked in journalism and was active in the pro-life movement before entering the novitiate of the Legion of Christ in 1992. His contributions to RCSpirituality include responding to Ask A Priest questions and sharing his insights in our Weekly Newsletter.
Q: For repentance, is mortification necessary to be a saint? Many saints do mortification, and I would like to know the Church’s positions on that. Can you mention some mortification
Q: I took a new job at my church some months ago. It is very rewarding, and I truly feel like God put me in the position for a reason.
Q: When I went to confession last week my confessor gave me some harsh advice after I asked him about my choice of movies and shows. I am usually careful
Q: My 13-year-old daughter has a friend who is an evangelical Christian, and this friend has invited her to her church. My question is whether that’s a sin, since we
Q: I was taught growing up that believers go to heaven and non-believers go to hell. Religion was forced upon me and my siblings. My sister and I are Catholic,
Q: A couple of years ago when I met my girlfriend, an evangelical Christian, she started to question my Catholic faith and my understanding of it. Because of that, I
Q: I want to start practicing a form of witchcraft for self-healing but am scared that this would be considered paganism. Can I practice witchcraft and still believe in God
Q: What do we actually discuss in spiritual direction? If I am seeing a priest, asking him any questions ranging from the Bible, Church teachings, sacraments, current issues related to
Q: I am struggling with loneliness. I am divorced and have been for almost seven years. I recently had a dream about my first love, but I didn’t marry him.
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!
