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: I chose not to go to a restaurant that had an LGBT flag on the building, and certain family members challenged my decision. They asked why I would not
Q: We are a rural Catholic church in the South. As you can expect, we are having problems throughout the diocese in finding priests for our parishes. Our current pastor
Q: I am a yoga teacher and a practicing Catholic. I enjoying studying other spiritual philosophies to broaden my capacity for understanding — to teach others and myself. I also
Q: I was baptized when I was a baby and I have been told go to Mass from a young age. I have been required to go to Mass every
Q: There is one particular Advent Mass available online from one of my own parish priests (who has since moved to a new parish). The Mass was from 2017. Since
Q: Is it wrong to pray that someone will die? My elderly grandparents have mistreated me and my family for years. We have prayed for them to receive grace, and
Q: I am a devout Catholic and a very gentle person. However, my father is a very insensitive man, and whenever I speak in a polite way he gets infuriated
Q: I saw a news story on TV that said that attacks against abortion providers have been on the rise lately. I read that some abortion doctors have even been
Q: I love a man who believes in God but has never been baptized. He wants to be, but isn’t quite committed enough to attend RCIA classes, let alone go
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!
