
40 Days to Peace and Union with God: Day 02 – Crosses with Christ
“The only petition I would have you put forward on my behalf is that I may be given sufficient inward and outward strength to be as resolute in will as
Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college, he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010.
He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, Inside the Passion, the only authorized, behind-the-scenes explanation of the film. Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican’s 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist.
His most widely known books are The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer and 60 Days to Becoming a Missionary Disciple.
His most recent book is Spiritual But Not Religious: The Search for Meaning in a Material World.
Fr. John resides in Atlanta and serves as Territorial Vicar for the Legionaries of Christ.

“The only petition I would have you put forward on my behalf is that I may be given sufficient inward and outward strength to be as resolute in will as

Dear Simon, My volatile nephew, I believe you were bested. You lost your temper while your Protestant roommate kept his cool, and so he has once again emerged from your

“But there is another and interior way of praying without ceasing, and that is the way of desire. Whatever else you are doing, if you long for that Sabbath, you

Dear Nancy, I was worried about your Cornerstone group, and so I was doubly happy to hear that it’s beginning to gel. Sometimes it takes a while for people to

Authentic Christian prayer is nothing less than a conversation with God — with the One who created us in love and for love. It is an ongoing interaction that gives

Dear Shamus, I am very glad to hear from you – finally. Your note was an answer to my prayers. I was troubled to no end when I heard that

Dear Frieda, I can identify with your frustration. For three years you and your COMPASS Chapter have been working hard to transform campus culture, and yet the “normal” behavior of

Dear Cy, I completely agree with you; “competition” between Catholic groups is wholly out of place. We are all engaged in the same great work – that of building up

Dear Cathy, You seem to be juggling your many responsibilities as a senior with admirable dexterity. It is an indication that the healthy prayer life and the habits of self-discipline
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!