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.
Dear John, Difficulties in prayer again? Good. It’s a sure sign that you are growing up, in the spiritual sense. When we are spiritual novices, God gives us plenty of
Dear Lucille, I had a strange experience today. One of the guards who speaks broken English spoke to me when he delivered my lunch (nothing but freeze-dried astronaut fare, I’m
Dear Janine, I can’t understand how you complain so bitterly about the dishonorable intentions of all those young men who invite you out and at the same time you dress
Dear Danny, I hope you’re taking Advent seriously. Too many people don’t, you know. What a waste. God rains down all kinds of blessings for us during the different liturgical
Dear Jake, That’s some strange stuff your religion professor is dishing out. All that talk about the faith of the people leading the Pope and Bishops to a deeper understanding
Dear Steve, I empathize with the distress you are feeling in the face of an “overwhelming quantity of work” (as you put it) as final exams approach. I empathize, but
Dear Mac, It seems that you have been spending so much time trying to convert your Protestant friends that you have begun to think like them on certain matters. To
Dear Amber, Has it ever occurred to you that we may be on the cusp of one of those massive historical upheavals? Lately, I have been thinking something very big
Dear Nick, You really are a chip off the old block. First MVP and captain of your high school football team, and now MVP and captain of your college football
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!
