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 Mercedes, As I’ve told you a thousand times before (at least, it feels like a thousand times), frustration is a function of expectations. When you find yourself becoming unreasonably
Dear Pip, You keep forgetting why your life is different than the Solar System. I will be happy to remind you. The Solar System stays in order without any effort.
Dear Nate, Now that you’re a senior you’re in the spotlight whether you like it or not. The younger students, football players, and Compass members will be taking cues from
Dear Maude, Someone once told me that the phrase “do not fear” appears 365 times in the Bible – one time for each day of the year. I never counted
Dear Gary, Are the leaves starting to turn color yet? Ah, how I wish I could take a walk down the oak lane in autumn just as we used to
Dear Jane, I only have a few minutes, but tonight’s interrogation session looks like it’s going to be a long one, and after those I am usually out of commission
Dear Cooper, My dear nephew, not everyone is gifted in the same way, but everyone can (and should) learn to love God. You may not be stellar at academics (though,
Dear Bert, I was glad to hear about how well your studies are going. I always knew God had given you intellectual talent, but I have to admit that I
Dear Karen, Don’t rest on your laurels, as some say. In times of peace, prepare for war, as others say. I am glad to hear that the group there is
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!
