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 Emily, One thing about your generation never ceases to amaze me. You seem completely averse to inviting non-Catholics to become Catholics. Why is that, I wonder? Is it because
Dear Goose, It’s nice to have a big enough COMPASS chapter that you can organize grand events like the Campus Pow-Wow and the Sundown Serenity Concert. But need I remind
Dear Tom, I can sympathize with you. There’s nothing more frustrating for someone as active and creative as yourself than not being able to find work. It’s a pity the
Dear Fitch, Discouragement has no place in the life of a Christian. Period. It’s a sure sign of the presence of the Evil One tweaking your self love. It comes
Dear Alice, Of course it pains me to here of your succumbing to temptation over the summer. But I am sure that it pains you even more, now that the
Dear Jack, So, my prosperous young nephew, what is it you will be doing with all that money you’ve made this summer? I know; it’s none of my business. But
Dear Pete, So how’s your summer been going? Let me guess: you have a great tan, are in good physical shape, are regularly flirting with three or four very pretty
Dear Di, I think you misunderstood me. I didn’t say you shouldn’t believe in signs from God, I just said you need to be balanced in appraising what you think
Dear Al, I am glad to hear that your internship is going well. I am surprised, however, that you have already decided that you want to go to law school
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!
