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.
When was the last time you stepped outside simply to bask in the warm spring weather? With all the demands of a busy (sometimes over-scheduled) life, we often don’t give
When was the last time you stepped outside just to enjoy the sights, sounds, and fragrant scents of summer? We look forward to summer and its longer days as a
When was the last time you paused to drink in the colors of the changing leaves of autumn? Fall is a time of renewed activity. While our schedules fill up,
Nature and winter. Depending on where you live, these two words may mean one thing: snow. Snow that makes it harder for you to get out of the house; snow
During the first centuries of Christianity, the forty days leading up to Holy Week took on a special significance. Those forty days are called Lent, a name taken from
St. John the Evangelist, more than any other of the Eleven Apostles, was wonderfully fascinated by the amazing, marvelous event of God becoming man and living among us. His writings
In most parts of the world, the Church is right now undergoing “difficult moments.” And so, our pursuit of holiness is right now “even more urgent.” This Retreat Guide on
Why is St. Joseph such a popular patron, such an important figure for Catholics of all times and places? What do we really know about him? What does he have
Today’s world offers us so much! Wherever we go, products and possibilities battle raucously for our attention and our commitment. Visual noise, mind noise, noise noise… Amidst all the noise,
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!
