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12-10 Papal Audience

In the Eucharist, “we become what we receive.”: Pope Leo’s Words Today

/ Papal Audience, Regnum Christi News, Weekly Message Blog

In the Eucharist, “we become what we receive.”

In this week’s Wednesday audience, Pope Leo XIV returns to his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council, reflecting on the Mystery of the Eucharist.

For Christians, taking part at the Lord’s table means being “instructed by God’s word and … nourished … [giving] thanks to God” (Sacrosanctum Concilium).

Thus, at Mass, we are not meant to be passive spectators. When we participate in the Eucharist, we are invited to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished at the Lord’s table, where he offers himself to the Father. In this way, the Eucharist is a form of spiritual sacrifice in which we offer ourselves in union with Jesus Christ—we become the Body whose Head is the risen Christ.

“As we seek our nourishment from this abundant source of divine life, let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”

To read more of Pope Leo XIV’s General Audience reflection, click here.

In the Eucharist, “we become what we receive.”: Pope Leo’s Words Today Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

The Birth of John the Baptist

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Biff, How propitious that you are entering seminary on the Solemnity of the Birth of St John the Baptist!  I detect the hand of Providence in the unanticipated delay. Why? Simple reason. You know how hard it is to be a faithful priest and religious in today’s world, so aggressively anti-Christian.  Therefore, you will need something to keep you on track, not only during your years of formation and preparation, but also after you are ordained and serving the Church full time with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  In today’s feast, you can find that something, a motto, a theme, if you will, for your life of loving service to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. I refer to the haunting summary of the life of St John the Baptist, which he himself gives us in the Gospel of John.   Maybe you remember the scene.  John’s disciples (of whom there were many) come to him complaining about the growing number of followers of Jesus; it appears that they are a bit envious.  John patiently explains to them that that is exactly what is supposed to happen. He was only the precursor, the messenger sent to get people ready to welcome Christ the Lord, to introduce everyone to the Messiah, so that the Messiah could then enter into their hearts and transform their lives.  So he sums up his mission with the following phrase: “He [Jesus] must increase; I must decrease.” Does that not summarize the life-mission of every baptized Christian, and even more so the life of a priest? If you keep that phrase in your heart, meditate on it, mull it around over and over again, and try to live its inspired truth, I guarantee you will discover the “pearl of great price” that will fill your privileged vocation with radiant joy and fathomless meaning. You can be sure that I will be praying for you in a special way as you start up the narrow path to the priesthood, and I will ask St John the Baptist to take you under his spiritual care, since you are making that start on his day. Your devoted Uncle Eddy

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26-06-24-DM

June 24, 2026 – God Is Gracious

/ Daily Meditations

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

 

Luke 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Opening Prayer: I come to you today wanting to hear your voice, but knowing that at times other voices seem to drown you out. I come to you wanting to follow where you lead me, but knowing that I am easily tempted to go down other paths. I come to you seeking true wisdom and courage, knowing full well that I often do foolish things and turn away from golden spiritual opportunities. I am a bundle of contradictions. I place myself in your presence and humbly ask you, Lord, to teach me and heal me. You promised that everyone who searches will find; I am searching, Lord, please help me to find in you all that I am looking for.

Encountering Christ:

  1. The Precursor: John the Baptist was the precursor to Jesus, the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus. He bridges the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is in a sense the fulfillment of the long tradition of patriarchs and prophets, and in another sense the first evangelist. His conception was announced miraculously to Zechariah in the Temple, and signs and wonders accompanied his birth in today’s Gospel. Zechariah was struck dumb when he doubted the angel’s message nine months earlier, but now he shows his repentance and renewed faith by freely choosing the prophesied name for his son—John—contrary to all custom and propriety. Why so much attention on the precursor, the one who would prepare the way for Jesus? It’s because God really wants us to recognize and accept Jesus Christ in our lives. At the time of the incarnation, he sent John the Baptist to open the hearts and minds of the Jewish people so that they would have a better chance of accepting Jesus. God still does this in our lives. He prepares us to receive the graces he wants us to experience. He is still the Lord of history, and that means he is the Lord of our own personal histories. Everything he does or permits in our lives has one goal: to bring us closer to Christ, and thus closer to the fullness of life that we yearn for. Who or what are the John the Baptists in my life? What are they saying to me? How am I responding?

     

  2. The Fruits of Courage: Elizabeth and Zechariah had to go against custom, risking the misunderstanding of their relatives and neighbors, in order to be faithful to what God was asking of them. The angel had told Zechariah that the promised child should be named John— which means “God is gracious.” But Jewish custom and tradition required parents to name their children according to names already present in the family tree (naming them after the father or mother, the grandfather or grandmother, or some other worthy relative). At the time of Christ, Jewish social customs and traditions were especially important, because their country was being occupied by a foreign invader, the Romans. Preserving their cultural identity depended upon preserving their customs. Contradicting this custom, therefore, meant taking a major social risk for Zechariah and Elizabeth; it meant exposing themselves to possible isolation, stigma, and rejection. But in this case they knew for certain what God was asking them. Together, they acted courageously and obeyed the Lord’s will. And the result was magnificent: healing for Zechariah and spiritual enlightenment for the people of Israel. We are often faced with the same predicament. God often invites us, through his commandments, through Church teaching, or simply through insistent inspirations given to us in the quiet of our hearts and prudently confirmed by good advice, to go against other people’s expectations. When we are faced with those challenges, we can ask St. Elizabeth and St. Zechariah to pray for us to find the courage they found, so as to enjoy in our lives the magnificent fruits of courageous obedience they experienced in theirs.

     

  3. John the Baptist and Me: The history of Christian spirituality sees in St. John the Baptist, whose birthday is commemorated in today’s liturgy, a model for each one of us. He announced Christ’s coming, pointed out Christ to those who didn’t know or recognize him, and explained the meaning of Christ’s identity and mission to those who didn’t understand. In art, he is most often depicted pointing away from himself toward Jesus. This is, in a sense, every Christian’s mission. Each one of us was, like John the Baptist, created directly by God and given a unique personality and genius. Then, when we were baptized, we were made partners with Christ in making his Kingdom present in this world, in spreading the Gospel to our little corner of the globe. We do this with our words, but also with the example of our lives and the deeds and works we perform. All that we are and all that we do can be, in a sense, a pointing toward Christ, a unique revelation of God’s goodness and love, an invitation to follow Jesus’ path to a more abundant life (cf. Jn 10:10). And the amazing thing is, the more we live our lives aware of and faithful to this calling, the more we ourselves will experience that very abundance of life.

Conversing with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for gently but surely guiding the history of humanity according to your plan of salvation. Thank you for sending John the Baptist and involving him in the work of redemption. Thank you for choosing me to carry the torch of the Christian faith and pass it on to others. You know my name—in fact, you gave me my deepest identity, just as you did with John the Baptist. Please help me to live each day keenly aware of who I am in your eyes, and eager to carry out my unique life-mission through you, with you, and in you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reach out to someone who needs encouragement and somehow remind them that they are not alone and that you have a wonderful dream for their lives.

For Further Reflection: Uncle Eddy: The Birth of John the Baptist

Fr John Bartunek, LC, is an author, speaker, and Creative Director at RCSpirituality, an online spirituality center providing a variety of resources for spiritual growth.

June 24, 2026 – God Is Gracious Read More »

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God’s Footprints

/ Regnum Christi News, Weekly Message, Weekly Message Blog

Dear Friends,

 

Pope Leo’s recent visit to Spain left us with much to ponder and pray about. He visited Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, but the words that have most touched me personally were his responses to the testimonies of the young people at the prayer vigil in Barcelona, and his concluding homily.

                  A young man shared his journey of conversion and being baptized this past Easter, and ended by asking the Holy Father: “How can we keep our gaze lifted up toward what really matters, when society pressures us constantly to look at the ground or only at ourselves? How can we discover our true vocation in the midst of this strong current?”

                  The Pope thanked him for sharing this story and expressed his joy in taking “this significant step”. Then, he made reference to our experience of thirst, which we may try to satisfy with finite things, but “our deepest thirst will only be quenched by a different kind of water.” To encounter this water we must “cultivate that healthy sense of restlessness,” resisting the urge to numb it with profit, performance, success, self-image, and other forms of modern idolatry that serve as anesthetics. We need to “look within… cultivate moments of silence, and walk this inner path with others.”  This will allow us to discover God’s footprints in our current reality. (Dialogue of the Holy Father with Young People, June 9, 2026)

                  The theme of looking back to discover God’s footprints in our lives, how he was present in all that has happened to us, has a long tradition in salvation history. Often, we are not able to behold God’s glory, how he was present and at work, until he has passed, and we are able to see it in retrospect. Moses asked God, “If I have found favor in thy sight… show me thy glory,” to which God replies, “You cannot see my face… I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by, then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back” (Ex 33: 17–23). Perhaps this image of seeing God’s back is a spiritual experience for all of us. It builds up our confidence, and we are able to face the present realities of our lives with greater theological hope. This prayer of “remembering the good things the Lord has done” (Ps 77:11) provides us comfort and hope.

Yours in the heart of Jesus,

Glory Darbellay

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Why Don’t We Pray More for the Unborn?

/ Ask a Priest
Q: The Church recognizes the unborn baby as a person made in the image of God, with an immortal soul like you and me. So why then do we never pray at Mass for the over 73 million innocent human beings that are killed by abortion each year in the world? We pray for victims of natural disasters and wars, why do the unborn not get our prayers? Even on Respect Live Sunday our priest talked about respecting the lives of the immigrants (rightly so) but not a word for the unborn. Why is the Church silent on the subject? Is it because it is an unpopular position to take? — Tom

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:

A: You are right to be concerned about the horrific number of abortions in the world.

But you are overstating the point about the Church: Catholics do pray for the unborn. Almost daily, for instance, Ask a Priest hears a public rosary at a church that includes petitions for the unborn.

The Church, in fact, has long defended the unborn. See this U.S. bishops’ conference post.

Your basic point, however, has some validity. Perhaps more parishes need to make the appeal for the unborn more pronounced. Discussion about the pro-life cause seems to have faded a bit in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

You might consider reaching out to the priest in your parish and let him know you’d appreciate more mention of the unborn.

Better yet, see if you can organize pro-life efforts at your parish, such as prayers for the unborn and material support for crisis pregnancy centers.

I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.

Why Don’t We Pray More for the Unborn? Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Etheldreda

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Audrey, How they ever derived “Audrey” from “Etheldreda” I’ll never grasp, but derive it they did.  When I was younger (and still free), I had the opportunity (which I will savor forever) of visiting the English island of Ely, which this saint received as her wedding gift, and to which she retired when her first husband died after they had been married only three years.  She would fain have stayed there in prayer and solitude for the rest of her life, but family troubles obliged her to marry again (for diplomatic reasons), even though she had made a private vow of virginity (she and her first husband had lived together as brother and sister, offering themselves body and soul to God).  Her new husband was only a boy-king when they married, but when he had grown up to take full possession of his crown and his manhood, he demanded that she put aside her vow of virginity. They appealed to the local bishop, who upheld her cause and permitted her to separate from her husband and start a double monastery (men on one side of the property and women on the other), over which she ruled for the rest of her life, giving her monks and nuns a lasting example of spiritual rigor and intense love for God. Such a tale may have an odd ring to it for our ears (understandable, since it took place in a culture 1500 years older than our own), but wouldn’t you say there is a beautiful lesson hidden within it?  What strikes me most is the respect with which St Etheldreda – as well as the others – viewed her sexuality. Even before all the modern theological speculation concerning the philosophical and anthropological significance of gender, she understood profoundly that her sexuality was a call to love, a call to total self-giving.  She felt that God was asking her to give her whole self to him directly, and so she did not want to give herself to another man. I bet that if she had felt God calling her to give herself to a man in marriage, she would have been the best wife and mother one could imagine… In any case, she treated her own sexuality with reverence and with care.  What a contrast to today’s sex-saturated culture, where sex is cheap, a mere pastime, an entertainment! How the devil must relish the carelessness and casualness with which we treat our own and one another’s sexuality! Intimacy is meant to be at the service of true love, not a selfish indulgence. May God grant you the grace to understood the secrets of love as deeply as Etheldreda did, and may he grant you the gift of purity, so that when the time comes for you to give yourself away (either to him directly, or to a husband whom he gives you) you will still have something to give. Love, Uncle Eddy

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26-06-23-DM

June 23, 2026 – Tough Love

/ Daily Meditations

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, I believe in you, in your goodness and your interest in me. I am coming into your presence right now full of a desire to know you better, to praise you, and to receive whatever grace you want to give me today.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Christian Creativity: When Jesus commands us to “do to others whatever you would have them do to you,” he is enhancing a commandment in use among other rabbis during his lifetime. The other version said, “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” The common version uses the negative—“do not do”—and Jesus uses the positive: “do.” The underlying sentiment in both versions is the same: Other people, every other person, is worthy of my respect and consideration. I cannot treat other people as if they were less important or less worthy than myself. I must see others as brothers and sisters, as fellow human beings and companions who share my same dignity. And the way I treat them must flow from that realization. This is the underlying sentiment in both versions of the Golden Rule. But Jesus’ positive version adds a dimension absent in the negative version. When we “do to others whatever you would have them do to you,” we keep our eyes open for opportunities to serve, encourage, and support. We actually seek opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of others. The negative version is more limited, encouraging us to avoid causing others damage or putting obstacles in their path. The positive version actually includes the negative version, but not vice versa. Jesus is inviting us not only to avoid causing problems, but to be creative contributors to the world around us, to the people we encounter, live with, and work with. This is an essential element in our Christian identity. Wherever a true Christian can be found, the world and the lives of others will be better because of that Christian’s presence. Love is always looking for ways to build up, help, serve, improve, and beautify. If every Christian simply lived this one commandment to the full, imagine how different the world would be. How fully am I living it?

     

  2. Christ’s Challenge: Jesus tells us that the road that leads to life is constricted, the gate that leads to life is narrow, whereas the path leading to destruction is wide and popular. In this one comparison he gives us a sketch of life in a fallen world. The default position of our fallen human nature is contrary to our true good. In other words, it is easier for us to fall into self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-pity, and self-absorption than it is for us to live with generosity, courage, kindness, charity, and creativity. This is the real core of what is often referred to as “spiritual warfare.” A battle rages within us. Our tendencies to sin pull us in one direction, while our faith invites us to travel in another direction. It is hard to accept faith’s invitation and curb our worldly desires. It would be easier to give in to those worldly desires—they seem so easy, they promise a quick satisfaction, and everyone else is doing it anyway. That’s the wide gate that leads us towards the frustration of our real calling. Choosing to follow the invitation of our faith—entering in by the narrow gate—means, at times, going against popular trends and fads, delaying the gratification of some of our desires, and just plain working hard to do what is right and good. Jesus knows that his way can be hard. But he encourages us to follow it anyway. He believes in us. He knows that he made our hearts to find their fulfillment—the fullness of life—in our relationship with him, in obeying the commandments that reveal the authentic requirements of our human nature. How willing am I to battle against the destructive tendencies of my human nature in order to nourish and release the full potential of the life within me? Jesus wants me to be willing, and he will help me. I just have to decide.

     

  3. Sagacious Disciples: When Jesus warns us about the danger of giving our pearls to swine, he is teaching to be Christian realists. Jesus understands better than any of us just how broken our world is, just how fallen our human nature is. He knows that it is not enough for us simply to want to do good, to be a positive influence in the world. No, we also have to learn how to do that. We have to learn to be sagacious about choosing the right time, place, and manner for sharing with others the pearls of truth and grace we have received from the Lord. When a space capsule reenters the earth’s atmosphere, it has to do so at just the right angle and speed. Otherwise, it may bounce off the atmosphere and drift irretrievably back into space. Or it may enter too sharply and incinerate completely, instead of navigating toward a safe landing. It is similar with our attempts to share with others the Good News and the wisdom of Jesus Christ through our words and deeds. The right word spoken at the wrong time can worsen situations rather than improving them. A good deed done with the right intention but in the wrong circumstances can actually cause damage instead of promoting healing. In a certain sense, this fallen world is like a battlefield strewn with landmines. Jesus wants us to learn to identify where those mines are hidden and develop the ability to avoid setting them off. This doesn’t need to make us timid—after all, he also instructed us to shout from the rooftops what the Lord whispers to our hearts—but Jesus wants it to help make us wise and discerning.

Conversing with Christ: Your teaching challenges me, Lord. I don’t always feel like doing to others what I would want them to do to me. I don’t always feel like following the narrow path through the narrow gate. I don’t always feel like taking time to reflect and discern about how I should behave. But here you are, teaching me that it is well worth it to do all those things, even if at times I don’t feel like it. I want to trust you, Lord, and to follow your teachings, these teachings. I want to be your faithful disciple, so that my life can bear fruit and bring me the fulfillment I yearn for. But I need your help, Lord. Grant me your grace, Lord: light to know what you want me to do, and strength to carry it out.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go out of my comfort zone in order to do something for someone else that can help them. Afterwards, I will spend some time in prayer, talking with you about what it felt like and what I learned from it.

For Further Reflection: The Complete Christian: A Retreat Guide on the Calling of the Twelve Apostles

Fr John Bartunek, LC, is an author, speaker, and Creative Director at RCSpirituality, an online spirituality center providing a variety of resources for spiritual growth.

June 23, 2026 – Tough Love Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Thomas More

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Tom, I am sure you are making today a bit special – being sure to get to Mass, making an extra visit to the Blessed Sacrament, having an above-average quality lunch and dinner… As a legal intern for the summer and heading into your last year of pre-law studies, today’s saint (patron of lawyers) should be your bosom companion.  I have sometimes heard the Church criticized for even having a patron saint of lawyers, but I always respond with the rhetorical question that if lawyers don’t need a patron saint, who does? I remember when we watched A Man for All Seasons Together a few years ago; it gives a stirring picture of this great statesman and martyr.  Do you ever think about him nowadays? By the looks of things, you will be getting your pick of law schools, and you have all that it takes to go straight to the top of the field.  I wonder if such a promising future has pushed into the background such important but less glamorous reflections like how to be a success in God’s eyes, or how to keep strengthening and purifying your character in the face of the many and subtle temptations of high society and the legal profession.  What will happen to your prayer life and Mass attendance when they ask you to work 80-hour weeks and then wine and dine you with titillating entertainments into the wee hours of Sunday morning? St Thomas More faced those challenges and then some, because he combined a brilliant law career with the trappings of nobility and the preoccupations of politics.  Kings, cardinals, dukes, and ladies vied continuously for his favors and his attention. A blind eye here, an innocuous bribe there, and he and his family could have spent their days in luxury and peace, in fame and comfort.  As it was, he turned in his Chancellor’s chain of office (the King’s Chancellor was roughly equivalent to today’s prime minister), and forfeited his professional and economic security in order to keep his conscience clean and be loyal to his friendship with God.  (You remember the story, don’t you? King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife and marry his lover, but the Pope couldn’t invalidate a valid marriage, so the King declared himself head of the church in England, thereby granting himself the authority to grant himself an “annulment.”  St Thomas More and a few others would not acknowledge the King’s claim.) Because he refused to abandon his faith in the Papacy and the Church (notwithstanding offers of promotion, money, and other delicacies), he frittered away his last years in poverty, imprisonment, and torture, endangering his family as well as himself.  God rewarded him with martyrdom (he was beheaded as a traitor to England). As you enjoy the fine clothes and sleek comforts of the white-collar world, are you keeping your soul in shape?  As your devoted Uncle, I hope and pray that you are, and I will entrust your career to the intercession of St Thomas More. God bless, Uncle Eddy

St Thomas More Read More »

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National Vocation Summit 2026: Awakening Apostles of Hope

/ Christian Life, Legionaries of Christ, Regnum Christi, Regnum Christi News

Inspired by the charism of Regnum Christi to equip and send out apostles, the National Vocation Summit gathers Christian leaders with a heart for vocations and a desire to help the next generation become vocation apostles. Rooted in the holy Eucharist and working effectively in teams, the Summit communicates to the younger members of the Church this message: God has a plan for you, and we want to help you discover it!

The National Vocation Summit seeks to build a true vocation culture in any Christ-centered community in the Church, building leadership teams of committed vocation apostles. The summit aspires that all participants leave with a greater dependence on the Lord of the Harvest (Lk 10:2), a renewed love for the Church, zeal for their common mission, and an ever deeper hope in Christ and his grace for their lives.

From March 13 to 15, the Legionaries of Christ seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut, hosted the 5th annual National Vocation Summit. Over 50 religious, priests and consecrated were present from over 20 different communities, with a total of 140 participants. The sold-out event was marked by a deep spirit of collaboration and love for the Church, inspiring the participants to build a culture of vocation wherever God has placed them—home, school, or parish. 

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The event was sponsored by Vocation Action Network, a network of apostles who pray and take action to help build a vocation culture within the Church and society.

Apostles of Hope in an Apostolic Age

The theme of this year’s summit was “Awakening Apostles of Hope,” and Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, gave the opening keynote address, titled “Apostles of Hope in an Apostolic Age.” For Monsignor Shea, to make oneself wholeheartedly and generously available to God takes radical hope. Hope, then, is the central theme of vocational discernment.  

That hope is in very short supply in this ambient culture, says Monsignor Shea, which has often been labeled “post-Christian.” However, this era offers unique signs of hope, and it is in times like these that the Church can flourish, and that the virtue of hope continues to be the foundation of vocations.

“In order to make your life available to God, in order to know that the stakes are so high that you’re willing to do whatever he asks, in order to know that deep down, and assent to it, you have to have that kind of supernatural hope that locates happiness in the Kingdom of God and in eternal life, and not in the things of this world. If he called me, would I go? It’s a question of hope.”

- Monsignor Shea

“And that’s the kind of hope which allows us to make our lives available to God, which causes us to be able to say, ‘Whatever it is, whatever he calls, whatever he wants, that’s what I’ll do. I would say yes. Yes, I would say yes.”

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Other speakers and panelists at this year’s summit included Legionary priests Fr. Edward Hopkins and Fr. John VanDorpe; and Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi Tammy Grady, Laura Matthews, and Gaëtane Auger. Thomas Wurtz, who is finishing his 25th year in FOCUS, serves as senior director of Affinity Outreach and Digital Outreach and is the directing founder Varsity Catholic, FOCUS’ outreach to college athletes. He gave the closing keynote on finding hope in the universal call to holiness.

 Building a Culture of Vocations, Together

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Besides learning from vocation action speakers, participants at the three-day event had the opportunity to connect to a network of vocation apostles across North America. They left inspired and equipped to build a dynamic vocation culture in their local parishes and dioceses.

Fr. Martin Connor, LC, is the national vocation director for the North American Territory, and he believes that initiatives like the National Vocation Summit are critical now more than ever.

“In the words of St. John Paul II, we live in an anti-vocational culture,”

says Fr. Martin,

“and collaboration across all sectors of the Church is essential to rebuild a true vocation culture. We need to be bridge-builders of trust and confidence in God as we evangelize the secular culture.”

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Indeed, in recent years, there has been a decline in the number of Catholic priests and seminarians, particularly in North America, leading to the amalgamation and even closing of parishes due to a lack of clergy. Fr. Joseph Brickner, LC, who serves as vocation director for the South and Southwest United States, keeps with him a unique reminder of the importance of his work to address this vocational crisis.

“One might think this a bit strange, but I carry around a piece of brick in the car I use, right there in the console. It is from a local Catholic church near my hometown. It was a beautiful, thriving little country parish, with hand-carved altars, fine stained-glass windows, and, more importantly, folks who grew in their relationship with Christ there. I grabbed a piece of brick a number of years ago as the church sat in a pile of rubble, just to remind myself what happens when there are not enough priests. The Eucharist is no longer celebrated there, nor weddings, nor baptisms, nor funerals…. With no priest, there’s no church, and no means to connect with Christ. This is my motivation.”

To Form and Launch Apostles

The charism of Regnum Christi to form and launch apostles means that consecrated members and Legionary priests like Fr. Martin and Fr. Joseph serve always with a “vocation-minded spirit,” helping people find their unique mission in life and live it.

“As a priest, I have worked in many different ministries over the years, including vocations. It is a special grace to walk with a young man who is called by God to the religious life and the priesthood. They are out there, and God is calling them! We—clerical and lay—need to do our part in ‘sowing the seed!’”

- Fr. Martin Connor

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This year’s event was sold out, and over the upcoming years, the National Vocation Summit team envisions uniting, forming, and sending out hundreds of priests, consecrated, and lay vocation apostles to impact the culture in five specific areas:  

  • Focusing every form of vocational discernment on Eucharistic Adoration and an authentic sacramental life 
  • Elevating the gravitas of the universal call to holiness for all baptized (Lumen gentium 4:39-41)  
  • Making the topic of one’s vocation a mainstream conversation beginning with the family
  • Accompanying and equipping leaders to help young men and women to discern and fulfill God’s plan in their lives 
  • Bringing greater unity in vocation work across all sectors of Church life, resulting in a vocational plenitude of holy Catholic priests, consecrated, and marriages

The team hopes that the National Vocation Summit will grow in attendance with missionaries and youth leaders, inviting them to live their universal call to holiness. 

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Save the date for next year’s summit!

Next year’s summit will be hosted by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, March 10–12, 2027.

To find out more, visit nationalvocationsummit.org.

Feeling a deeper call?

To learn more about discernment to the Legionary priesthood or consecrated life within Regnum Christi, visit Discernment – Legionaries of Christ or Discernment – Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi.

National Vocation Summit 2026: Awakening Apostles of Hope Read More »

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

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!