St Athanasius
Dear Ethel, Right now, your prayer life is more important than every other duty except one: your studies. Right now, God needs you to be the best student you can be, because later on, you will need what you learn now to succeed in your life’s mission. It’s all part of God’s Providence, you know. Take today’s saint as an example. Athanasius received the best education the ancient world had to offer. He grew up in the cosmopolitan center of Alexandria, Egypt, the New York of the ancient Mesopotamian world. He mastered Greek literature and philosophy, rhetoric, jurisprudence, and Christian doctrine, and though he didn’t know it at the time, he was going to need every last bit of that education. He became secretary to the great bishop of Alexandria at the time of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea. That’s when the Church condemned the insidious errors of the Egyptian priest, Arius, who claimed that Christ was not truly God. Soon thereafter, but still before he turned thirty, Athanasius himself became bishop of that all-important See (“see” is another name for the seat of episcopal or papal authority). For many reasons, Arianism continued to grow and spread. It infected all of Christendom, in fact, and threatened to obliterate the unity of the Church. St Athanasius was the staunchest opponent of the heretics and the sturdiest defender of the Catholic faith throughout the battle. His enemies knew what a critical player he was, and therefore constantly schemed to have him eliminated. They slandered and calumniated him, put him on false trial, stirred up more than one emperor against him, cajoled him, threatened him… In the end, Athanasius kept the faith intact, even though he was banished 5 separate times and spent over 17 years in exile. In the Church’s most dire hour, Athanasius saved the day. How was he able to do it? Two reasons: first, God had given him the opportunity to receive a top-notch education and he had taken full advantage of it; he had formed himself well during his youth, and thus he was able to sift through the subtle half-truths argued by his enemies without being deceived or even confused. Second, he knew how to pray. Much of his exile was spent hiding with the monks in the Egyptian deserts, where he befriended St Anthony the Abbot, and other experts in prayer. So there you have it. Maybe you won’t have to suffer exile and imprisonment to defend the faith, but defend it you will be called to do. So get ready now: don’t slack off in your studies, and don’t skimp on your prayer. Love, Uncle Eddy
Dóri Hangodi is originally from Budapest, Hungary. After completing her college studies at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, she served as an RCMC in Rome. Responding to God’s persistent call, she was consecrated in 1997 in Rome, Italy. After finishing her studies in Spain, she was assigned to youth ministry in the newly established community of consecrated women in Los Angeles. There as a “road team”, she accompanied girls, young adults, and women in their faith journeys, and led numerous camps and retreats across the West Coast. In 2005, she served for five years in southern Germany (Bavaria), where she also founded an official FC Bayern fan club, “Rückenwind” (“Tailwind”), built on spiritual foundations. Afterward, she served two years in Vienna, Austria, and six years in Budapest, Hungary, where she supported the RC school, St. John Paul II School Center and completed her master’s degree in theology. She is currently a member of the Dallas consecrated community and serves as a formation instructor at The Highlands School in Irving, Texas.
Br. José Yotzín Cárdenas is originally from Colima, Mexico. Becoming an altar server ignited his faith and drew him closer to Christ, and he entered the minor seminary. After leaving the seminary to further mature his vocation, he joined Regnum Christi and collaborated with the youth ministry in his diocese and throughout Mexico. During a visit to the Legionary novitiate in Monterrey, he felt immediately that he was home, and that the Legionaries of Christ were his family. Br. José is currently a first-year humanist at LC Cheshire, and made his first profession of vows as a Legionary of Christ in August of 2025.
Kristina Piñero was born in Xalapa, Mexico, and was consecrated in 1993. She has worked in pastoral ministry throughout this time, in the United States, Mexico, Spain, Italy, and Israel, primarily in youth and parent catechetical formation. She has served as principal at two schools, one in Monterrey, Mexico, and another in Rhode Island, USA. She holds two master’s degrees, in Religious Sciences and in Spirituality, and earned her Doctor of Ministry from the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. Kristina is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, where she teaches candidates in permanent diaconate formation, first-year seminarians, and courses in Children’s Spirituality. She also serves as a consultant and speaker for the Children’s Initiatives Project at MACC and regularly presents on evangelization and catechetics for children and families.
