Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

Dear Bernie,

Your ambition to change the world for the better is commendable.  Indeed, I would expect nothing less from someone who has received so much (“much will be expected from him who has received much,” our Lord said).  I have a little bone to pick with your method, however. In that “plan for conquest” you sent me, there is a glaring void. You never once mention the role of spiritual devotion, the role of prayer, the role of holiness.  It is all well and good to infiltrate the global ruling elite, but once you hold the reins of power, what will you do with them? If you don’t have a deep and vibrant life of prayer and devotion to Jesus Christ, you and your accomplices will end up just as corrupt as those you’re ousting.  Don’t belittle the importance of the spiritual life when it comes to social action; learn from history. Today’s saint is an excellent example.

Back in the late ninth and tenth centuries, things were looking quite unpropitious for Christendom.  In Byzantium, Spain, and North Africa, the Church had fallen under the heavy thumb of Muslim conquerors.  And in Europe, the vitality of the Carolingian empire (that’s Charlemagne and his successors) had been steadily ebbing away.  Clergy throughout the continent were ignorant and worldly, the Pope was at the mercy of the iniquitous Roman aristocracy, and Norman barbarians (the Vikings and their friends) were pouring in from the north, ransacking every vestige of civilization that they could find (the Magyars were doing the same in the east).  It was a gloomy time.

Just then, a devout French nobleman by the name of William of Aquitaine had a bold idea.  He founded a new monastery that he wanted to return to a purer interpretation of the great Benedictine rule.  He chose a place called Cluny, right smack in the middle of the Frankish Kingdom (France nowadays), and he recruited the holy and experienced abbot, Berno, to head up the project (Berno had already been involved in reforming a couple of other monasteries).  Berno became the first of a long line of mighty saints who served as abbots of Cluny, which in turn became a virtual factory of holiness. It churned out humble, sincere, devoted clergy 24/7 for 200 years, and spawned hundreds of other foundations throughout Europe.  It was the remote origin of all that was great in the Catholic Middle Ages – the art and architecture, the mysticism, the scholarship, the evangelization… And what was it based on? Prayer and spiritual sacrifice.

So, my ambitious nephew, I suggest you scribble an addendum to your battle plans, adding prayer – personal and liturgical – to the otherwise promising program.  And in the meantime, don’t be afraid to get onto your knees yourself every once in a while.

Your affectionate uncle, Eddy

Uncle Eddy Introduces the Saints

Navigating today’s world is tough and all of us could use a nudge in the right direction. Figuring out the right path to take at work, at college, or in social situations is not always easy. Looking to the lives of the saints can give us the insights we need.

Written by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, Uncle Eddy’s Saint of the Day is a fictional series of letters written by a man who has been imprisoned for the Catholic Faith. Using the saints of the day as examples, Uncle Eddy pens a daily letter with spiritual advice to his many nieces and nephews.

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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!