St Marguerite Bourgeoys

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

Dear Marge,

It’s OK to complain about problems, as long as every complaint comes accompanied by three possible solutions.  I’m not kidding.  Your last note overflowed with eloquent and legitimate complaints, but it stopped there.  That’s only the beginning.  It’s a sign that God has given you an adept mind that perceives problems; but adept minds can also come up with solutions.  And if you don’t start forming the habit of coming up with solutions, you will gradually degenerate into a bitter old woman who always finds fault with everyone and everything, the kind of person no one wants to be around, not even yourself.  So take a lesson from today’s saint; it will help you avoid such a drab destiny.

St Marguerite was born in France in 1630, but her heart to serve God and his people brought her to the newfound French colony of Montreal in Canada in 1652, responding to an invitation issued by the governor of the colony, who was looking for teachers.  She came to the rough settlement and immediately began her work of teaching and training young colonial and Native American girls.  Soon she saw that the progress of the settlement depended on a morally sound and capable class of women who could form and maintain solid home lives, so she returned to France to gather some fellow workers, then expanded her efforts back in Montreal.  She rebuilt the religious monument on Mount Royal that the Natives had destroyed; she opened the very first school in Montreal; and she formed her group of teachers into a new kind of religious congregation – and that’s the point I want to make.

At the time, religious congregations of women were all cloistered.  But St Marguerite recognized that the needs of colonial life were such that she and her sisters could be much more useful if the were allowed to work at large (not inside a convent), promoting Christian charity, education, and everything else a new settlement required.  She insisted on moving forward with her vision, though it entailed an endless round of arguments and discussions before she received the necessary approval from the King and proper Church authorities.  Her efforts only prevailed in 1698, two years before her death.  But prevail they did, and so she is considered by all one of the co-founders of the great city of Montreal.  And her sisters (the Congregation of Notre Dame) are still at work today, all around the world, following in her footsteps, finding creative solutions to new problems, without abandoning the timeless principles of the gospel.

I think that if you apply the same method, turning every complaint into a problem-solving opportunity, you too will make a memorable contribution to the advance of Christ’s Kingdom, and be a lot happier as well.

Your devoted 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!