This summer, the North American Territory of the Legionaries of Christ welcomes six brothers in formation to different localities across the territory as they take on new assignments in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines.
Five of them are among twenty Legionaries who will be ordained to the transitional diaconate this year globally, in anticipation of their priestly ordination in 2027.
Br. Santiago Canales
“My only goal is to serve the Lord and his souls with a joyful and faithful heart, always obedient to his will.”
Br. Santiago Canales is originally from Puebla, Mexico, where he attended a Regnum Christi school from kindergarten through high school. He then obtained his bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology at Ibero-American University in Mexico City, and before entering the seminary, he worked as a mentor at a Regnum Christi university in Mexico. A key step in his discernment process occurred when he volunteered for two years with the Magdala Center in the Holy Land.
On September 4th of this year, Br. Santiago will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in Puebla, Mexico. He will then go to the Philippines, where he will serve as a formator for ECYD at Everest Academy in Manila. Br. Santiago is looking forward to this new mission, where he will have the opportunity to experience a new culture, learn from the faith of every person the Lord places in his path, and be a reflection of Christ’s love to everyone he encounters.
“It fills me with great hope to be able to collaborate with the other branches of Regnum Christi and to keep building together the Kingdom of Christ that he yearns for. My only goal is to serve the Lord and his souls with a joyful and faithful heart, always obedient to his will.”
“I am looking forward to sharing my joy and faith with young people, and I hope to become the best Legionary I can be.”
Br. Andrew Kang is from South Korea and is currently preparing for his ordination to the transitional diaconate. His ordination will take place on August 26, 2026, at 3:00 PM in Seoul, South Korea. After spending two years of formation in the United States and three years in Rome, Br. Andrew returned to Korea for a year and a half to fulfill his mandatory military service. He then served in the Philippines as a missionary before returning to Rome to complete his studies. He is very happy to now be returning to the United States, where he will be serving ECYD in Louisiana.
Br. Andrew is eager to begin working with the young people of Louisiana and to contribute wholeheartedly to Christ’s mission.
“I am looking forward to sharing my joy and faith with young people, and I hope to become the best Legionary I can be by working closely with my brother Legionaries and helping to build a strong spirit of teamwork and fraternity.”
Throughout his formation, Br. Andrew has been actively engaged in digital evangelization. On Instagram, he has been blending elements of Korean culture, like K-pop, with his love for the Catholic faith, as a way to bring the Gospel to a new generation. Follow him on Instagram @coreano_lc.
Br. Darius Lawrence
“I have a lot to learn from the students… and I pray that the Holy Spirit uses me as an instrument to share with them the joy that is a life lived with Christ and the family of the Church.”
Br. Darius is originally from San Diego, California. He has spent most of his formation in Europe, attending a year of novitiate and doing his internship working in an apostolic school in Germany, then spent the past five years in Rome completing his final studies in theology while also serving as a philosophy professor at Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on September 5th in Dallas, Texas.
In his new assignment, Br. Darius will be serving as an assistant chaplain at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he looks forward to putting his years of study and preparation to good use. Serving in a secular university promises to give Br. Darius plenty of opportunity to dialogue with people unfamiliar with the Catholic faith and the Church, and he is even planning to occasionally set up a chair in the main campus courtyard with a sign that reads “Ask me anything!” (with the subtitle “I don’t promise to have all the answers, but I love questions!”)
“I think I have a lot to learn from the students—what moves them, what their dreams and worries are—and I pray that the Holy Spirit uses me as an instrument to share with them the joy that is a life lived with Christ and the family of the Church.”
Br. Darius also produces a YouTube channel called Church Headlines, where he publishes a regular news recap about the most significant events happening in the Church and the world. You can watch Church Headlines on YouTube or listen on Spotify, or find it in podcasts on the Regnum Christi app.
Br. Maximilian Nguyen
“I’m so looking forward to meeting you, serving the Church with you, and building something great for God together! Get pumped!”
Br. Maximilian Nguyen is from Overland Park, Kansas and has been serving in youth ministry as he prepares for his ordination to the temporary diaconate. He will be continuing this work with youth as an ECYD formator, serving the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.
Br. Maximilian is looking forward to returning to the mission field of North America after many years of study and international ministry (he recently assisted with Holy Week Missions in Abidjan, Ivory Coast!). His years of formation and ministry experience have equipped him to continue serving God’s people on their spiritual journey, especially through his assignment to work with youth.
And this is an exciting time to be Catholic in North America, according to Br. Maximilian, who believes that Canada and the United States are on the cusp of a beautiful renewal of faith.
“My goal is to become a part of that renewal with the people that I serve! For those I don’t yet know, but perhaps will know soon, I’m so looking forward to meeting you, serving the Church with you, and building something great for God together! Get pumped!”
Br. Maximilian is also an avid photographer. You can follow him on Instagram and see his photography at behance.net/maxnguyenlc.
Br. Bernardo Ross
“My goal is to simply learn from everyone around me, and bring others a little closer to Christ!”
Br. Bernardo Ross is originally from San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015, where, after a profound conversion from a secular college lifestyle, he discerned a call to the priesthood. He, too, will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on September 5th in Dallas, Texas.
During his ten years of formation in the United States, Mexico, and Rome, Br. Bernardo has focused on ministry with young adults and the formation of Christian leaders through the Regnum Christi charism. His pastoral experience has centered on accompanying young people in their spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and mission to bring the Gospel into contemporary culture. He is looking forward to taking this experience to Houston, Texas, where he will begin his ministry with young adults.
“I hope to be able to plug in and contribute to the mission in the RC Houston community and bring Christ to others there. In this first year, my goal is to simply learn from everyone around me, and bring others a little closer to Christ!”
Br. Bernardo is passionate about evangelization through modern media, seeking to present the Catholic faith in a clear, engaging, and intellectually honest way for a generation searching for meaning, vocation, and truth. Creatively engaging contemporary culture, he strives to open paths of dialogue that lead people closer to Christ. You can follow him on Instagram and TikTok.
Br. John Sester
“I hope to guide and serve with the Heart of Jesus, and I hope to spend my diaconate in preparation for the depth of the priesthood that is to follow.”
Br. John Sester is from Rogers, Minnesota and loves reading, writing, sketching, playing guitar—anything that has to do with the artistic expression of the human heart. He has recently completed his theology studies in Rome and will be ordained to the transitional diaconate along with Br. Darius and Br. Bernardo in Dallas, Texas on September 5th.
Br. John is looking forward to shifting from the previous stage of personal formation to this time more focused on service—he is taking on the role of assistant rector at Sacred Heart Apostolic School in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, where he will be working as a teacher and a member of the formation team.
“Now I have arrived at what I have been preparing myself for, and it is an exciting transition! I hope to guide and serve with the Heart of Jesus, and I hope to spend my diaconate in preparation for the depth of the priesthood that is to follow.”
You can follow Br. John on Instagram and Facebook.
We welcome these six brothers with gratitude and joy as they begin their new assignments, and we look forward to the gifts, energy, and witness that each of them will bring to the communities they serve. Please keep them in your prayers as they embark on their new missions!
