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Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest

“Ask a Priest: Any Advice on Studying Philosophy?”

Q: I am a freshman in college interested in studying philosophy. Do you have any recommendations in choosing classes or studying it in general? I know that some famous philosophers are in direct opposition to Catholicism, and I do not want to endanger my faith. – N.P.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s good that you are already on guard against works that could undercut your faith.

I will only offer general advice, since I don’t know the professors you would have.

If you are starting out in philosophy, it’s good to avoid exposing yourself immediately to philosophers who promote an atheistic or materialistic way of thinking. Some students unfortunately dive right into Nietzsche as their introduction to philosophy.

An alternative would be to pursue a two-track system.

First, start at the beginning. Study the ancient philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle. The early great philosophers focused on bedrock questions, such as the nature of being; epistemology; logic, etc.

Second, if possible, you might want to start looking at the most important Christian thinkers such as St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae is one of the world’s greatest intellectual masterworks. It is also highly pedagogical — you can learn to think more clearly just by reading it. The Thomistic Institute offers a free online course on Aquinas.

Another hint: Philosophical writings can be a bit overwhelming at first, so it might be good to supplement your reading with more-accessible material.

One helpful writer is Peter Kreeft. His website lists his many books (including a summary of Aquinas’ Summa) and contains a lot of helpful materials on various topics.

Also handy is Ten Philosophical Mistakes, by Mortimer Alder.

Only after you get well-grounded in the ancients and in the thought of St. Thomas would it be advisable to tackle the modern philosophers.

Some of the moderns’ insights are valuable, but some are deeply flawed. You want to have a solid background in good philosophy before you read the dicey stuff. Forewarned is forearmed.

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Fr. Robert Presutti, LC: Helping Others Learn Spiritual Direction

Divine Mercy University and Regnum Christi are teaming up to respond to the need for spiritual directors in the Church. Fr. Robert Presutti, LC, PhD,  is heading the initiative.

Fr. Presutti teaches at Divine Mercy University and has been involved in higher education for a number of years. He leads a team of 12 experts in psychology, Catholic spirituality, and spiritual direction, who will be offering the course. He responded to questions via email.

What is the history of training spiritual directors in Regnum Christi? How did you get involved?

Fr, Robert: The great importance of spiritual direction in our lives and for our apostolates is no secret.  With the growth of Regnum Christi in North America, it became clear that we needed to expand the opportunities for spiritual direction for our own and for those who benefit from our work. This meant training more spiritual directors or guides. Over the years, various localities made an effort to do so and, most notably, spiritual director courses were organized for the territory at Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center in the Washington, DC, metro area. These courses were spearheaded by Fr. John Hopkins and involved the active collaboration of lay and consecrated members and other Legionaries. For years, this program at Bethesda — subsequently replicated in various locations and furthered by the involvement of the RC Spirituality — yielded many good and holy fruits, but it became clear that the opportunity for training needed to extend further. This is where DMU came in.

You mentioned this was a partnership between Divine Mercy and Regnum Christi. How does that partnership work? What does each side provide?

DMU has a tradition of developing rigorous academic programs, both onsite and online. Students literally from around the world participate in DMU’s online programs, and DMU has become known in both Catholic and non-Catholic communities. Naturally, the question arose: is there an opportunity to use DMU’s experience to create a globally-accessible spiritual directors program in conjunction with Regnum Christi in North America? The result would meet the need for training spiritual directors not only for Regnum Christi, but for anyone who wanted to explore this ministry. In this partnership, DMU provides the pedagogical and academic expertise and infrastructure, while Regnum Christi provides a charism that deeply informs the program.

How do you think this program can help Regnum Christi members? Why might they get this certificate?

This program can help Regnum Christi members in various ways. For  those with the call to become spiritual directors, this program will provide the requisite theological background, human skills training, and supervision to begin a fruitful exercise of this ministry or apostolate. For others, some of the courses might become an opportunity for either spiritual deepening or learning human interpersonal skills for apostolates besides spiritual direction.

How might this program compare to other programs out there teaching spiritual direction?

This program is fully online, with two four-day residencies. This makes it widely accessible. Additionally, some distinguishing features include the theological content: this program is set very strongly in the wonderful tradition of Catholic Christian spiritual theology from the time of the Fathers of the Church to present day authors, highlighted by those who are recognized as “doctors” of the spiritual life by the Church. A second distinguishing feature is the interpersonal skills training: this program will draw from the DMU experience of teaching solid interpersonal skills for online students, which has yielded good fruit in the clinical programs offered by DMU (such as the online MS in Counseling degree). Thirdly, this program will provide supervision to students as they begin exercising as spiritual directors, toward the middle and end of the program. As one learns supervision, we can say that “quality” of spiritual direction can increase.

The website says the program includes six online courses offered in eight-week modules, two onsite residences, and a practicum. What kind of time and monetary commitment might a person be putting in to fulfill those requirements?

The courses are $750 each, and residencies are $1000 each.

For the courses, students should expect to work on average five to eight hours weekly when the courses are offered.

For the residencies, students can expect an intensive all-day schedule during their time.

How can people get more information or register?

Please go to www.sdc-divinemercy.org or divinemercy.edu/divine-mercy-university-launches-spiritual-direction-certificate-program.

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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!