vocational discernment

Camp Cristero

Camp Cristero

Camp Cristero

This is an annual summer camp for boys ages 10-15. Using the historical setting of the Cristero War of early twentieth century Mexico, the camp leads boys to Christ through faith-filled, fun and formative activities, reflecting a time when Catholics had to make a heroic stand in defense of their faith.

Daily Mass, prayer, formation activities, apostolic outing to Chicago, trip to Lake Michigan and the sand dunes, sports, and much more!

 

WHEN:

Sunday, June 8, 2025: Arrival by 11am

Friday, June 13, 2025: Departure by 10am

Last Day to Register: Friday, June 6th, 2025

WHERE:

Sacred Heart Apostolic School Campus, Chicago, and Lake Michigan sand dunes.

WHAT TO BRING: 

Sleeping bag, pillow, towels(2), toiletries, bathing suits (for showers and swimming), sunscreen, hat, water bottle, bug repellent, sport clothes, nice clothes for Mass, Bible, Rosary, notebook and pen.

PLEASE NOTE: Electronics, headphones, earbuds, cell phones and similar items are strictly prohibited.

COST:

The cost is $350. Dads are welcome, and stay free of charge!

PARENTS:

    • To Register, please click the red ‘Register for this Event’ button shown.
    • Attending Dads need to be volunteer certified. Click HERE to get Certified! Certifications last 3 years. Register Early as it may take up to 2 weeks.

SHARE:

Invite your friends! Share a Flyer by Downloading one HERE.

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions, please email Father Ronald Conklin: [email protected] or call (219) 575-0567

Cost: $350.00 Register now as spots fill up quickly. 

Last Day to Register: Friday, June 6th, 2025

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ECYD Middle School National Tournament

ECYD Middle School National Tournament

Middle School Boys, Grades 5th-8th! This is the sporting event you have been waiting for!

 

 

Join ECYD members and teams from all over the USA and Canada at our national winter games where ECYD Sections will compete in tournaments to bring the gold home to their hometowns!

Competitions will include all kinds of sports and contests, as well as downhill skiing. Join us!

Main Location:  Sacred Heart Apostolic School, 5901 N 500 E, Rolling Prairie, IN  46371

Ski Resort: Bittersweet Ski Resort, 600 River Rd, Otsego, MI 49078

Who:  Must be a 5th – 8th grade boy to register as a participant

WHEN:

Arrival / Departure Information:

    • Arrival Day: Friday, February 14, 2025 by 5 pm
    • Departure Day: Monday morning, February 17, 2025 (Car departures after 9 am, Flight departures between 12 pm CST and 5 pm CST)

BRING:

A friend! Sleeping Bag, Toiletries, Towel, Rosary, Bible, Pillow, Swimsuit (for modesty in showers), Clothes and shoes: for indoors, indoor games, and appropriate skiing outerwear: ski jacket, ski gloves, bib overalls for skiing, insulated socks, etc. and nice clothes for Mass, too!

 

PARENTS:

    • To Register, please click the red Register button above.
    • Attending Dads need to be volunteer certified. Click HERE to get Certified! Certifications last 3 years. Register Early as it may take up to 2 weeks.

 

COST:

Participants $250, Attending Dads $115

Cost includes all meals, snacks, lodging at SHAS, sporting events and skiing fees.

Last Day to Register: Monday, Feb. 3rd, 2025

If you have any questions, contact: Father Ronald Conklin at [email protected] or 219-575-0567

 

SHARE:

Share a flyer with your ECYD friends! Click HERE to download!

 

 

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Altar Servers Weekend Retreat

Boy’s Altar Servers Weekend Retreat

Your mission is to serve at the altar, closest to Jesus. Grow in your friendship with Him, learn about His sacrifice at the Mass and be READY FOR MISSION at this weekend retreat at Sacred Heart Apostolic School.

Enjoy team competitions, play sports, and enjoy the special outdoor activities!

 

WHEN:

Arrival: Friday January 3rd, 5pm

Departure: Sunday January 5th, 12 noon

BRING:

Your altar server friends! Sleeping Bag, Toiletries, Towel, Rosary, Bible, Pillow, Swimsuit (for modesty in showers), Clothes: for sports, games and Mass, too!

PARENTS:

  • To Register, please click the red ‘Register for this Event’ button.
  • Attending Dads need to be volunteer certified. Click HERE to get Certified! Certifications last 3 years. Register Early as it may take up to 2 weeks.

 

SHARE:

Would you like a Flyer to share the event with friends and family? Download by clicking HERE.

COST:

$75.00 each, Dads are Free!

Last Day to Register: Wednesday, January 1st, 2025

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions, please contact Father Ronald Conklin: [email protected] (219) 575-0567

 

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Family Posada 2024

Family Posada

Sacred Heart Apostolic School invites you and your family to join us for our Christmas Family Posada. Event starts with a Rosary at 5:00pm CST, followed by a FIESTA!

 

WHEN:

Friday, December 13, 2024: Please arrive by 5pm

Please register by: Wednesday, Dec 11th, 2024

WHERE:

Sacred Heart Apostolic School Campus

WHAT TO BRING: 

Bring: Please bring a small wrapped gift for the kids’ gift exchange. Bring one for each kid age 12 and under in your party.

COST:

This event is FREE! Come join us!

REGISTER:

Click the red ‘Register for this Event’ button you see at the top

 

QUESTIONS:

Contact: Father Ronald Conklin, EMAIL: [email protected] or PHONE: 219-575-0567

 

SHARE:

Click HERE to Download a flyer and share this event with your family and friends!

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Advent Camp

Advent Camp

A weekend camp retreat for boys grades 5 and up to prepare for Christmas. Cost is only $75 each. Dads are invited and go for FREE! Register by December 4th!

Mass, prayer, adoration, sports such as soccer, dodge ball, basketball, and floor hockey, dynamic activities such as making flags, raking leaves, decorating, Scattegories, and Pictionary.

WHEN:

Friday, December 6, 2024: Arrival by 5pm

Sunday, December 8, 2024: Departure by 12 noon.

Last Day to Register: Wednesday, December 4th, 2024

WHERE:

Sacred Heart Apostolic School Campus

 

WHAT TO BRING: 

BRING: Sleeping bag, pillow, towel, toiletries, bathing suit (for showers), nice clothes for Mass, athletic clothes for indoor activities and some warm outerwear and gloves to work outside.

Please also remember to bring a Bible, Rosary, Notebook and Pen.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Electronics, headphones, earbuds, cell phones and similar items are strictly prohibited.

 

COST:

The cost is $75. Dads are welcome, and stay free of charge!

 

 

PARENTS:

    • To Register, please click the red ‘Register for this Event’ button
    • Attending Dads need to be volunteer certified. Click HERE to get Certified! Certifications last 3 years. Register Early as it may take up to 2 weeks.

SHARE:

Why not share this event with your friends and family? Download one HERE.

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions about this event, email Father Ronald Conklin at [email protected] or call (219) 575-0567

Advent Camp Read More »

Christ the King Bowl

Christ the King Bowl and Retreat for boys grades 5th to 12th. This is a fun event we have every year! Register Early!

Mass, prayer, rosary, adoration, talks, flag football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, dodgeball, and team building activities.

WHEN:

Friday, November 15, 2024: Arrival by 5pm

Sunday, November 17, 2024: Departure by 10am

Last Day to Register: Wednesday, Nov 13th, 2024

 

WHERE:

Sacred Heart Apostolic School Campus

 

WHAT TO BRING: 

Sleeping bag, toiletries, bathing suit (for showers), nice clothes for Mass, casual clothes, warm outerwear, and indoor and outdoor athletic clothes and shoes for sports activities. Flag FB and soccer are played outside so dress warmly.

 

Please also remember to bring a Bible, Rosary, Notebook and Pen.

PLEASE NOTE: Electronics, headphones, earbuds, cell phones and similar items are strictly prohibited.

 

COST:

The cost is $85, and Dads are welcome, and stay free of charge! Register by Wednesday, Nov 13th, 2024.

 

PARENTS:

    • To Register, please click the red ‘Register for this Event’ button above.
    • Attending Dads need to be volunteer certified. Click HERE to get Certified! Certifications last 3 years. Register Early as it may take up to 2 weeks

SHARE:

Why not share this event with your friends and family? Download one HERE.

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions, contact Father Ronald Conklin: [email protected], (219) 575-0567

Christ the King Bowl Read More »

How Did You Know You Had A Vocation? Monstrance of Eucharistic Adoration

“How Did You Know You Had A Vocation?”

The third part of a blog series answering questions about the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, by Lisa Small


It was the year 2000, the day two of the children who witnessed the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima,  were to be beatified. I hadn’t known that when I agreed to go with my boyfriend to a Friday evening Mass in downtown Auckland. We planned to go dancing in the nearby clubs afterwards. As we entered the Cathedral, there was a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima in front of the altar which I later learnt in the homily was one of the official traveling statues from Portugal that is taken around the world.


After Mass, the priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament and explained that there would be all-night adoration which would end with 8am Mass. My first experience of adoration had been just a few months earlier, and I had had a powerful encounter with Jesus that had started transforming the way I saw my place in the world and my understanding of who the Son of God was. I was mesmerized by His presence and how close He had felt to me that first night, and as I gazed up at the monstrance, that deep thirst for Him came flooding back. Here He was, completely vulnerable and exposed, pouring Himself out to me with His love, grace and mercy. I just couldn’t leave.


I leaned over to my boyfriend and whispered, “Do you think we could stay a bit?” After about half an hour, I leaned over to ask the same question. As a naïve eighteen-year-old, and being new to a lived faith in my daily life, I had never heard about all-night adoration. I thought it meant that we would stay all night and keep watch with Him, rather than the usual practice of praying in turns throughout the night. As He continued to draw me into His Heart, the desire to not leave Him kept growing. I just couldn’t leave…


And so we didn’t – we didn’t make the clubs that night. Around nine in the morning my boyfriend dropped me off at my house, a little exhausted but with a full heart.


That began a deeper quest to understand the longing in my heart to belong completely and exclusively to Him. Even with my boyfriend beside me, there was an unspoken prayer within “Lord, why can’t it be just you and me forever? Do I have to get married? Do I have to have kids? Do I have to get a 9-5 job and do what everyone else does in life? Isn’t there another way?” I had never met any nuns before. I had never thought of that as a possibility so I felt I had to resign myself to getting married and having a job and family, while something deep inside was pulling me in a different direction. “Lord, open the path and show me what I am supposed to do with my life!”


I had no idea where He would lead me, but just a few months later I found myself in Rhode Island, USA, about to begin my training as a missionary with Regnum Christi, meeting Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi for the first time.


I first heard about the missionary year from a lay man in NZ who had just returned home after discerning religious life with “some congregation” overseas called the Legionaries of Christ. When he shared about the Regnum Christi Mission Corps volunteer program, something had sparked a flame within. I knew it was what I should do after High School as my gap year. When I arrived at the Providence airport in RI, I would never have imagined that God would answer my all-night adoration prayer so quickly.


When I met the Consecrated Women who ran our training, I was a little confused about who they were. This was the first time that I was meeting them. Right away though, I fell in love with the way that they celebrated and participated in the liturgy, their love for Christ and the Church and their keen resolve to make a true difference in the world by evangelizing through creative and enterprising means. This was when I truly saw the beauty of a life totally given to Christ and His Kingdom. After one of them shared her own story about her call to this vocation, things in my mind and heart started to fall into place. In her, I saw a reflection of myself and the deeper longing that had been growing to belong completely to Christ. I went to back to Our Lady, this time Our Lady of Guadalupe, and entrusted that desire to her, “Mother, is this where your Son has been leading me? Did He need to get me to cross the huge Pacific Ocean in order to discover the mission that He has made me for?” That night I resolved to live my volunteer year as if I were consecrated, as a way of continued discernment.


So, how did I know I had a vocation? It was a journey of seeking God, listening to the inner desires of my heart and finding Him in the circumstances of life and how He created me. That was later confirmed in spiritual direction and by those in authority within Regnum Christi. The peace and joy I have now is a deep consolation that He has continued to meet me every step of the way.


“How Did You Know You Had A Vocation?” Read More »

“Nun-Run” Takes Girls To Visit Five Religious Orders Across Three States In Three Days

Catholic parents are called to help their children discern God’s will for their lives, whether that be marriage or the religious life. But many Catholic girls, especially in North America, have never seen religious sisters or nuns in everyday life, and have very little knowledge of what daily religious and consecrated life even entails. How can they discern a religious vocation when they don’t even know what they are discerning, when they’ve never witnessed it? And if they do feel the call to religious life, how will they know where to seek the opportunities that await them?

 

These are the questions that Regnum Christi member Donna McCall, who has two teenage daughters, recently faced. Unlike most girls their age, Donna’s daughters, ages 14 and 16, were fortunate to have daily contact with nuns, having attended a school run by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and spend time with the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. These early experiences created in her girls a desire to learn more about religious orders, so Donna decided to organize a “Nun-Run,” where girls could visit several different religious orders in just a few days.

 

Donna and her daughters enlisted the help of Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi, Natalia Santos, who serves as the ECYD Girls Director in Atlanta. Together, the two contacted religious orders in the area, and eventually arranged to visit five different congregations in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Free lodging was provided by generous Regnum Christi families in the Nashville and Birmingham areas, who offered up their home or paid for hotel accommodations for the group. In the end, Donna and Natalia, with the help of a mom who generously offered to drive the group in her 15-passenger van, took five girls to five different religious orders in three different states over three and a half days.

 

The Nun-Run began on Friday morning at the home of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in Cumming, Georgia, with Mass and breakfast. From there, the group headed to Nashville, Tennessee, to visit the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Upon arrival, they went on a tour of the Motherhouse and learned about the order’s over 150-year history. Following the tour, the girls visited, asked questions, and heard the vocation story of one of the sisters, all over cookies. The group spent evening prayers with the sisters before heading to their first host family’s home for dinner.

 

On Saturday morning, after delicious blueberry muffins provided by their Regnum Christi host family, the group travelled south to the Casa Maria Convent and Retreat House of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word in Irondale, Alabama. This being a retreat weekend at the convent, the girls got to see the sisters’ Franciscan and Dominican faith in action, and participated in confession, Mass, communal prayer, adoration, and a retreat talk, which, providentially, focused on following God’s plan for one’s life. They also received a tour of the property and learned about the community’s history, and during lunch and dinner with the sisters, the girls heard vocation stories and had an opportunity to ask questions.

 

Sunday morning took the group to Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama to meet with Sister Mary Jacinta, Vocations Director of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. Here, the group was blessed to speak with a cloistered nun, who surprised them all when she pulled out her laptop to share a picture presentation she had created for them about daily life in the cloister. Before leaving the monastery, they visited the grave of Mother Angelica, who herself was a nun of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, walked the grounds of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and prayed at the replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes there.

 

The group headed back to Georgia in time for Sunday evening Mass, after which they returned to the consecrated women’s home where the girls baked cookies with the consecrated and had dinner. They also had the opportunity to hear vocation stories and ask questions, have a tour of the home, and experience adoration and night prayers with the community, as well as stay the night in one of the rooms where the Regnum Christi missionaries live during the year.

 

On Monday morning, the group headed to the Gift of Grace House in downtown Atlanta, a home for women suffering from AIDS run by the Missionaries of Charity. Here, the girls visited the AIDS home and visited with patients. They also prayed in the chapel, held a relic of St. Teresa of Calcutta, toured the grounds, and were able to spend time with one of the sisters, who shared her vocation testimony and many entertaining stories about life as a Missionary of Charity and her encounters with Mother Teresa. After their visit at the Gift of Grace House, the group returned to the consecrated women’s home for Mass before heading home.

 

For Donna, the highlight of this activity-filled trip was watching the girls have potentially and fundamentally life-changing encounters with Christ. “Regardless of why these five girls came, they left spiritually changed in a very beautiful way, and whether or not any of these girls end up joining a religious order, this was a trip of a lifetime, and it will stay with them all of their lives,” says Donna. “For these five girls, nuns, consecrated, and religious sisters are no longer just some super holy women – they’re really cool regular people who have a deep personal relationship with Christ and who fully and completely give themselves to God.”

 

Since the first weekend-long Nun-Run, plans for more are already in the works, and at the end of June, Donna accompanied a group of eight young women on the first Nun-Run day trip, facilitated by Sister Mariam of the Hawthorne Dominicans of St. Rose of Lima. The group visited Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cancer Home in downtown Atlanta, where the sisters care for terminally ill cancer patients who cannot afford care elsewhere. The group toured the hospital and grounds, talked with patients, and had a Holy Hour, and then had lunch with the sisters where they were able to learn more about the order, ask questions, and hear vocation stories, including the testimony from one sister was once a blackjack dealer in Vegas!

 

And Donna is not stopping there – she feels a great call to continue the Nun-Run ministry, and plans to host at least three day trips and one weekend trip every year. “There is a great need for young ladies to experience religious orders,” says Donna. “It is so hard in today’s society to not feel weird or out of place when seeking God’s will, and seeing others doing the same thing helps the girls feel less alone. They can talk with each other about their shared experiences, and help each other along the way.”

 

Although the nun-runs are an excellent opportunity for girls to experience religious life and can be a step in their process of discerning what vocation God is calling them to, Donna believes that the journey of discernment begins at home. “I think one of the most important things, besides taking our kids to adoration and praying as a family, is simply making vocations a normal option for our children,” says Donna. “We prepare them for the sacrament of marriage daily because they see that lived out in the home. We talk with them about their careers, and we take them on college tours or help them find a trade school or a military recruitment office. But very few families think to introduce their kids to religious orders, or take them to monasteries or convents, and chances are, the kids never thought about it because no one ever asked them. It’s important that we introduce them to this possibility.”

 

Donna and her husband, Chris, have been married for 21 years, and have five children ages 15 months to 16 years. Both having grown up as Air Force brats, Donna and Chris had lived numerous places throughout their lives, before meeting in Virginia and settling down in Georgia, where they now live in Canton, just north of Atlanta. A few years after their marriage, Donna converted to the Catholic faith, and she joined Regnum Christi in 2018.

 

Donna would love to see the Nun-Run ministry spread across North America! If you are interested in hosting a Nun-Run in your own area and would like some advice on how to get started, feel free to contact Donna at [email protected].

“Nun-Run” Takes Girls To Visit Five Religious Orders Across Three States In Three Days Read More »

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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!