Legatus turns 25 in 2012

Legatus’ membership magazine launches redesign for anniversary year, and more . . .

Winston Churchill once famously quipped that there’s nothing wrong with change as long as it’s in the right direction, and Mohandas Gandhi said that history is but a record of change. Accordingly, Legatus’ history is marching to a steady beat as we enter the organization’s 25th anniversary year in 2012.

Likewise, your membership magazine will undergo a significant change with the first issue of the new year. When our first newsletter was published in September 1987, Legatus was in its infancy. No one knew if Tom Monaghan’s idea for a “Catholic Young Presidents’ Organization” would amount to anything. In fact, several prominent and well-placed Catholics told him it was doomed to failure. They later happily recanted.

Now, as Legatus enters its silver anniversary year, Legatus Magazine is getting a tune-up. Beginning last spring and continuing through the summer, our graphics team worked with design specialist Ed Henninger to give the magazine more of a business magazine feel without compromising its appeal to members’ families.

When your copy arrives in February, we hope you’ll be pleased with the direction we’re taking. While most of the changes are in the magazine’s design and layout, we’ve added more content geared toward helping Legates learn their faith — and we’ll continue to inject tips to help you live it and spread it, too.

History book

We are also proud to announce that Legatus is publishing a beautifully designed 25th anniversary history book. This 200-page volume recounts Legatus’ humble beginnings and its rapid growth throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century. We’ve interviewed a good number of Legates who were with us at the beginning and others who, though they’ve only been members for a short time, have been transformed by their Legatus experience.

In last month’s magazine, we inserted a tear-out flyer in the center-spread. If you no longer have access to that magazine, click here for all the details and the order form.

This handsome volume will make a fine gift for your chaplain, your bishop or a prospective member in your area. We’re also publishing a limited number of deluxe, leather-bound books with slip covers. These will go fast!

With the publication of this book, we’re presenting an added opportunity — the chance to have your name published in the book as a “subscriber” for a small donation. Your contribution will ensure that you’ll be among the first to receive the book, plus it will help make copies of the book available as gifts from Legatus to members of the hierarchy.

Summit

Cardinal Burke receives 2006 Defender of the Faith Award

We are thrilled about the lineup for the upcoming Legatus Summit — less than two months away — in Naples, Fla. The annual conference kicks off our 25th anniversary year. Although our cover story (click here for a related story) describes the Summit’s lineup of speakers and how to register, we didn’t have space in that article to tell you about the experience. Most members who attend our annual Summits come away motivated, inspired and more in love with Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church. They also leave with a burning zeal for Legatus.

The speakers we have lined up — from Cardinal Raymond Burke and Sen. Marco Rubio to Fr. George Rutler and President George W. Bush — are sure to be among the best you’ve ever heard. But more importantly for Legates is this: The experience of meeting other Catholic CEOs and their spouses from across the country and around the world who are deeply committed to their faith is unforgettable. Six months after the conference, you may forget what the speakers had to say, but the people you meet at Legatus Summits will be friends for life. The shared experience of a gathering of this magnitude has been life-changing for many Legates.

Please consider blocking out the first weekend of February on your calendar for what’s sure to be the best Legatus Summit ever — one for the history books!

Patrick Novecosky is Legatus Magazine’s editor.