Legatus’ apostolic nature

John Hunt says Legatus is a force for good in the lives of its members and the Church . . .

John J. Hunt

It’s no secret that Legatus is apostolic in nature, and our apostolate carries a certain level of responsibility for bringing the Good News to Catholic business leaders.

Let me begin by acknowledging that Legatus, given its role as a force for good in the business, personal and faith lives of its members, necessarily seeks and welcomes all who bear the responsibility for leadership of private sector business units of a specified size.

It is the case that many successful executives lead businesses whose employee and revenue sizes are below the levels that secure Legatus membership. Are these individuals contributing to the good of society and the faith lives of their employees and their families? Of course! The benchmarks for membership in Legatus are neither perfect nor are they unchangeable. They do, however, assure a certain level of apostolic influence on society by Catholic business leaders whose virtues and moral demeanor impact a larger segment of society.

I encourage you to introduce Legatus to prospective members who you believe would appreciate the organization’s mission. Vatican Council II calls all of us to be apostolic. Legatus’ mission to “study, live and spread the Catholic faith in our business, professional and personal lives” is a lofty calling. But for Legatus members to whom much has been given, much is required.

Napa Valley and Hollywood

Please join me in congratulating the members of the Napa Valley and Hollywood Chapters who celebrated their chapters’ charterings in special ceremonies last November (click here for related story). Chairman and founder Tom Monaghan’s remarks encouraged members to continue their respective chapter’s growth in service to the Church.

These two chapters’ charterings capped a successful growth year for Legatus. Earlier in 2010, we chartered chapters in Colorado Springs and Pittsburgh.

The recently introduced Now More Than Ever campaign to grow Legatus membership by 50% over the next five years anticipates the chartering of five new chapters per year through 2015. These are exciting days for Legatus as we approach our 25th anniversary in 2012. Share Legatus! Let’s do this together!

John Hunt is Legatus’ executive director. He and his wife Kathie are members of Legatus’ Chicago Chapter.