Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991.

After college, he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010. He has taught moral theology at various ecclesiastical institutions at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, Inside the Passion, the film’s only authorized, behind-the-scenes explanation.

Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican¹s 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. He is an accomplished author with many books. His most widely known books are “The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer” and “60 Days to Becoming a Missionary Disciple“.

He has also written three Regnum Christi Essays: “Sharpening Your Tongue: An RC Essay on Charity in Our Words,” “What Is Regnum Christi? An RC Essay on the Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation and the Rule of Life for Lay Members,” and “Our Formation Pathway: An RC Essay on Integral Formation and the Journey to Christian Maturity.” His Do-It-Yourself online Catholic Retreat Guides series are available in multiple formats.

Fr. John resides in Atlanta, serving as Territorial Diector for the Legionaries of Christ.