From the President's Desk - October 13, 2023

Welcome back to Legatus’ From the President’s Desk!

From the President’s Desk is a chance for me to share with you what has held my attention this week. The weekly update will present a selection of observations and news stories focused on Catholic, business, and secular affairs, oriented to inform and empower Catholic professional leaders like you. ??

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?? Prayer Request: Israel

Please join me in praying for peace after Hamas’s recent attack upon Israel. May God return those who have been taken hostage safely to their families, heal the wounded, and turn the hearts of the attackers away from violence, and towards peace.

?? Member Benefit: Legatus Career Hub

I am excited to introduce Legatus Career Hub, an exclusive opportunity for Legatus members. You now have access to a remarkable talent pool via Legatus Career Hub, where you can post job opportunities and play an integral role in shaping the careers of your children and grandchildren.

To get started and be part of this exciting endeavor, simply visit Legatus Networks at this link, and click on Career Hub from the main menu. Your participation strengthens our community and contributes to a brighter future for emerging Catholic leaders.

? Men’s Enclave

This week I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the Men’s Enclave. More info will be shared in next week’s From the President’s Desk; be sure to check it out. ?

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Over 75% of the men attending have participated in past years.?Here is a picture of some of our group at the oldest church in the U.S., San Miguel Chapel in downtown Santa Fe, NM.

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According to the chapel’s website, the original adobe church was built around 1610 and has been rebuilt and restored several times in the past 400 years. Read more about its fascinating history and see its breathtaking beauty at this link.

?? No Religion

There is a crisis in our country today of more and more Americans identifying as not participating in any organized religion. Recent reporting from the Associated Press sheds light on this challenge. From their recent story:

The decades-long rise of the nones — a diverse, hard-to-summarize group — is one of the most talked about phenomena in U.S. religion. They are reshaping America's religious landscape as we know it.

In U.S. religion today, ‘the most important story without a shadow of a doubt is the unbelievable rise in the share of Americans who are nonreligious,’ said Ryan Burge, a political science professor at Eastern Illinois University and author of ‘The Nones,’ a book on the phenomenon.

The nones account for a large portion of Americans, as shown by the 30% of U.S. adults who claim no religious affiliation in a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Other major surveys say the nones have been steadily increasing for as long as three decades.

Give the entire piece a read. And then remember this: our mission at Legatus is essential for the culture, especially in light of this phenomenon.

We are living witnesses for Christ. The rise of people disaffiliating from organized religion --including the Catholic Faith -- means we must take our faith seriously and live it joyfully, and fully embody our role as ambassadors.

??? Synod Coverage

EWTN News Nightly has some great coverage of the synod. You can check it out at this link!

Thank you for reading, and be on the lookout for our next From the President’s Desk!

Stephen Henley