Opening of new local chapter held at Terminal City Club
By Agnieszka Krawczynski
The B.C. Catholic

An organization that unites influential Catholics has just launched a new chapter in Vancouver.

Seven officers for the brand-new branch of Legatus were commissioned at an event at the Terminal City Club March 3.

“It is a great blessing, and I take it as a sign of the growing vitality of Catholic life in our local Church and community,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, who commissioned them at the ceremony.

The officers and other local Legatus members, which include Catholic presidents, CEOs, and business owners, and their spouses, received certificates and pins at the launch.

“With this inauguration, you are joining with 4,000 Catholic business leaders and spouses in a prestigious international organization which fosters your spiritual life, your dedication to honest and just practices in the public square, and your mission to witness to the faith in the commitments of everyday family and business life.”

The group will meet for monthly events that include confession, Mass, dinner, and a guest speaker; go on annual pilgrimages; and have a support network of Catholic business people with shared values.

“The purpose of Legatus is simply to help the members be better Catholics,” said founder Tom Monaghan, who attended the chartering ceremony. Monaghan, also known as the creator of Domino’s Pizza, founded Legatus in 1987.

“Nobody is better at getting things done than CEOs. They are the most proven leaders in our society. Maybe as a whole, lawyers might be more articulate. Professors might have a higher IQ. But the people who make the nation run are the CEOs. So you get them together in an environment were they nourish their faith and it’s pretty magical. It’s the one time they can talk about their faith.”

Monaghan came up with the idea after Mass in Pope John Paul II’s private chapel. “I’ll never forget receiving communion from him. His eyes met mine as he put the host on my tongue,” he said.

“It was maybe about 30 or 40 minutes after that, when I was leaving, I got the idea that there should be an organization like YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) for Catholics, with no age limit.”

Legatus has since expanded to 80 chapters. Only two exist outside of the U.S.: Vancouver and Dublin, Ireland.