Legatus established in Bismarck

The Catholic head of a business often navigates situations where culture and religion collide, but they also encounter opportunities to provide a good example.
 
Tom Monaghan understood that 30 years ago when he founded Legatus, a Catholic professional organization that mixes business leadership with the Catholic faith. The former owner of Dominos Pizza sold the corporation for more than $1 billion in 1998 and owned the Detroit Tigers baseball team from 1983 to 1992.
 
Despite such success, Monaghan never forgot his Catholic faith.
 
In 1987, he had the opportunity to attend Mass with his hero, Pope St. John Paul II, in his private chapel at the Vatican. About an hour after that experience, the idea came to Monaghan to start an organization for Catholic heads of companies.
 
Legatus would lead members deeper into their faith and thereby strengthen the Catholic influence in the culture. With membership limited to the highest tier of Catholic business leaders, Monaghan has explained that the lay organization’s focus is on evangelizing those with the greatest ability to impact the world. “They can get more done than any other sector of the laity, and they should,” he said.
 
On June 2, 1987, just one month after Monaghan met the pope, Legatus took hold in Michigan with a meeting of 11 men in Ann Arbor. It has been growing ever since, currently with 88 chapters and 18 more in development, for a total of 2,655 executive members and over 5,000 total members.
 
A strong beginning
 
In September, Legatus came to Bismarck. After an informational meeting with Bishop Kagan, eight corporate heads signed on in addition to seven spouses for a total of 15 members. Spouses are full members, even able to hold office. For a chapter to be officially chartered, 20 corporate members are required.
 
Legatus’ executive director, Stephen Henley explained, “We have indeed launched in Bismarck and with great excitement. Legatus never goes into a diocese without permission from the bishop. However, the bishop did not just approve, but welcomed Legatus with open arms and began making personal phone calls and letters to encourage his business leaders to be a part. The momentum and excitement is a clear indication of Bishop Kagan's engagement with his people and his ‘get it done’ mentality.”
 
Bishop Kagan was the chaplain for a Legatus chapter in Rockford, Illinois for 15 years before becoming bishop of the Bismarck Diocese. He saw first-hand the benefits Legatus can bring to both the Church and the laity.
 
“I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, especially since that terrible HHS mandate,” he said. “I began hearing from Catholic business owners. They did not know what to do.” Bishop Kagan explained that business heads that understood the Church’s teachings regarding abortion and contraception were concerned that the government would impose heavy penalties for non-compliance.
 
“Anyone can see this is a huge overreach by a secular government, untenable with the religious liberty guaranteed in the First Amendment,” Bishop Kagan said. “It got me thinking about Legatus, so that like-minded business leaders can have not just that practical support, but also great spiritual and moral support that the Church gives.” 
 
Catholics from the Bismarck/Mandan area, as well as from the Western North Dakota oil patch, who attended the first informational reception at the Bishop’s residence were very enthusiastic about Legatus. “I’m not surprised,” Bishop Kagan said. “Our Catholic business people are serious about their faith and they are not ashamed of it.”
 
According to him, besides the personal, there is a public benefit of Legatus. “It encourages these Catholic men and women not to engage in cutthroat business practices, but to instead use their talent to grow in virtue and help others,” he said. “Over the years, in my former diocese, people said it was also a tremendous help even in their personal family lives and they often became more active in their churches.”
 
Membership requirements
 
Members must be Catholics in good standing and an owner, chairman, president, or CEO of a large business. Minimum annual revenues and number of employees are set fairly high in order create a support network for leaders in similar circumstances.
 
Monthly meetings begin with confession and a rosary, followed by Mass, social time, dinner, a short business session and speaker. Ten percent of annual membership dues are given to the Holy Father.
 
The first official Legatus meeting in Bismarck was held in October and Fr. Thomas Grafsgaard, parochial vicar at the Church of Saint Anne in Bismarck, was appointed as the chaplain.
 
Kris Lengenfelder, president of Modern Machine Works in Bismarck, said he joined for peer support and guidance on how to handle difficult situations. “I was worried sick for six months over the HHS Mandate,” he said. “I knew as a Catholic that it was wrong to provide contraception, but I did not know how I was going to handle it.” 
Fortunately, he said, his business was grandfathered in so he did not have to go against his faith to stay in business. “I’m doing this mainly for the spiritual support,” Lengenfelder said. “I’m also looking forward to being around other Catholics for their example, and there may be some times that I can help others.”
 
Another Bismarck member is Dr. Raymond Gruby, a retired orthopedic surgeon that co-founded the Bone and Joint Center with Dr. Ralph Kilzer. He also co-founded the medical software company, Intelligent Insights, with his son, Trevor. The opportunity to join Legatus was serendipitous, according to him. He had just met four couples from Legatus in August while on the “Dignity of the Human Person” pilgrimage in Germany and Lourdes with the University of Mary.
 
“I had never heard of Legatus before that,” Gruby said. “I was impressed to hear about an organization that includes spouses and totally honors marriage.”
 
The fact that there are chapters across the country that he can connect with when traveling is a big bonus, according to Gruby. “It’s good to be a part of a culture that honors life and the teaching of the Church in order to have that intense spiritual journey with people that is so life giving and so life enlarging.”
 
If you would like to learn more about joining Legatus, contact Carmen Tate at 575-973-7278 or  ctate@legatus.org or visit their website at Legatus.org.