Through a watery tunnel emerges a swimmer, fighting to beat a school, team, and personal record while striving to win the meet. Arms extended, pull, kick, breath, each movement and stroke with a purpose and goal. Taking words of advice from the coach, tips from successful swimmers, and trying new techniques are all the thoughts racing through the mind as each lap is completed.
Life as a swimmer was challenging and rewarding for Rev. Vincent A. Kuna, C.S.C. As a teammate, he encouraged fellow swimmers to reach high while challenging himself to achieve a new personal best. Following in the footsteps of great swimmers before him, he understood the importance of tradition, the value of teamwork, and the necessity of growth for continued program success.
This same tenacity, curiosity to explore new areas, and commitment to a band of brothers led him to the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province, and the role of Producer-at-Large with Family Theater Productions, part of the family of Holy Cross Family Ministries. In his role, Fr. Kuna continues the work started by Venerable Rev. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., using mass media to create family and faith-based programming that inspires, motivates, and unlocks the heart.
“He’d seen the most human beings in person in his lifetime with the exception of maybe St. John Paul II,” said Fr. Kuna about Fr. Peyton’s work. “I know how difficult it is to even have a conversation with A-list talent, let alone bring them into what we’re doing at Family Theater Productions. He was a very special man and doing what he was doing is really
exciting. I don’t think I’ll be as great as Fr. Patrick Peyton and that’s good and humbling. It’s a reminder to work on holiness and there’s no ceiling for that. It’s a spiritual legacy.”
The Journey
When it came time to choose a path after high school, Fr. Kuna decided to attend the University of Notre Dame. He wanted to be at the best academic institution and have the opportunity to continue his passion for swimming. While on campus, he swam competitively all four years and pursued a business degree. The goal was to work in the financial world, get married, and have a family.
During this time, he had the opportunity to one, interact with priests of the Congregation for the first time. Second, his swim coach, Tim Welsh, had a weekly team Mass, growing his spiritual life on campus. Attending public school from kindergarten through high school offered Fr. Kuna limited interaction with priests and no interaction with Holy Cross priests.
“I think between those two things I started taking interest,” said Fr. Kuna of how the seed was planted for a future in religious life. “I’d always seen priests as holy men, and it was the first experience I had of seeing them both as holy people and as men in the dorm. They integrated into the life of the dorm and were concerned about what was going on. I was only close to one of my grandparents, my dad’s mother, and when she died the priests were there to support me. They contacted priests in Chicago they knew to be around and attend the funeral.”
One memorable figure was the late Rev. David Scheidler, C.S.C., who served as the dorm rector. Fr. Scheidler new “Brave Heart” was one of Fr. Kuna’s favorite movies, and rallied other students in the dormitory to dress in period clothing like the movie, including kilts and war-painted faces, to cheer on Fr. Kuna at an end of semester home swim meet.
Upon graduation from Notre Dame, Fr. Kuna explored the business world, working in the financial industry for a few years. He felt a calling to religious life and after much reflection and discernment, entered the seminary of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers. While visiting other religious organizations like becoming a diocesan priest, he found Holy Cross was a better fit for his background and talents, and he wanted to be part of the wide range of ministry opportunities available within the Congregation.
Fr. Kuna feels blessed to have a “charmed” life with a great childhood, high school, and college experience before entering the seminary. “I know that’s not the case for everyone. I get to enter the lives of others who might be suffering and show them there’s hope.”
Ministry Work
A lover of cinema, Fr. Kuna incorporated film study into his education at Notre Dame taking electives in film, television, and theater. He was able to continue his interest in mass media after he was ordained a priest, by going back to school and receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California (USC).
Fr. Kuna taught Film Production at the University of Notre Dame after graduation from USC. He currently works with the Congregation’s apostolate Holy Cross Family Ministries at Family Theater Productions in Los Angeles, California. He works with production development and does Hollywood outreach for the media organization. Fr. Kuna consults as a Catholic priest on two mainstream Hollywood films and/or television shows each year.
One project Fr. Kuna is part of is Catholic Central, a web series that answers viewers’ questions about Catholic practices, beliefs, and spirituality. The series has an English and Spanish version. These video segments serve as a resource for youth groups and religious education classes that entertain, enlighten, and inspire youth through the narration of relatable hosts Nick, Gabby, Kai, and Libby.
“I’m not the best in Spanish, so I worked a good amount on the English version, at least for the beginning episodes,” shared Fr. Kuna. Both series have the presenters take on the role of talk show hosts. While tackling an area of faith, they try to add humor to create an interactive learning environment instead of sharing monotone studies of written text. “I wrote some episodes and was on the actual physical set as assistant director for some of the first seasons.”
A recent project was on bereavement and grieving aimed at the millennial demographic. For the series, producers worked with members of the St. Monica Catholic Church Bereavement Ministry in Santa Monica, California, where Fr. Kuna serves as a priest-in-residence, to share their stories on film.
“We’re filming the group leaders together, kind of like a round table so it will have a little bit more dynamic camera movement,” said Fr. Kuna, noting individual interviews were shot in a static format. The group interview will offer unique camera angling to enhance the visual storytelling.
The former athlete still has the chance to work with professional athletes in the role of chaplain, being one of the two chaplains for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also is part of the priest rotation to minister to visiting teams that come to play against the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. He celebrates Mass for the visitors at the team hotel.
Role Models
“My late father would be one of my role models. He loved life and would always tap his heart several times giving thanks that it’s still beating in a literal and figurative sense. I always remembered that and knowing that he was a man of prayer,” recalled Fr. Kuna.
His mother is an exemplary example of faith with her strong spiritual and prayer life.
Deion Sanders, a former National Football League player and current head football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes, is another role model for Fr. Kuna. He has never met him in person, but appreciates his athletic abilities, playing style, and deep faith.
“I like the holistic program that he’s running in terms of obviously sports achievement (hopefully, that’ll be better next year), the financial responsibility of the team, and his faith,” noted Fr. Kuna.
He also finds Pope Benedict inspiring. Fr. Kuna has read much about him and appreciates his intellectual approach to the Catholic faith.
Published November 2024
