Father Kapaun Leadership Program

Named in honor of Venerable and Medal of Honor Recipient Father Emil Kapaun, the program begins with a 5-day in-person course covering planning, leadership styles and philosophies, conflict management, and immersive scenario training, all grounded in the Sacraments and a life of prayer.

Upon completion of the 5-day course, priests will have the option to join your cohort for the rest of the program - 10 remote classes and a culminating retreat to dive deeper into the art and science of leadership.

The Method

Our method deliberately combines academic exposure, experiential training, reflection and prayer to deliver exceptional leadership development. We know that leaders cannot be formed simply through lectures, so we have built a combination of classes and experiences to allow priests to learn new skills and practice them in a realistic environment before applying them in the real world.

Every day of the course is centered around Mass, a Holy Hour, and the Divine Office, to ensure that all of our efforts remain firmly rooted in the Lord.

We begin by addressing the topic of leadership holistically on day 1 and facilitate a rigorous health and leadership self-assessment to identify strengths and areas for growth. On day 2, we dive deeply into a principal prerequisite for leading others well - leading yourself first. We build on this foundation on day 3, when we teach military planning, delegation and execution principles.

On day 4, we execute our Kapaun Capstone Exercise - a realistic training scenario about a struggling parish where priests act as the newly-appointed administrator and get the chance to practice their leadership skills. With volunteers acting as their staff, a leadership coach by their side, and actors playing the key characters in the scenario, the Capstone is a demanding and fruitful challenge for priests of any experience level.

On day 5, we focus on the way ahead and prepare priests to return home with new skills and an action plan to lead courageously.

After the five-day course, we explore additional leadership topics and provide coaching for 10 months to build upon the foundation taught in-person. The program culminates with the 3-day Kapaun Priest Leadership Retreat, where priests reflect upon what they have learned and write their own Leadership Philosophy - a succinct summary of how they aspire to lead. This document will guide them, their colleagues, and their flock as they lead the People of God in spiritual combat.

Read Testimonials from our past courses to learn more about our process.

Register for the Next Cohort

Are you a Priest desiring to attend the Kapaun Priest Leadership Course?

If so, please sign up here, and we will send you further course registration details. If you would like more information, please read more about our program below.

Cohort 4: Oct 19-23, 2026 (Hudson Valley, New York)

Cohort 5: July 19-23, 2027 (Regnum Dei Center, North Carolina)

Cohort 6: August 2-6, 2027 (Regnum Dei Center, North Carolina)

Schedule

Day 1: Introduction to Leadership

  • Travel In

  • Opening Mass

  • The Challenge of Leadership

  • What Is Leadership?

  • Leadership Challenge #1

  • Firing Range Fraternity Event

DAY 2: Lead Yourself First

  • Complexity of Leadership in the Modern Era

  • Prioritization Principles

  • The Story of Father Kapaun

  • Vulnerability

  • Leadership Challenge #2

Day 3: Leading Your Unit

  • Assuming the Helm

  • Building the Team

  • Delegation

  • Supervision and Refinement

  • Leading from the Middle

  • The Cost of Yes

DAY 4: Capstone

  • Kapaun Capstone Exercise

  • Celebratory Dinner

DAY 5: Launch

  • Lessons from the Revolutionary War

  • 1-on-1 Leadership Coaching

  • Planning Next Steps

  • Graduation Mass

  • After Action Review

  • Travel Out