Archbishop George Lucas of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., was the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Archbishop’s Gospel of Life Prayer Breakfast Thursday, May 3, at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton.

More than 650 people attended the event, sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of Legatus. It was the largest attendance in the history of the program.

Archbishop Lucas, a native St. Louisan, spoke about what it means to be a disciple in supporting a Gospel of life.

“A Gospel begs to be preached, to be proclaimed in some way, so that it can be seen and heard and felt and experienced by others who otherwise might not receive this Good News,” he said.

The Church needs disciples who are willing to take on that responsibility, he said. “If we’re going to be truly pro-life, and if our work in this cause is to be effective and fruitful then it has to come from the heart, from the lives, from the experiences of disciples of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Archbishop Lucas was ordained by Cardinal John J. Carberry in 1975. He served as associate pastor in numerous parishes, faculty at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary-North and St. Louis Preparatory Seminary, chancellor and vicar general of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He was ordained as bishop of Springfield, Ill., in 1999, and became Archbishop of Omaha in 2009.

To listen to Archbishop Lucas’ remarks from the Prayer Breakfast, visit www.stlouisreview.com/jAm.