Calling All Men (or at least 25 of you)

Last year the Church celebrated a year dedicated to St. Joseph. It gave us a chance to reflect on what it means to follow Jesus Christ in a masculine way. The Church oftentimes has a feminine identity. When we describe the Church, we use feminine pronouns and describe the Church as the Bride of Christ.

There are some men in our parishes that have experienced a powerful renewal in their relationship with Jesus Christ by attending the Christ Renews His Parish renewal weekend. Christ Renews happens at hundreds of parishes throughout the country. I experienced it in Cincinnati at my internship parish. Our parishioners have gone to Sacred Heart in McCartyville to experience this powerful weekend. Now they want to bring it to our parishes. They have been diligently preparing for the last few months to start Christ Renews His Parish for our parishioners.

The weekend begins on Saturday morning and ends Sunday afternoon. It is a series of witness talks, prayer opportunities, and discussions. There is a team of parishioners that puts on the retreat. To help launch Christ Renews His Parish for our parishioners, a number of men from Sacred Heart have offered their time and experience.

This weekend we are beginning to invite men to consider attending. At all six Masses, men will be invited to attend the retreat on November 12 & 13 at St. Joseph. Since it is an overnight retreat, there will only be room for 25 participants, so please sign up while you can.

It is a blessing to watch the flame grow in the hearts of these men. They’ve been meeting regularly to plan the retreat and grow as a band of brothers in Christ for this weekend. Please begin to pray that the Lord may send out His Holy Spirit upon this retreat. Ask God for an outpouring of His grace upon these men of our parishes.

In other news, there is a lot of really good Catholic material available. It is a wonderful time to be Catholic because there are so many saintly people creating Catholic podcasts, novels, beard balm, music, clothing, artwork, and more. There are endless ways to Catholicize your life.

I’ve been recently enamored with a Catholic bluegrass band called the “Hillbilly Thomists.” They recently released a new album entitled “Holy Ghost Power,” which has been regularly playing in my car. Bluegrass isn’t often the genre that comes to mind when you think of Christian music. However their jams are deeply Catholic, spiritually uplifting, and witty. Here are a couple lines from the title track of their newest album:

From the day I found out you were telling me lies
I’ve been living off of bread, whiskey, and moon pies
Trying to find my place; launching prayers into space
Staring to Heaven and a bread that’s unleavened

A hundred channels of nothing on the TV at ten
It’s like Diet Coke and Original Sin
But don’t be sad it’s just a world gone mad
You thought it was gold but it’s made out of tin

Now it’s a zombie town, there’s a lot of undead
They wander around looking underfed
And on their TV kitchens, they watch the politicians
Who try to hypnotize with the conviction in their eyes
When my heart was broke I thought life was a joke
It was just at that time He removed the yoke

If you are into bluegrass music and the Catholic faith, check out the Hillbilly Thomists. They’ll get your foot stomping and your heart praying.

Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson