Immaculate CONCEPTION
MEN OF FAIT
Group Brings Friends to Christ th
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any times, Bible studies and church offerings are populated with more women than men — so, men may feel there is no place to share their faith and enjoy fellowship with one another. In addition, as Catholics, we understand the importance of a father’s role in the religious lives of their children. Therefore, we know how important it is for men to have a religious group in which they can participate and share fellowship with other Catholic men. It’s on these principles that the Men of Faith group was formed. “We talk about everything from family life to business, to personal life, to social life,” says Chris Herring, who leads the Men of Faith ministry with Butch Hale. “All of those topics come up when we get together.” The goal of the group is to give men a place for fellowship and to discuss practical ways to live the faith. They discuss how the Catholic faith applies to everyday life. “We want men to be more active in their faith, and more intentional about living and understanding their faith,” Chris says. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group met between the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Masses at 9 a.m. for about an hour. They often go through the Sunday Mass readings and follow discussion questions in The Word Among Us magazine. Chris finds these questions are very pertinent to daily life. “The questions look at how the readings apply to our lives — they are tailored perfectly for what we are trying to do,” Chris says. “It’s interesting to hear how different people hear the Sunday readings. It is based on where you are in your life. God speaks to us where we are.” When Chris, Butch and two prior parishioners started this group, in the mid-1990s, they were 4
(From left) Chris Herring and Butch Hale started the Men of Faith group in the mid-1990s.
young fathers and husbands. They met through the Cursillo program and found there was a need at our parish for fellowship among men. “The Cursillo motto was ‘make a friend, be a friend and bring that friend to Christ,’” Chris says. Chris and Butch knew that to get more men involved at our parish, they needed to help them be on fire for the Lord. “We wanted a place to come together and be real with one another,” Chris says.
