Denver Catholic

6 JUNE 10-23, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese BY AARON LAMBERT C ourage. Strength. Leadership. These are just a few of the quali- ties men were created to exude; staples of masculinity that draw each man closer to God. Scripture has a lot to say about how men ought to be. God created Adam to be king and overseer of all he had created, and he was called to be a leader to his wife, Eve. Man was also created to be a father to his children, to raise them to know and serve the Lord, and teach them his commandments. While the¦culture perpetuates several di€er- ent stereotypes about what a true man is, only God can truly¦ give a man his name and reveal to him who he was cre- ated to be. This can be an intimidating endeavor, but the good news is men don't have to — nor were they created to — do it alone. Men need other men to stay sharp. God designed it this way.¦ Proverbs 27:17 states, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another," and this foundational principle is at the heart of the many men's ministries that exist in Denver and beyond. It's never too late for a man to seek Christ, and doing so with other men makes the journey even more fruitful. If you're man in need of a good sharpening, consider one of these men's ministries. MARKED MEN FOR CHRIST Marked Men For Christ was co-founded in the early 2000s¦by Steve Spicer and Father John Lager, who cur- rently serves as the national chaplain for Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Father Lager has resided in Denver for the past 33 years and has given many retreats over the years. He recalled that in 1995, it became clear to him that many men's retreats get "no further than down past the neck." "A lot of it was heady and not much was seeking into the heart," Father Lager said. He and his friend Steve Spicer began to pray about beginning a men's minis- try of their own. Led by the Holy Spirit, they named the ministry¦Marked Men For Christ and conceptualized what it would entail. The ministry revolves around a "44- hour experience of intense, experien- tial opportunities for men to look at their own woundedness and seek God's healing," Father Lager said of the week- end¦retreat, which they refer to as Phase One. The wounds the retreat focuses on are common wounds of man — fear, sadness, anger, loss and shame — and are meant to mirror the five wounds of Christ. The first weekend retreat was in November 2002; now,¦ 15 years later, over 260 retreats have been done and over 8,500 men have earned the title "marked man for Christ." What's more, Marked Men For Christ has reached far beyond the borders of the U.S., having held weekends in countries such as Ger- many, Austria, Switzerland and even Rwanda and Uganda. After going through Phase One, men are invited to Phase Two, which allows them to unpack the things God revealed to them during the Phase One weekend, and from there, they have the option to go onto Phase Three, which is an accountability and prayer group that meets regularly.¦ "The reason why Marked Men sur- vives and exists is to build stronger men for Jesus Christ. We just want to build men up," Father Lager explained. "This is one tool of many that help men grow in the reality that grace builds on nature." If you're interested in attending a Marked Men For Christ Phase One weekend, visit markedmenforchrist. org. PATRIARCH So you want to start a men's group, but don't have any clue where to start because let's face it: Starting a men's group can be really¦intimidating. That's where Patriarch comes in. Started by Father John Ignatius in 2006, what began as a small gathering of men has grown to 11 di€erent groups of men nationwide and an annual fall retreat of about 50 men. Patriarch equips men with the resources and curriculum¦they need to start a group of their own. According to the ministry's website, Patriarch is "based on the premise that God is a¦patriarch and God's purpose is to raise up patriarchs." Ed Lugo, who helps with development for Patriarch, said the goal is for a group of men to be tight-knit. "They have to have some owner- ship of their group that allows people to really enter in so there is a healthy dynamic in the group," Lugo said. "You want the guys in the group to all know each other." Because of this, it's a little more dif- ficult for men to get plugged in to an already existing group. Rather, men are encouraged to start their own group with other men they already have rela- tionships with. A typical Patriarch meeting begins in the book of Genesis and¦is generally¦as follows: There is an opening prayer based on a Psalm, a time for reflection focusing on a patriarch from Genesis, and a closing prayer and resolution where men state how they're going to utilize the lesson learned back at home with their families. The fruits of Patriarch can be seen in the ways the mens' wives respond, Father Ignatius said. "Wives make space in the sched- ule because they see the value of men having substantial spiritual fraternal time together, and that the men take more initiative in the spiritual leader- ship of the families," he said. "Whenever you gather men around the Word of God in a prayerful way, grace happens. It's not just shared human wisdom, it's shared divine wisdom that's being applied and being aspired to growing as men, as husbands, as fathers." If you're interested in starting a Patriarch group, be sure to visit patri- archmen.org. MEN FOR ALL‹SEASONS As one of the biggest parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver, it should come as no surprise that St. Thomas More has one of the most thriving parish men's ministries. Started 10 years ago and still going strong today, Men For All Seasons draws up to 150 men each Friday that it meets during the school year. Using engaging content and small group discussions, Men For All Seasons is an hour each week that men can come and engage in "spiritual exercise," as Steve Bell calls it. Bell has been involved IRON SHARPENS IRON

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