For the men who frequent this board...
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    I invite you to take some time to read Bishop Olmsted's Apostolic Exhortation "Into the Breach" - on manhood.

    For this reason, I call upon my brother priests to awaken the sense of transcendence in the hearts of men through reverent and beautiful liturgy, helping men to rediscover Jesus in the Eucharist each and every Sunday. I ask my brother priests to teach the faithful about the powerful truth of the liturgy, especially in ways to which men can relate. Teaching men to understand the fullness and power of the Mass must be a top priority. What a joy it is for men of God when they are led by priests who have a confident sense of their own masculinity, their call to participate in Christ’s spousal love, and their generous, life-giving fatherhood!


    The Mass is a refuge in the Spiritual Battle, where Catholic men meet their King, hear His commands, and become strengthened with the Bread of Life. Every Mass is a miracle where Jesus Christ is fully present, a miracle that is the high point not only of the week, but of our entire lives on Earth. In the Mass, a man gives thanks to God for his many blessings and hears Christ send him again into the world to build the Kingdom of God. Fathers who lead their children to Mass are helping in a very real way to ensure their eternal salvation.


    To read the whole letter:
    http://www.intothebreach.net/
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    This has to be one of the most profound documents issued by a bishop in recent times. Though it's certainly aimed at the men of our diocese, it certainly should be read by all.
  • Wasn't there a study demonstrating that children whose fathers who regularly attended Mass/sacraments are more likely to retain the Faith in their adult lives?
  • latria
    Posts: 5
    In 1994 the Swiss carried out an extra survey that the researchers for our masters in Europe (I write from England) were happy to record. The question was asked to determine whether a person’s religion carried through to the next generation, and if so, why, or if not, why not. The result is dynamite. There is one critical factor. It is overwhelming, and it is this: It is the religious practice of the father of the family that, above all, determines the future attendance at or absence from church of the children.


    http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-05-024-v

    I thought there was another similar study I had heard about, but I cannot now find it.

  • Scott_WScott_W
    Posts: 468
    Alongside this struggle, the rapid advance of a “gender ideology” has infected societies around the world. This ideology seeks to set aside the sexual difference created by God, to remove male and female as the normative way of understanding the human person, and in its place, to add various other “categories” of sexuality. This ideology is destructive for individuals and society, and it is a lie. It is harmful to the human person, and therefore, a false concept that we must oppose as Christians. At the same time, however, we are called to show compassion and provide help for those who experience confusion about their sexual identity. This confusion is not unexpected when the poison of secularism reaches such critical levels: “When God is forgotten, the creature itself becomes unintelligible.”


    Refreshing plainspeak.