Good afternoon America,

Since i’ve been in Florida I’ve talked to so many people about FRATERNUS. I have gotten some interesting responses from people not really sure what we do exactly. It reminds me of the time when in 7th grade I was asked the question, “Homeschooling…where do you go for that?” According to some, FRATERNUS is nothing more than a non-profit organization of men wearing matching shirts (and in Mike and I’s case, matching aviators) that brings pizza and donuts to hungry high school guys. To this I say “nay, we are so much more than that.”

I have a fellow youth minister in MI that recently asked me how I was doing and made this comment about FRATERNUS. “As my adult team and I gear up to plan next year’s calendar, we’ve been exploring different options for expanding our programming (lifeteen ,etc.) and there has been an overwhelming response about FRATERNUS. Being of the female persuasion myself, it hasn’t been difficult to find ways to minister to the ladies’ hearts - but I know that what my boys need most is something I can’t necessarily give because I can’t exactly bestow masculinity… haha. I think offering something like FRATERNUS would be a massive leap in meeting their needs.”

FRATERNUS is a virtue based formation program for 6th through 12th graders. It is so encouraging to me to hear that men in Denver want the program to start there. Like now. It’s encouraging to see the Captains with busy schedules volunteer their time and energy to the program. It’s encouraging to see the brothers constantly build each other up at FRATERNUS events. FRATERNUS is faith formation through FRAT Nights, Exposure outings, H.A.W.C. groups, summer camp, and of course, through pizza and ultimate frisbee…

Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum…

-KWess

Greetings friends-

Well it’s official. Lent has begun. The next 45 days (40 days of lent plus 5 Sundays) will be a challenge and a time to prepare for my favorite time of the year… Holy Week. I LOVE Holy Week… but I’m sure I’ll be blogging about that in about 45 days. 

So there are 2 big questions that everyone asks today. 1) Why do you have dirt on your forehead? and 2) What did you give up for Lent? I’ll let a theologian tackle the first question and I’ll do the second for a very simple reason… how’s a theologian supposed to know what I gave up for Lent? For the past few years I’ve tried to give up something that will make me uncomfortable. This year I feel bad that I actually had to make this my lenten sacrifice… I gave up Facebook.

Facebook, the widely popular social networking site can be a great tool but also a HUGE time vacuum. If I’m not careful, I can lose hours of productivity trying to find out what my best friend in 3rd grade is up to.  A friend of mine sent me this article that I found a little sad because of how much I related to it. Take a gander for yourself. I didn’t need to join Twitter, I’m already there.

But why did I give this up? Because this season is a great opportunity for us to take a step back, get back to basics and simply, simplify. These next 5 weeks, instead of wasting away sucked away into the interweb, I’ll spend it doing the stuff I keep meaning to do; writing music, cleaning my room, writing letters to people… actual letters, cooking dinner, and most importantly, praying!

So ask yourself something today, is what I’m giving up going to allow me to grow closer to Christ? If so you’re doing it right. If not… how about adding something that will help. Confession, Daily Mass, Divine Office, or reading some scripture. 

Anima Cristi Sanctifica Me

mDub

Well, this morning we had a nice greeting from a friend of the legless variety.  Below is a picture of a cornsnake that was on the stairs leading to our office this morning.  Luckily, I use to own a reptile birthday show business called Craig’s Critters (I know…clever) so it was no problem to move him to a more convenient location (the woods).  It seems all my past experience was preparation for working with FRATERNUS.  Enjoy the picture of a truly beautiful animal.  Click here for the picture.

A few months ago I came across a biography on a professional surfer. Throughout the book he spoke of simple truths that have had a significant impact on his life. One being food. He focused on the fact that what we put in is what we get out. This caused me to reflect not only on my dietary habits, but our society’s habits.

It seems to me that youth ministry in America is on an unintentional path to make our youth fat and unhealthy. Goto any youth event and look at what they are eating….pizza, candy, soft drinks. Answer a question right: sit down and have a candy bar.

What message are we sending to our youth?

Yes, spiritual growth is the focus, but what about the body. What about being a people of integrity. God created our bodies to be a temple, yet they are so often desecrated with the physical trash we consume.

What am I suggesting? To order EVERYTHING for the great glory of God. I am challenging men and women today to be models of integrity. I am challenging men and women to be intentional spiritually, physically and intellectually. I am challenging men and women, especially in ministry, to not settle for the norm and to feed the youth physical and spiritual food that will sustain.

They desire truth. They desire what is pure. May what we deliver never be "sugar-coated" to appease the masses.

Tommy Van Horn

FRATERNUS Missionary

Reflecting on ALL of the conversations I’ve had about FRATERNUS with friends, parishioners, clergy, moms, dads, principles, etc. I’ve noticed a startling fact: they all seem to really like FRATERNUS. It makes things almost a little too easy when everyone thinks you’re organization is great! It’s easy to identify why they like FRATERNUS so much - just watch their body language as you describe it. It usually goes something like this (the quote is followed by the person’s response):

“There’s a huge need for authentic male leadership in the Church…” (Head nods)
“The world is not teaching authentic masculinity…” (Head nods faster)
“We have a fatherless generation and forgotten virtues…” (Leaning forward with head nodding faster)
“Our Church and the world will be changed when young men learn virtue and the life giving love that was shown us by Christ…” (Head dangerously close to nodding at the speed of light)

In other words. There is a very strong need out there that people don’t think is being met. When they hear about the FRATERNUS program, they believe in it’s mission to raise up a generation of faithful Catholic men. Everyone agrees. (Are you nodding right now?) We’re meeting one need, but I’de like to ask you to meet a vital need we have. Please pray for us. Please plead with Our Lord, because through him, all things are possible (Mark 9:23). It’ll be easy if you believe in the mission of FRATERNUS.

Jason Craig
Executive Missionary

Every day, I go to Mass, and every day, I pray for an hour.  You might think that makes me holy.  Or, more likely, you might think I want you to know just how holy I am.  However, if you could read my mind during Mass and holy hour, you would not think that I am holy.

You would think the opposite.

It’s amazing really, the things that invade my mind.  This morning I spent the better part of Mass going over the list of things I needed to do today, and the order in which I would do them.  As I walked up the aisle to receive Our Lord in communion, my mind continued to wander even at that most precious moment.

Unfortunately, this is a pretty typical occurence.  Usually, what happens is that any time (including Mass) that I’m unable to do the thousand and one things that I need to do, I’m thinking about them.  I’m always thinking ahead, never in the present moment, ready for whatever it is I’m doing to be finished so that I can go on to the next thing.  And then when I’m doing the next thing I’m not thinking about that either because I need to stay one step ahead of myself.

Sometimes I spend so many hours worrying about everything that when the time comes to actually do something about it, I’m so emotionally worn out from worry that all I want to do is rest and not think anymore.  Talk about unproductive.

But what’s the point of running to the next thing all the time, especially if the next thing is spent worrying about the thing after that?  On and on I go this way.  Don’t ask me what the homily was about this morning — I was probably fretting about something that I’ve since forgotten — good thing I spent all that time worrying about it.

The good news (of which I need to be constantly reminded) is that God is not angrily wagging His finger at me over this.  God yearns for me to live in the authenticity of the present moment, lovingly waiting for me to acknowledge Him, to bring Him into every moment of my life.  I thought about this today after communion.  As I knelt in the pew, I realized what I was doing, and for the first time today actually stopped thinking about the thousand other things on my mind and paid attention to where I was — in this case, praying in thanksgiving after communion.  And wouldn’t you know it, God had something for me in that particular moment.  I could only wonder:  how many moments of grace like this do I pass up thinking about something else?

In the moments when I am "anxious and worried about many things," going crazy with all the things I have to do, I need to remember that "there is need of only one thing:"  to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Rush

What do Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, and Francesco di Bernadone (St. Francis) have in common? If you guessed advancing economic progress you’re absolutely right. As the fame of the saint grew, the desire to follow him in a less literal way than the First Order Franciscans also grew. Que the introduction of the Third Order Franciscans composed of both men and women committed to living penitential lives as lay persons.

Even from their early days, Francis gave them instruction and encouragement to make due with as little money as possible, dress simply, and refuse to take feudal oaths of service. As the Third Order grew, it began to have a profound effect on normal social life in little towns. The refusal of feudal oaths, when multiplied over Italy, not only weakened the power of the feudal lords of the time, but liberated ordinary people  from the obligatory serfdom labor. Simultaneously, the distribution of the wealth of the many rich people who became “tertiaries,” gave the beginnings of economic security to the peasant and the workers. It furthermore offered them a sense of social security against accident and illness through the increased provision of money for the Church, the works of mercy, and the hospitals.

Simply put, Francis’ lesson of brotherly love and concern for others was the answer to ending the corruption and excess power of the feudal lords. It was this same principle of “brotherly love” that caused America once to allow the needs of the individual to be cared for by and through communal life rather than letting the Government determine how to best care for the needs of individual, you and me. If Francis’ simple lessons once transformed Europe so many years ago, whose to say they wouldn’t work today?

God Bless America!

-KWess

This is the sequence of the events following FRAT Night last week…
9ish-Frat Night has commenced and we’ve successfully completed Justice, Week 3 (Anointing of the Sick). Squad time was sweet, even as my squad dwindled from 3 to 1, but this was my opportunity to mention HAWC. Well, I’ll put it this way, I threw it out there and it wasn’t thrown back at me. Guys are receptive to this. It’s the mentorship with slightly older guys that they’re lacking. I know I never had an opportunity for personal mentorship like this growing up. Also last night we mentioned to the brothers the change in summer camp and they are all very enthused to go to Swannanoa in NC for a week of archery, hikes, camping, and rock climbing. I know I’m excited!
10ish – I’m with a few of the captains celebrating after our successful FRAT night and I’m too giddy to eat. It’s happening out here in Tallahassee. I mean this weekend is the Jr. Brothers outing to Marianna Caverns. Then begins my (hopefully) trifecta of talks on the virtue of Prudence. Thrown in there is the outing for the Sr. Brothers to Falling Waters State Park. Add in that it’s baseball season and soon Mike and I will be watching high school baseball to our hearts content. It doesn’t stop there. In just a few months we will leaving for summer camp in North Carolina and we literally have the entire Swannanoa 4H park to ourselves because their staff is training? That is so awesome!
12ish – Yeah, I’m too excited to sleep (also still buzzing on my late afternoon coffee). The weather is getting steadily nicer and you know what that means! Finance! I’ve been talking to Sir Moose Volkmuth about finance and nothing gets me going like finding pareto optimal solutions on a micro-economic level! Speaking of Pareto optimal, FRATERNUS is also working hand in hand with the LifeTeen CORE Team at Good Shepherd. Both programs are benefiting from the spillover of help, more importantly, the teens benefit as the relational ministry is so full of life
6a.m.ish – I’m still up, visions of FRAT nights, HAWC groups, and North Carolina dancing in my head. I’m so tired I’m frustrated but I’m still wondering how big of a tent I should buy. I mean, there are a lot of camping trips coming up, this decision most assuredly cannot wait until tomorrow! I’m starting to see now why Tommy can’t help but get so excited about FRATERNUS that when he says the word it’s a barely audible high squeak through a huge smile.
7a.m.ish – I fall asleep…and now for the three hours of sleep that is going to have to keep me going today…

FRATERNUS…yeah, it’s just that cool.

KWess

There is so much I could write about today but there’s one thing I can’t NOT write about today… Passion. It goes a little something like this…

This morning I woke up way to early to a song on my alarm clock from one of my favorite bands, Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers. I bought one of their albums and thought they were Ehhh, Ok. Then I went and saw the live show and was blown away. The energy and passion these guys have blow me away. On my iPod right now are 2 of their studio albums and 4 live albums. Needless to say, I’d much rather hear the live version… but I digress.

It was 6:20 when I stumbled out of the door with a guitar in my hand, backpack on my shoulder and bagel in my pocket. Don’t worry, there was no cream cheese. As I was driving I heard another song from another favorite artist, Matt Nathanson. The song is called Car Crash and the opening lyrics are “I’m wide awake and so alive, ringing like a bell.” I thought to myself, “Woah! If only I could wake up and feel like that EVERY morning!” Well lucky for me, today I did.

Every Wednesday morning I meet with a group of men from Good Shepherd to do some  praise and worship and some scripture study. This morning I led worship. Leading worship always makes my heart come alive but for some reason this morning, even more alive than usual.

Next was Mass and Holy Hour. All I can say about Holy Hour is that God walloped me the whole time… in a good way. Everything spoke to me. Those songs from earlier in the morning came to mind and made me desire Him so much. I just want to let every breath I take in be filled with Him. I want His words to burn in my heart. He was working in my mind untwisting some of the things that I had screwed up in there. He said a lot to me this morning but one thing rang out clear.

God gave me permission to have passion.

I get very isolated by safety. I find myself not doing something because I  don’t want to upset the status quo. I don’t want people to look at me and think I am a fanatic or strange or that I’m too outspoken. Every time I feel myself being cautious in those areas, a little bit of me fades. I don’t want to fade away.

I was talking to a friend earlier about this subject and a phrase came to my mind. I said, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find out I haven’t been living but instead find out I’ve been cautiously dying.” That’s what we do when we don’t listen to that voice in our heart. We say, “Yeah, there may be some joy in that idea, but it’s not safe. I’m not going to do it.”

We were not meant to manage our suffering, we were meant to live and live to the fullest. You have a passion for something. If you don’t know what it is, ask God. Pray about it. LISTEN. When you’ve done that, life stops being about managing your pain and starts being about living.

Anima Cristi Sanctifica Me

mDub

It’s amazing how much we take things for granted (by we, I mean I).  There’s simply so much in life that I don’t think about until it’s taken away.

Like my car.

The other night, while I was making the hour-long trek from Ft. Walton Beach to Pensacola, my car decided to throw me for a loop.  All of a sudden,my dashboard indicators lit up like a christmas tree and my steering wheel became stiff as a board.  And, since it was such a nice night, and since I had my jacket after all, I thought I’d, you know, just pull over for a bit to get some fresh air.

And there I was, almost midnight, stranded at the side of the road, totally dependent upon somebody else.  If I wanted to get to a bed any time soon, I would have to make some phone calls.  Thank goodness I was only three miles from home and a groggy roomate came to my rescue.

The next day, when I had her towed to a recommended repair shop on the outside of town in the middle of the workday, I was stranded yet again.  When I finished explaining the problem to the mechanic, he said to me “well, this car won’t be ready till tomorrow, so I hope you’ve got somebody coming to pick you up.”

“Um, yep I think so, heh heh.”

Stranded.  Stuck.  Rain.  One little bar of battery life in my cell phone and nobody’s picking up.  Going through the list of people I can call I realize that I just don’t know that many adults in Pensacola…

This was the second time in two days that I was totally dependent, and I just hated it.  Why was this happening to me?

Funny all the little ways that God speaks to us.  I’m so used to living in my self-sufficient little world that when reality shakes me out of it I’m frustrated and confused.  I don’t WANT to ask somebody else for help, I want to do it myself.  Recently I’ve had a little reminder that I’m not quite as self-sufficient as maybe I thought I was.  That things can and will become difficult, and when they do I’ll need to rely on somebody else.

I need to be reminded that God doesn’t WANT me to be self-sufficient — he wants me to rely on HIM, no matter what I’m doing, no matter how ‘under control’ the situation seems to be.  Because left to my power, I can only do so much.  No matter how talented I am (or think I am), my talents can only go so far.  And it’s never as far as God wants to go.  So while I’m still stressed out over my broken car (and the six hundred bucks or so that comes with getting a new fuel pump plus labor plus aaa membership plus an 8 mile tow), I’m learning to appreciate that I’m never really self-sufficient.  That being dependent is ok, whether I need a roomate to pick me up from the side of the road, or whether I need God’s help in doing something that’s already ‘under control.’

I don’t think God wants me to have it all under control.

Rush