"Iron sharpens iron; and one man sharpens another."

Men Sharpen Men is our parish's prayers and study group for men. If you are at least 16 years of age, we'd love to have you join us. You don't have to be a member of our parish (one of our members drives over every Saturay morning from Heuvelton). You don't even have to be Catholic. 

 Our name was inspired by Manual for Men, a little book based on the 2015 Apostolic Exhortation for Catholic Men for the Diocese of Phoenix by Bishop Thomas Olmsted, wherein he quotes from the Book of Proverbs: “Iron sharpens iron; and one man sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17). 

Bishop Olmsted begins with a call to battle: "Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes."

Vision and Mission

The vision of Men Sharpen Men can be summarized as follows:

Guided by the Holy Spirit and inspired by Bishop Olmsted’s Exhortation for Catholic Men and by the witness of Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun, Men Sharpen Men unites men in prayer, formation and discussion in order to courageously respond to God’s universal call to holiness and become better husbands, fathers, leaders and friends. 

Our mission seeks to achieve this vision by fostering the following elements: Fellowship, Conversion, Faith, Leadership, and Accompaniment, based on the men's group model developed by Kapaun's Men, which orginated in the Diocese of Wichita in 2015. Quoting from its Operations Manual:

Taking as our model the life of Father Emil Joseph Kapaun, a courageous Catholic priest, Army chaplain, and leader of men, Kapaun's Men are men who are committed to fighting the great spritual battle and rages around us. We are a band of brothers who do not fight alone. Jesus Christ is our strength and our leader. Father Kapaun is our friend and guide.  A true Servant Leader, Father Kapaun epitomized Christian manhood and challenged his men to do the same. We desire to emulate his virtues and so become better husbands, fathers, leaders and friends. Recognizing that we are stronger together than we are alone, we accompany each other as Father Kapaun accompanied his men, sharing one another's successes, failures, fears and dreams.

We seek to foster individual growth in masculine virtues, prayer, spirituality, and faith.  We will read and discuss books, study scripture, investigate topics like how to be a real man, father, brother, friend, mentor...whatever and wherever the Holy Spirit leads us.

In the words of our own Bishop Terry Lavalley in his motto for our diocese, we are Christ-led, Christ-fed, and hope filled.

Please consider joining us. All males over age 16 are welcome. All have something to gain, and to contribute. 

COST: No fees or dues. Except in rare cases, we will download reading and study materials FREE from Formed.org. Chip in as the spirit moves you for the coffee and donuts. 

We meet the FIRST and THIRD Saturdays of the Month, From 9:00am-11:00am
At St. Mary's Cathedral
In the Bishop Brzana Hall