NFCM HIGHLIGHTS
CONFERENCES: Thirty-seven Catholic men’s conferences, from San Diego to Boston, were conducted in 2005 — compared to 30 in 2004. This included new conferences in Phoenix, AZ; Boston, MA; Pittsburgh, PA; Canton, OH; Brandon (Tampa), FL; Saginaw, MI; and Manassas, VA. In 2006, over 40 conferences are planned.
REGIONAL CATHOLIC MEN’S FELLOWSHIPS: The NFCM is supporting over 40 regional Catholic men’s fellowships (CMFs). This is more than double the 20 regional CMFs that existed in 2002. Most of these CMFs support multiple dioceses, and some are even state-wide.
PARISH-BASED FAITH GROUPS: We are supporting several thousand parish-based Catholic men’s faith groups across the United States. In the Cincinnati Archdiocese, for example, there are almost 200 Catholic men’s faith groups now established.
RESOURCES: The NFCM offers twenty-seven resources for Catholic men’s faith groups, as well as four training materials for starting and leading these groups. These are all available on the NFCM website. (There was a time when Catholic men’s groups often looked to Promise Keepers or other Protestant sources for resources to use in their meetings.)
PARTNERSHIPS: The NFCM has been partnering with many fine Catholic organizations like Catholic Exchange. This includes the Knights of Columbus, The Word Among Us, Catholic Online, and Emmaus Journey.
All of this work of the NFCM within the Catholic community has clearly stimulated the continued growth of the men’s movement and has impacted, and will continue to impact, the lives of tens of thousands of Catholic men. Significantly, we believe it has also helped raise interest in Vocations. For example, at the most recent Catholic Men’s Conference, in Detroit, 23 men signed up for specific information at the Vocations booth.
May God richly bless you and your family during this Advent and Christmas season and in the New Year.
Maurice Blumberg
Executive Director
National Fellowship of Catholic Men
(This article is part of NFCM’s sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel. Contact NFCM at P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersburg, MD 20886 or e-mail them at info@nfcmusa.org.)
Dear Brothers in Christ (and Sisters in Christ who read the Catholic Man Channel),
During this wonderful Advent season of grace, and as we approach the celebration of our Savior’s birth, I wanted to first wish you a very Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings on you and your family in the coming New Year.
As you may be aware, since August of 2004 the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (NFCM) has sponsored the Catholic Man Channel on the Catholic Exchange website, and we have provided over 60 faith-building articles for Catholic men. From the many emails and telephone calls we have received, we know that many of you have personally benefited from these articles, and from the Catholic resources and other services available on the NFCM website, as well as direct support from the NFCM.
I am pleased to let you know that our Vision — Catholic Men, Linked as Brothers in Jesus Christ, and Called to Bring Him to Others — is being fulfilled! The prayers and support of Catholic men like you are helping to bring this vision to fruition. In particular, we are making great progress toward our goal of bringing Catholic men’s conferences to all of the 200 US Dioceses and bringing men’s faith groups to each of the 19,000 Parishes in the USA. The NFCM is also providing many high-quality resources, training, and leadership in support of this goal.
Before I go over some of the highlights of how the ministry of the NFCM has been impacting the lives of Catholic men all across the country, and in other countries as well, I want to provide a few testimonies from the many we receive from Catholic men.
“Congratulations to NFCM for what it has accomplished! Without your knowing about it, my community here in the Philippines (The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen & Professionals-Bacolod City South Chapter) have been drawing its small group discussion guides from your resources. So I guess you're not just ministering to 200 dioceses and 19,000 parishes after all!”
— Jimmy Montalvo,
Chapter Head, BCBP Bacolod South Chapter, Philippines
“I'm entering my second year in the permanent deaconate formation program in the Diocese of Buffalo. Before my first Catholic men’s conference two year’s ago, I never believed I could make a difference in the Church. Now I know I can if I join in prayer and action with other men from all walks of life. Praise God for the Spirit that moved you to start this organization. Please let me know how I can be of further service to you and the Catholic men’s movement.”
— Mark Bofinger, Buffalo, NY
“I am very excited about getting Men’s Ministry going in our parish. It looks like you have some great resources to make it work.”
— Robert Tunmire, Waco, TX
“Thanks be to God for your inspiring articles on the Catholic Man Channel, and the tremendous work that the National Fellowship of Catholic Men is doing in empowering Catholic men to take their right position in life. We find the work of your organization of great importance in the propagating of faith. I wish to inform that I found your two articles very befitting for our men’s conference which we have organized here in Zambia from May 6-8, 2005 under the theme: “Catholic Men can increase or decrease community spirit.” Your articles are a great source of our formation weekend. Zambia has 10 dioceses and we expect about 60 delegates from the countyside. It’s the first time that we are thinking of putting up a council for men in Parish/deanery/diocese and later we hope to have a National body.”
— Gerald Tembo,
National Council for the Laity Chairperson, Zambia
“We started our Men's Group with the sponsorship of the Knights of Columbus. About 2/3 of the participants are members of the Knights of Columbus. We actually had one man join the group last fall, who has been a regular participant, and then actually joined the Church this Easter. I must tell you that the Signposts books we got from your website have been fabulous, for not only group discussion, but for personal reflection as well. I am personally quite involved in the Cursillo Movement and after having gotten a little more than half way through the Signposts book, must say that the authors must have been involved with the Cursillo Movement.”
— Mike Schreck, Overland Park, Kansas
“Our men’s group (Emmaus) has received much spiritual formation from your resources.”
— Enrique Dominguez, Miami Lakes, FL
“I live in Canada and I have ordered books from your website previously. It is a great site and a great resource for Catholic Men.”
— Lee Pion, Canada
I hope these testimonials were as encouraging to you as they were to me. I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with the NFCM to continue this vital work, by financially supporting our ministry to Catholic men. We are totally supported by the generosity of men who believe that the Church, now more than ever, needs Catholic men to “step up to the plate” and take their rightful roles in their families, the Church, and their communities. The NFCM, like many other Catholic ministries today, has critical financial needs, and your end-of-year giving will play a vital role in sustaining our work in the upcoming year.
With every contribution of $25 you make to the NFCM, you will receive a free “Real People, Real Presence, Ordinary Catholics on the Extraordinary Power of the Eucharist,” presented by Cardinal William F. Keeler. Every contribution of $50 will also receive a free copy of “The Bread of Life, Opening Our Hearts to Jesus in the Eucharist by Msgr. David E. Rosage.” Every contribution of $100 or more will also receive a free copy of the “Parish Men's Group Video, A Starter Kit for Catholic Men's Groups,” “A Starter Kit for Catholic Men's Group Facilitators,” and “Brothers, Calling Catholic Men into Vital Relationships.”
We appreciate the partnership we have formed with Catholic men. Here are two ways you can donate:
1) Send a check payable to the NFCM to:
National Fellowship of Catholic Men
PO Box 86381
Gaithersburg, MD 208862) Make an online donation by going to the NFCM website and clicking on CONTRIBUTIONS
All contributions are tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt from the NFCM. Thank you again for your prayerful consideration.
Another way to contribute to the work of the NFCM is through purchasing resources on our website. Every order, no matter the size, will receive a free commemorative magazine on the life of Pope John Paul II and a free devotional magazine from The Word Among Us. Between now and the end of the year, every order of resources over $50 will also receive a free Pope John Paul II-Words to Live By Daily Standup Desk Calendar worth $12.95. Every order over $100 will also receive a free copy of The Mysteries of Christ: A Scriptural Rosary (includes the New Mysteries of Light and Reflections by Pope John Paul II) worth $12.95. In addition, with every three of the same resource purchased, we will add a fourth one for FREE!
On the NFCM website, we have also created a new category of resources called, “SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR LOVED ONES.” This category has eight resources that are not just intended for Catholic men, but also make great Christmas gifts for family and friends. To access these and other resources, just click on the RESOURCES or TRAINING links on our website.
Below are higlights of our progress to date in achieving the NFCM vision and goals. I hope it will inspire and encourage you to continue or even deepen your involvement in the Catholic men’s movement. You will see that this progress is also a fulfillment of the words from the US Bishops in their report, Catholic Men's Ministry, An Introductory Report, USCCB, July 1999:
“From Los Angeles to Chicago, from Manchester to Miami there is a growing hunger for God among Catholic men. They are meeting together in large and small groups, sharing their burdens, listening to each other’s story, and celebrating Eucharist. Call it a revival, an awakening. Call it a work of the Holy Spirit at the grassroots level. The emergence of new ministries with men is a welcome development in the Church.”
