The National Fellowship of Catholic Men and the National Resource Center for Catholic Men provides a strong witness to the movement of God among Catholic men.
History of the National Resource Center for Catholic Men (NRCCM): The initial need for the NRCCM was first recognized in September 1998 when about 20 Catholic men's leaders met with several Bishops, and the USCCB Committee on Marriage and Family and Committee on Evangelism. From these meetings, the report, “Catholic Men's Ministry, An Introductory Report” was written in July 1999. In that report, the support of the Catholic men's movement was strongly endorsed by the bishops with these words:
“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.”
The need for a National Resource Center for Catholic Men and the close relationship between it and the USCCB was also included in the report with these words:
“In addition to the concerns and needs described above, the lay leaders emphasized the two things they considered essential if there is to be a future for the Catholic men's movement. First, they identified the need for a national network of men's ministries and a central clearinghouse for information, leadership training, program resources, and general coordination among the many groups. Such an organization would not only assist existing groups but would also help men's ministries to grow in areas of the country not yet reached. In the months immediately following, several of those present at the consultation began to organize a National Resource Center for Catholic Men that proposes to fulfill the networking and clearinghouse functions envisioned.”
The report went on to say the following:
“The Committee on Marriage and Family, with the collaboration of the Committee on Evangelism, plans to continue the dialogue with Catholic men's ministries and to keep you, our brother bishops, informed. We established a liaison relationship with the newly-established National Resource Center for Catholic Men and, by means of it, will encourage the development of resources, leadership training, and communications among the different groups.”
In March of 2001, the NRCCM was formally established with the hiring of Maurice Blumberg, a Jewish convert to the Catholic faith, as the Executive Director. After its formation, the ministry of the NRCCM experienced major growth each year. For example, in 2002, 16 large regional Catholic men’s conferences were conducted; in 2003 26 were conducted; and in 2004 over 30 conferences are expected to be held. In addition, visits to the NRCCM website and the sale of Catholic men’s resources have increased by more than 50% each year.
In December 2001, the NRCCM executive director, and several of its trustees, participated in a Catholic men's leaders symposium with five bishops and several members of the committees mentioned above. This symposium was also sponsored by the USCCB Committee on Marriage and Family and Committee on Evangelism and included about 40 Catholic men's leaders. From these meetings, a second report, “Catholic Men's Ministries, A Progress Report”, was published in May 2002. Below is an excerpt from this report:
“We have included as an addendum to this report some information shared by the National Resource Center for Catholic Men that was shared at the symposium and that is available on the NRCCM website. Several leaders who were present at our first consultation in 1997 took the initiative to organize the Resource Center and to hire a director for it. The organization, though still in its infancy, is making a welcome attempt to respond to what local leaders have asked for, namely, resources to use in their groups, networking and training for leaders themselves.”
The reports, referenced above, are available at the USCCB website, using the search function on the website with the search words, “Catholic Men's Ministries.”
History of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men: On March 26-28, 2004, 20 Catholic men’s leaders met in Naples, Florida to discuss the current and future direction of the Catholic men’s movement and the National Resource Center for Catholic Men. In addition to the Executive Director of the NRCCM, and several NRCCM trustees, Catholic Men’s Fellowship Leaders and other leaders from many regions of the country also attended. States represented included California, Oklahoma, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, Florida, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
At the meeting, there was an overwhelming consensus that the National Resource Center for Catholic Men (NRCCM) should be changed to the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (NFCM) to address the need for a national organization with an expanded mission and more formal relationships among Catholic men’s fellowship leaders.
Kevin Lynch, President of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men had this to say about the major step forward taken by the NFCM:
“The idea that we are now evolving to the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (versus a Resource Center) is truly exciting. Personally, I think this is an extraordinary step and one that signals a much broader, richer and more promising initiative among our Catholic men. We believe this shift in emphasis will be a powerful catalyst toward our Vision which sees “CATHOLIC MEN LINKED AS BROTHERS SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS”!
Imagine…one million Catholic men (50 men in each of our 20,000 U.S. parishes) praying on a given Saturday for themselves, their families and our Church. This is a powerful vision and one our Father in Heaven will surely bless! That is our prayer.”
For a brief biography of the Executive Director and Trustees of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men, click here.
For a description of the Vision, Foundational Beliefs, Mission, and Strategy of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men, NFCM, P.O. Box 86381, Gaithersberg, MD 20886. You may e-mail him at info@nrccm.org.)
