Exodus 90
Exodus is a spiritual exercise crafted for you to help you become the man you were created to be. You’ll learn to pray every day, allowing you to be more honest with God. Not sure how? Don’t sweat it, we’ll show you.
It is normal for men to be distracted, addicted, and enslaved by so many things today. Alcohol. Pornography. Social media. Sports. Gambling. Work. Comparison. Achievement. Wealth. Legacy. It is so normal, in fact, that society’s stereotypes of men are often associated with the very idols that plague them.
What is uncommon in our time is men who are free. A free man is not a perfect man but one who remembers who he is: a son of God whom God has called forth for love. And he knows how much more he can become by the power of grace unfolding in his life over time.
Exodus is not a spiritual marathon or another secular men’s challenge. Through contemplative prayer, men open up to a vulnerable relationship with God. Through asceticism, men grow in the power to say “no” to the common things of the world that hold them back. Through fraternity, men have the essential support, encouragement, and mercy of other men striving after the same uncommon ideals.
Why Join?
Saint Dominic once said, “A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either rule them or be ruled by them.” If we’re ruled by our ‘modern Pharaohs,’ how can we truly be free to become the men God made us to be? Exodus gives you the tools to take control of your life and find deeper unity with God — and a brotherhood of men on the same path.
Our pastor - Father DeAscanis - offers more insights on the benefits of Exodus.
Yes, sometimes we fast. But, other times, we feast!
Asceticism is about saying “no” to lesser things so that we are able to say “yes” when God asks greater things from us. Though we should strive to reject evil in every instance, we should also abstain from good things for periods of time so that we can remain focused on what matters most in our lives. Asceticism is not about proving something to yourself, showing that you are strong enough to others, or earning God’s grace.
Numerous men from St. Louis and St. Francis pastorate have participated in multiple Exodus sessions over the past several years. All of these men had their lives transformed for the better. Many continue to invest in the relationships they formed during that time by continuing to meet weekly as a fraternity on Monday evenings.
Questions or want to know more about Exodus, contact Chuck Gait cfgait@gmail.com or Don Tsusaki designs@zitherist.com.
St. Michael's Lent
Prepare for the unseen spiritual battle.
St. Michael’s Lent offers us a summertime season of renewal and entering into your own journey of healing under the guidance of God’s heavenly angels.
Men, join us as we honor St. Michael the Archangel to build a deeper awareness of the unseen spiritual battle and how to respond to it. While not well known in the Church today, this spiritual exercise is a powerful expression of the Faith – and desperately needed in our culture today. Join men from around the world and Fr. Carlos Martins, Catholic priest and exorcist on August 15th for 40 days of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity that ends on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, September 29th.
St. Michael's Lent has been practiced for centuries as an opportunity to renew our commitment to prayer and penance half way across the year from Lent. St Francis of Assisi popularized the practice, spending forty days in fasting and prayer on the top of Mt. Alvernia. It was there that he received the stigmata, the wounds of Jesus impressed onto his body, through the mediation of an angel. St. Francis's experience models the conformity to Christ we seek in our own path to freedom. This angelic season will provide us with an opportunity to enter more deliberately into the spiritual battle that surrounds us with the help of God's heavenly messengers.
