3 minute read
Meet The King’s Men: Helping Men of Our Parish to be Better Husbands, Fathers and Leaders
It all started for parishioner Zach Carroll after he was searching for Catholic men's groups and read about the dynamic ministry called The King's Men. The original King’s Men apostolate was founded in 2006 as an outreach to Catholic men in need of spiritual guidance and fellowship.
Zach knew there already was awell-established, service-oriented men’s ministry in the Knights of Columbus at Christ the King, and he hoped to complement it with this new men’s group centered on prayer, the sacraments, and friendship. So, he launched the Christ the King chapter of The King’s Men, and the group has since become an important part of parish life here.
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“I wanted to start a group for men at the parish that would focus on growth in the spiritual life — a group where prayer was involved and where we could be accountable to one another for growth in virtue,” Zach says.
It isn’t surprising that Zach was so captivated by The King’s Men, which draws its inspiration from Proverbs 27:17, “Iron is sharpened by iron, one person sharpens another.” Zach wanted to give the men of Christ the King an opportunity for spiritual growth with the support of like-minded men in the parish.
The ministry focuses on helping men grow as husbands and fathers through the gift of accountability. The core of this men’s ministry is the conviction that, together, men can encourage and challenge one another in holiness and virtue.
“Nothing exists in a vacuum,” Zach says. “We all can have an impact on each other, and in turn, on the world.”
The King’s Men at Christ the King achieves its goals by meeting weekly to pray, including opening with a recitation of the Rosary, discussing a Catholic men’s book, and checking in with each other on their spiritual lives and goals.
The group has read and discussed books like Into the Breach, An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men by Bishop Olmstead of the Diocese of Phoenix, and Fr. Larry Richard’s book, Be a Man!
After their book discussion, the group takes time to spiritually encourage one another, helping set goals for their spiritual lives, checking in on those goals, challenging and confirming one another.
For Zach, The King’s Men has been an opportunity to build friendships rooted in Christ and based on a life of virtue. He has enjoyed offering up sacrifices for the intentions of his fellow men during the week, as well as praying for other’s intentions. He knows that others are praying for his own intentions.
Zach adds that as members of the Body of Christ, we rely on one another to become who we were made to be. He believes it is especially important for men to have a form of community where they can be encouraged to live out such countercultural virtues as chastity and purity of heart.
“Because I know what other men in the group are working towards during the week, I have many chances to pray for them and their intentions,” Zach says. “I can make sacrifices for them throughout the week, which is a cool feeling. I can text them and ask how they are doing, or they’ll text me and check in on me. It built a sense of community and gave me people to pray for every day.”
The group has not been able to meet recently due to COVID restrictions, but Zach would like to see the group begin again and train new leadership.
“Being a part of The King’s Men gives you so much to be intentional about in prayer throughout the week,” Zach says. “You not only are more mindful about your own prayer life, but you are thinking about your friends and fellow parishioners, as well.”
