Today, Catholic men find themselves enmeshed in a culture that is antithetical to Christ and his Church. Though many men recognize the threat the culture poses to their families, communities, and parishes, too few men know what to do about it. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterful work, The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf informs Frodo Baggins about the awful reality of the ring which his uncle Bilbo had bequeathed to him, and Frodo says, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Gandalf responds, “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The dire circumstances of our time are patently evident, but men need to remember that God has placed us in this place and at this time for a reason. How will the men of our generation respond?
In May 2020, a group of six Catholic men began meeting on the first Saturday of each month to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and to discuss how they could respond to the challenges of modern culture. It became evident early on that what men really need is brotherhood and a rule of life. An isolated and undisciplined man cannot be the force for good for his family or community. This type of man is not only ineffectual, but unhappy. This is not the life God wants for us. Jesus Christ invites us to have an abundant life (John 10:10) which can only be had by following him down the narrow path of discipleship (Matthew 7:13-14). The mission of the St. Joseph Society is to help men live noble lives as they “Order All Things to Christ.” Rooted in a strong community of likeminded men, a man of the St. Joseph Society devotes himself wholeheartedly to living a life of virtue and holiness as an offering to Christ our Lord. It is time for Catholic men to decide what to do with the time that God has given them.
In his youth, Mike lived a stereotypical Midwestern life. He grew up in a small town, spent his free time hunting and fishing with his dad and brother, played high school football and baseball, and even attended the local Methodist church with his family from time-to-time. After high school, Mike spent his first few years at Ohio University chasing all the pleasures the world can offer before he discovered that true happiness can only be found in friendship with Jesus Christ. After a radical conversion to Christ, Mike became very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ where he met his wife, Jenni. After graduating, Mike and Jenni were married and moved to Charlotte, NC, where Mike received an MA in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary.
Focusing primarily on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas during graduate school, Mike became convinced that Christ had established the Catholic Church, so he and his wife were received into the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2013. After moving to Cincinnati, Mike studied theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio where he received master’s degree in 2020. Mike’s primary passion in life is to help men answer God’s universal call to holiness and obey Christ’s command to “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Mike founded the St. Joseph Society to help men answer this call and become the men that God created them to be. He currently teaches theology at a Catholic all-boys high school in Cincinnati where he and his wife reside with their five children.
