Conversations ‘lying just beneath the surface’: prayer groups are drawing men closer to Christ and each other

In early June, Jamey Guerrero had an unexpected encounter at a Lower Mainland gathering of Cor, a Knights of Columbus program of prayer for Knights and other men in Catholic parishes.

As the director of evangelization and faith formation for the British Columbia and Yukon Knights of Columbus, Guerrero has seen firsthand the fruits of the Knights’ initiative to foster prayer, faith formation, and fraternity.

But at this particular event, hosted by St. Joseph Council 9846 in Port Moody, Guerrero met a man, a non-Catholic, who had just moved to town.

“He had been reading about the Catholic faith and recently decided to go to his first Mass,” Guerrero said. “At that Mass, the Cor coordinator invited the men of the parish to attend.”

The gathering included a screening of an episode of the K of C video series Into the Breach: The Mission of the Family.

“That’s where it clicked for him,” Guerrero said. “Meeting other men of faith and discussing how we can step into the breach in today’s society was a much-needed help for him.”

Guerrero gave the man his contact number, offering to stay in touch and support him through his faith journey.

“This is what Cor is all about,” Guerrero said. “This new believer needed community to help him know God, and Cor was there to help.”

Launched by the Supreme Council as a pilot program in 16 jurisdictions in early 2023, Cor expanded Orderwide later in the year, after the 141st Supreme Convention in Orlando, Florida.

“In this new era, forming Catholic men must be our top priority … We need men who say ‘yes’ to their God-given vocation. We know what happens when men respond in faith,” Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly affirmed in his annual report to the convention. “Cor will deepen our relationship with Christ, making it easier to profess and defend what we believe.”

More than 600 councils now hold regular Cor gatherings, and 4,000 have expressed interest. Participating councils have begun to see spiritual fruits and a renewed interest in the Knights as a result of the initiative.

Speaking to state deputies during their recent organizational meeting in New Haven, Connecticut, the supreme knight said, “Based on what we’ve already seen, Cor has the potential to become a major contributor to the Order’s growth.”

HEART SPEAKS TO HEART

Cor is organized around the three pillars of prayer, formation, and fraternity and is designed to help Catholic men build a more intentional relationship with Jesus Christ. The name is drawn from the motto of St. John Henry Newman, Cor ad cor loquitur — “Heart speaks to heart.”

Councils are free to determine how best to tailor the three Cor pillars to the needs of the council and parish.

In Port Moody, St. Joseph Council 9846 has used the Into the Breach video series as a stepping stone into Cor.

“I always start with a video from that series, which is just amazing,” said Grand Knight Mark Pan, who is also a K of C field agent. 

“We talk about masculinity, fatherhood, evangelization. All of this gets men to start opening up about the challenges they face at work or within their own families.”

Pan sees himself as just a facilitator, noting that it is the Holy Spirit who touches the men’s hearts.

“And I see that it happens,” he said, “because how often do you get guys talking about stuff like this?”

On the other side of the continent, members of St. Irene Council 13848 in Carlisle, Mass., and nearby Concord Council 287 have been having similar conversations at the joint Cor activities they launched last fall. Their Cor events begin with a fraternal gathering, often a dinner, followed by an episode of the Into the Breach video series and discussion.

“I think a lot of the conversations were lying just beneath the surface. Now those questions have been broached, and the conversations can be had,” said the councils’ chaplain, Father Nicholas Stano.

The 30-year-old priest noted that a lot of Catholic men are concerned about the crisis of faith in modern society, citing children or grandchildren who have fallen away from the Church.

“One of the things that a lot of guys really started to understand was that we need to approach the issues that plague our society, our families, our parishes, from a different angle,” he said. “Let’s not just focus on the negative. Let’s focus on what it means for us to courageously step into this breach together. Let’s see this as mission territory — our opportunity to live out our faith. And this is attractive to a lot of guys.”

District Deputy Mike Bello, who attended four of the Cor sessions this year, said the men involved were highly engaged.

“I felt at the beginning of the year when it was introduced that it would really be a game changer for a lot of councils,” Bello affirmed.

Father Stano noted, “A lot of guys came week after week, inviting new guys to join us as well, which is great. Because we were pretty explicit that this is not exclusive to the Knights.”

Grand Knight Robert Norton of Concord Council 287 observed that after the last Cor gathering of the fraternal year, several men asked him, “What are we doing next year?”

“There’s definitely interest in keeping Cor going,” Norton said. “There’s definitely a hunger.”

Perhaps this is because, as Father Stano explained, Cor helps men to live out their baptismal call to holiness: “It’s about being active in desiring heaven for ourselves, our family, our communities. Cor can help us all connect to what is most important — becoming a saint. It’s the desire Christ has on his heart for us.”

DYNAMIC FAITH FORMATION

Faith formation plays a pivotal role in Cor, as generations of Catholics have received different levels of religious education over the years.

“How many Catholics really understand the Catechism, understand the relationship between sacred tradition and sacred Scripture?” said Christopher Lovera, grand knight of Bishop Maurice F. Burke Council 4031 in Cody, Wyoming.

Council 4031 has made education the focus of its Cor program, which is built on the foundation of an existing men’s group at St. Anthony of Padua Parish. With the help of the parish’s deacons, the men had already been deepening their formation by watching videos from well-known evangelizers like Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester or listening to podcasts like Father Mike Schmitz’s The Catechism in a Year.

“When Cor came out, I was like, ‘Wow, this is showing a lot more that we could be doing as well,’” Lovera said.

Council 4031’s Cor gatherings usually begin with a breakfast prepared by Knights, followed by what Lovera likens to a course, with upwards of 25 men participating.

“It’s almost like a theology class, learning more about what Catholicism is,” Lovera explained. “Our meetings are also quite structured, with a deacon or a priest participating 95 per cent of the time.”

Lovera’s three sons are members of Council 4031, but when one of them, Paul, began studying at the University of Wyoming, he couldn’t make it to council events. Yet he wanted to participate in Cor and share it with his peers, so he decided to adapt the initiative and take it online.

“I’m doing Zoom meetings with the younger generation,” said Paul Lovera, 22. “We are helping each other go to church, helping each other actively participate in Mass, not just going through the motions but actually understanding the readings.”

Members of the Cor group hosted by St. Martin Council 14566 in Myszyniec participate in Eucharistic adoration at Holy Trinity Basilica in June. (Photo by Mirosław Brodzik)

Knights in Myszyniec, Poland, see that same desire to go deeper among the men of their parish, Holy Trinity Basilica. Scores of men, mainly between the ages of 30 and 60, have been participating in the monthly Cor gatherings that St. Martin Council 14566 began holding last November. Some of them are Knights, but most are not.

“They are devout men who are not satisfied with just weekly Mass; they want something more, to educate themselves, to learn,” said Deputy Grand Knight Tomasz Kurpiewski.

Father Zbigniew Jaroszewski, the parish priest and longtime K of C chaplain who leads the gatherings, explained, “Especially in our times, there is a great need for formation of men and fathers, who are the pillar of the family.”

With Scripture, including the Men of the Word Bible study, as the primary resource, the men have discussed topics ranging from charity to the defence of human life to the role of men in various religions and cultures. When the Holy Trinity Basilica hosted the relics of the recently beatified Ulma family, “family” was chosen as the theme of Cor that month.

“Our main goal has been to engage Catholic men and integrate them, to revitalize their involvement in the life of the parish,” said Robert Pietrzak, the council’s director of evangelization and faith formation. “We called it pre-evangelization.”

A number of participants have inquired about joining the Order.

“They knew that Cor was organized by the Knights,” Kurpiewski said. “They discovered that the Knights are good men, with families, with normal jobs, who like to meet and have fun and also talk about the Lord.”

For Father Jaroszewski, the Knights’ work to engage men through prayer, formation and fraternity is serving a vital role.

“Cor is a solution for a very common issue — men who are not active in the Church,” he said. “This is an answer to the Church’s needs today.”

JOHN BURGER writes for Aleteia.org and is a member of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Council 16253 in New Haven, Conn. This article appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Columbia magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Knights of Columbus, New Haven, Conn.

Knights of Columbus Initiative Unites Men in Faith and Fellowship Through Cor

The Knights of Columbus in B.C. and Yukon are working to create a spiritual revolution among men, one council at a time, through their Cor initiative. 

Launched in October 2022, Cor focuses on promoting intentional discipleship by offering a space for prayer, formation, and fellowship among men within the parish community.

B.C. was the first Canadian jurisdiction to adopt Cor, and since then, councils across the province have embraced its mission. The Knights hope to have the program running in every council in B.C., offering men opportunities to grow in faith while forming meaningful relationships with one another.

Jamey Guerrero, a key advocate of the initiative, shared his experiences and observations as Cor has grown in the region. 

“Since rolling out Cor, we’ve seen councils hold faith study sessions using resources like the Knights’ Into the Breach series and Catholic Christian Outreach’s faith studies,” he said. “Some councils bring in special speakers to address faith-related topics.”

One such example took place in May at All Saints Parish in Coquitlam, where a psychologist gave a talk titled Why Men and Kids are Distressed. 

In February, St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Sidney on Vancouver Island hosted a retired school superintendent who emphasized the importance of Catholic education and catechesis.

But Cor isn’t limited to formal talks and faith studies. Guerrero emphasized the importance of casual gatherings, where men can connect in less structured environments. “Our young adult men’s group meets once a month for a Rosary walk or hike, followed by a pint at a local pub,” Guerrero said. “These gatherings foster intentional discussions about faith.

The group is also starting a Rosary and workout program at someone’s home gym, incorporating both prayer and physical fitness into their fellowship.

Guerrero stresses that the Cor initiative isn’t meant to compete with other men’s groups in a parish. Rather, it encourages councils to support these groups, provided they adhere to the three pillars of Cor: prayer, formation, and fraternity.

Guerrero offered an example from his own experience: “At Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, our young adult men’s group works with the local Knights to host monthly Cor meetings. The first Cor meeting on the Island was a joint effort among five councils and the young adult men’s group, where we shared a meal, Scripture, and Eucharistic adoration.”

The focus on men may bring questions, Guerrero acknowledges, but men need to have intentional formation to open up and share their struggles in a supportive environment.

He recounted how in the early days of one men’s group a man opened up about his struggles with pornography, initially believing he was the only one dealing with the issue. “The guys in the group were ready to support him, offering impromptu hangouts and accountability chats,” said Guerrero. “He wouldn’t have opened up in the same way if his wife were present.”

For Guerrero, Cor offers men a space to grow in faith and accountability without feeling overshadowed. “Women, in my experience, are often more rooted in their faith, and they tend to lead conversations when we’re in mixed groups,” he said. “Cor gives men a chance to connect more deeply with one another.”

Which is why he’s offering a challenge to men seeking spiritual formation in their parish: “Reach out to your local Knights of Columbus council. There’s a place for you to grow in your faith, form new bonds, and be part of something greater.”

By Jimy Beltran

Although only built in the 1960s, St. Dunstan’s Church bears the marks of time with its worn wooden pews and stained-glass windows casting a soft, warm glow on the stone walls. It’s one of 10 churches within a few square blocks of downtown Fredericton and 200 metres from the New Brunswick legislature.

In a dimly lit room in the church’s rectory, a quiet, sacred atmosphere envelops about a dozen men. The stillness that dominates gradually begins to yield to the low murmur of voices as men gather, their words gently rising and filling the space.

Tonight, this room comes alive—a group of men, diverse in background but united in purpose, come together to pray the Rosary with the Men’s Group, which fosters fellowship between young and older men of faith through prayer, acts of charity, and social events as part of Catholic Young Adults of Fredericton.

Mark enters the room, his footsteps barely audible on the old floor as he walks towards the group. In his hand, he clutches a set of beads that slip through his fingers as he silently prepares to join the others. A tall man, his presence is both commanding and serene. His eyes reflect a deep curiosity and hunger for understanding, paired with a quiet intelligence and an unmistakable sense of awareness.

Mark introduces himself and shares his story.

“I am from Iran,” he begins, his voice steady yet heavy with the weight of his journey.

“I am Muslim, but something has called me to explore the Church, and I wanted to start with the Blessed Mother.”

His words linger in the air, a testament to the mysterious ways faith can stir in the human heart, transcending boundaries and leading us to unexpected places.

Mark’s story is just one among the men who have joined him from all walks of life. There are lifelong Catholics. There are men on the verge of completing the process of entering the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Still others, like Mark, are beginning the process of searching for truth within the Church.

Despite their different paths, they are drawn together for the same reason: to pray the Rosary and seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

When they first began attending these Men’s Nights, they were just three souls seeking solace in prayer. The room felt vast and empty, but their voices, though few, were strong and filled with conviction.

Over time, the small group grew. Word spread, and others came, drawn by a shared longing for something more. Tonight there are 18 men, and although the numbers fluctuate with the demands of life, there is always a core group that returns, month after month, to the same sacred space.

Through a simple prayer, made up of repetitive Hail Marys and Our Fathers, a powerful bond has grown among the men as the Rosary’s simplicity belies its profound theological depth, encapsulating the Gospel’s message in a form that is both accessible and rich in meaning.

As St. John Paul II eloquently expressed, “The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety...”

As the men pray together, their voices rise in unison, and the rhythm of the Rosary is a steady pulse that unites them. The repetition of the prayers becomes a meditation, a way for the men to centre themselves and focus on the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, all seen through the eyes of his mother, Mary.

It is in this act of collective prayer that the men find strength, comfort, and a sense of brotherhood that transcends their differences.

This gathering is more than just a ritual; it is a testament to the enduring power of faith to bring people together, to bridge gaps, and to heal. And as each bead is counted, it becomes a step closer to understanding, peace, and the divine love that calls us all.

Jimy Beltran is a Fredericton writer.

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