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 Spiritual Survival Manual

Strengthen Your Brothers

Luke 22:13

“We were created to be men who go beyond the limits that the world imposes on us. That desire comes from God Himself. He is always calling you to be more, and it is He who gives you the strength for this”—Fr. Larry Richards

www.biccmf.org

Our Patron Saints

Prayer to St. Joseph

Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen.

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

 Brothers In Christ Catholic Men’s Fellowship

Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio

2011

Table of Contents

Our Mission ……………………………………….2-3

Meeting Times and Details ………………….4-5

The Rosary………….………………………….…6-10

Why pray the Rosary………………………..11-13

Confession……………………………………….14-18

Recommended Practices……………………19-21

Mass Journal………………………………………..22

Share your faith in difficult times…………..25

Inspirational Quotes……………………………..26

Recommended Audio CDs………………….….19

IPhone/iPod Apps……………….………..……..20

Recommended Books……………………………21

Mass and Confession Places and Times…23

Key Dates on Liturgical Calendar………….24

Closing Statement…………………………………30

Mission

Our Mission:  To unite like-minded men and those looking for spiritual guidance to live an authentically Catholic life and to help them to become the best version of themselves in Christ.

Our Vision: We believe that our purpose in this world is to know God, to love God and to serve God so that we may be with him for eternity. This fellowship looks to expose the evils that are embedded in our current culture and provide men with the knowledge, tools and resources to defend themselves, their family, faith and church from such evils.  As we unite men, so must men unite their families, become the spiritual leader of their family and guide them on the path to heaven.
The core values of this fellowship through which we hope to achieve our mission and realize our vision are The Virtues, The Sacraments, and Prayer. Many references are used but at the core are the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Holy Bible and the Apostolate For Family Consecration as the written word and literature to guide us. We do this all for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary and all in union with St. Joseph.
Brothers In Christ Catholic Men’s Fellowship was started with a core group of faithful Catholic Men. We desired to form a fellowship which provided an environment in which to share our lives and our faith with each other and to devote our lives to always seeking a closer relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also called to share our faith with other men who are living and struggling in a world that is lost. We are men who are struggling with or who have struggled with, many daily challenges.  Maybe you work 60 to 80 hrs. per week and wonder how you can spend time with your family and give time to God. Maybe you want to be closer to Christ and bring your family closer to Christ. Where do you start? The links on the web site are a good place to start. Come to one of our fellowship meetings and see what it means to be men of Christ in today’s world. We submit to you that it is your gift as the strong, proud, Christian man of your family to be the spiritual leader and bring those who you love to Heaven. You are so much more important than you could ever imagine.

God Bless You.

Fellowship Meetings

The fellowship meetings are scheduled when the majority of the core group can meet. This will be on a Sunday from 7pm – 9pm. Please check the website for which Sunday the meeting is scheduled. (www.biccmf.org) Optional is the rosary which is said from 6:30pm – 7pm. We meet at the St. Francis Spiritual Center (formerly the Knights of Columbus hall) on the corner of 2nd Ave. and Sunset Ave. in Independence.

The typical meeting format begins with prayer and announcements followed by a member testimony, guest speaker or mission specific audio, video or lecture.  The meetings are fluid and flexible to discussing issues as determined relevant at that time.

Testimony Guidelines

We encourage all members who want to give their testimony to sign up and do it! There is no hard format but we do offer these guidelines:

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. Give some background on where you came  from on your spiritual journey and where you are now. Tell us about your conversion. Tell us about your life before Christ and after Christ. Tell us about the struggles, trials, temptations, addictions, success in your life and how you overcame them or are working on them. If you have some favorite bible verses that are special to you, try to weave them into your talk. Tell us what has worked and what has not worked for you in living your faith, being a father, a husband, a son, the provider and spiritual leader of your family. Possibly end with summarizing key points and the “take home” message. Again, these are only guidelines and we trust that whatever format you use you will do so with all of the class, truth and sincerity that we have seen so far. Everyone has a story…even the man who has led a relatively uneventful life has a story of how he got from there to here. The stories we hear can change our lives in ways unknown to the storyteller….tell us yours.

Testimonies can be powerful statements about how Christ has entered your life and in turn may bring someone else to Christ. The following is from the story of the Woman at the Well

“Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:39-42

The Rosary

How and why we pray the rosary at

Brothers in Christ

For the most part we pray the rosary just like anyone else but with a few additions that you may or may not have prayed before. 

Make the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Apostle’s Creed (Original Version)

I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Our Father 

OUR FATHER, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

Hail Mary (Recite 3 Times) 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be 

GLORY BE to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

O My Jesus

O MY JESUS, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

All For

All For the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, all in union with St. Joseph. 

Here we would announce the 1st mystery that is appropriate for that day.

Then…

OUR FATHER

HAIL MARY (Recite 10 Times)

GLORY BE

O MY JESUS

ALL FOR

A mystery will be announced at the beginning of each decade. At the final decade and after the “All For” we pray the following:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our Life, our Sweetness, and our Hope.
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To Thee do we send up our sighs mourning
and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate,
Thine Eyes of Mercy toward us,
and after this our exile show unto us the
Blessed Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us O Holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

The following may also be prayed at the  end of the rosary:

St. Joseph Prayer after the Rosary

Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me and all the members of my family and loved ones, a confident, sinless, generous, and patient heart, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will.  Be our guide, father, and model throughout life, that we may merit a death like yours, in the arms of Jesus and Mary.  Help us, St. Joseph, in our earthly strife, to fulfill our responsibilities and ever to lead a pure and blameless life.

Heavenly Father, please ask the Holy Spirit, Who resides in the innermost recesses of my soul, to help me to call to mind all of my sins and faults. Help me to detach myself from these faults and sins so that I can be a useful instrument in the hands of the Most Holy Family, to achieve Your distinctive plan for my life.

Let me now pause for a few moments to think of my sins, faults, and omissions.

Act of Contrition

O my God!  I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all of my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because I have offended Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love.  I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.  Amen.

Let us Pray:  Heavenly Father, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask You to release a Poor Soul of one of our loved ones from Purgatory for each of us who have received Your Son in Holy Communion this day, and we ask these souls being released to pray continually that our families and the members and families of the Apostolate do Your will.

Sign of the Cross

Make the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

The Most Holy Mysteries of the Rosary
Joyful Mysteries: To be prayed on Mondays & Saturdays The Annunciation. Fruit of the Mystery: Humility The Visitation. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbour The Nativity. Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty, Detachment from the things of the world, Contempt of Riches, Love of the Poor The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: Gift of Wisdom and Purity of mind and body (Obedience) The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: True Conversion (Piety, Joy of Finding Jesus)
Sorrowful Mysteries: To be prayed on Tuesdays & Fridays The Agony in the Garden. Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin, Uniformity with the Will of God The Scourging at the Pillar. Fruit of the Mystery: Mortification (Purity) The Crowning with Thorns. Fruit of the Mystery: Contempt of the World (Moral Courage) The Carrying of the Cross. Fruit of the Mystery: Patience The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance in Faith, Grace for a Holy Death (Forgiveness)
Glorious Mysteries:  To be prayed on Wednesdays & Sundays The Resurrection. Fruit of the Mystery: Faith The Ascension. Fruit of the Mystery: Hope, Desire to Ascend to Heaven The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God, Holy Wisdom to know the truth and share it with everyone, Divine Charity, Worship of the Holy Spirit The Assumption of Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Union with Mary and True Devotion to Mary The Coronation of the Virgin. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance and an Increase in Virtue (Trust in Mary’s Intercession)
Luminous Mysteries: To be prayed on Thursdays The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit, the Healer. The Wedding at Cana. Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary, Understanding of the ability to manifest-through faith. Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Fruit of the Mystery: Trust in God (Call of Conversion to the Messiah) The Transfiguration. Fruit of the Mystery: Desire for Holiness. The Institution of the Eucharist. Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration.

Why Pray The Rosary

By Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

J.M.J.

It is objected that there is much repetition in the Rosary because the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary are said so often; therefore some say it is monotonous.

That reminds me of a woman who came to see me one evening after instructions. She said, “I would never become a Catholic. You say the same words in the Rosary over and over again, and anyone who repeats the same words is never sincere. I would never believe anyone who repeated his words and neither would God.”

I asked her who the man was with her. She said he was her fiancé. I asked: “Does he love you?” “Certainly, he does,” “But how do you know?” “He told me.” “What did he say?”
“He said ‘I love you.'”

“When did he tell you last?”

“About an hour ago.”
“Did he tell you before?”

“Yes, last night.”

“What did he say?”

“I love you.”

“But never before?”

“He tells me every night.”

I said: “Do not believe him. He is repeating; he is not sincere.”

The beautiful truth is that there is no repetition in, “I love you.” Because there is a new moment of time, another point in space, the words do not mean the same as they did at another time or space.

Love is never monotonous in the uniformity of its expression. The mind is infinitely variable in its language, but the heart is not. The heart of a man, in the face of the woman he loves, is too poor to translate the infinity of his affection into a different word. So the heart takes one expression, “I love you,” and in saying it over and over again, it never repeats. It is the only real news in the universe. That is what we do when we say the Rosary, we are saying to God, the

Trinity, to the Incarnate Saviour, to the Blessed Mother: “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Each time it means something different because, at each decade, our mind is moving to a new demonstration of the Saviour’s love.
The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.

The Rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the Rosary is beyond description.”

If you wish to convert anyone to the fullness of the knowledge of Our Lord and to His Mystical Body, then teach him the Rosary. One of two things will happen. Either he will stop saying the Rosary — or he will get the gift of faith.

______________________________________

“The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.”

-Pope Pius XI

“How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening.” –Pope John Paul II

_______________________

Confession

Haven’t been to confession in 5, 10, 30 years?

Haven’t washed your car in 6 months?

Sure feels good to clean out your car and get it washed. It even makes you want to keep it clean after that. If you haven’t been to confession in a while, go and see how good it feels to get cleaned up!

If you have any questions or doubts about going to confession or about confession itself, please ask one of us and we would be very happy to talk about it.

“Confession is an act of honesty and courage-an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”—Pope John Paul II

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.” –St. Augustine

How to go to confession by Fr. William Saunders

A person should always (1) begin with a good examination of conscience. We need to hold up our lives to the pattern of life God has revealed for us to live. For instance, we take time to reflect on the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the precepts of the Church and the virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice. 

The examination of conscience is like stepping back and looking at the picture of one’s life in comparison to the masterpiece of life revealed by God. Remember when we were children, we used to trace pictures. Tracing helped us learn to draw. We would take a piece of plain paper, hold it over the original picture and then put it up to the window. The light would enable us to trace the original picture onto our blank sheet of paper. Periodically, we had to stop and step back to see if our paper had slipped and was out of kilter with the original or if we had deviated from the lines. 

In a similar way, as we live our lives, we are tracing them in accord with God’s pattern of life. In examining our consciences, we step back and honestly assess how well we fit God’s pattern and have stayed within His boundaries. At this time, we reflect on the progress we have made since our last confession in dealing with weaknesses, faults, temptations and past sins. Hopefully, we see improvement in our spiritual well-being. 

However, when we have gone out of kilter or gone out of bounds with God’s masterpiece, we have sinned. We must distinguish the venial sins — those lighter sins which weaken our relationship with the Lord — from the mortal sins — those sins which sever our relationship with the Lord and “kill” the presence of sanctifying grace in our souls. Here we remember the words of Jesus, “Everyone who practices evil hates the light; he does not come near it for fear his deeds will be exposed. But he who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God” (Jn 3:20-21).

Given this examination of conscience, we have contrition for our sins. While we are sorry for sin because we do fear the fires of Hell and the loss of Heaven, and the just punishments of God, we are sorry most of all because our sins offend God whom we should love above all things. The love for God moves us to repent of sin and seek reconciliation. 

All of the great saints regularly examined their consciences and made frequent use of the Sacrament of Penance. (Even our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, confessed his sins weekly, as did Mother Teresa.) One must ask, “Why? What sins did these saints possibly commit?” They loved the Lord so much that even the slightest omission or commission moves them to confession. They do not want even the slightest sin to separate them from the love of God. For love of God, we too are sorry for our sins. 

Sorrow for sin moves us to have a firm amendment not to sin again. We probably will sin again, but we try not to do so. We do not plan on leaving the confessional and committing the same sins again.

We then confess our sins. When we (2) enter the confessional in most churches, we have the option of remaining anonymous or facing the priest. Whichever option a person chooses, always remember that whatever is said during the confession is held in secret by the priest.

Remember also that we confess to the priest for three reasons: First, the priest has the authority of the Apostles by virtue of his ordination. On the night of the resurrection, Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound” (Jn 20:22-23). The priest is the minister of the sacrament acting in the person of Christ. 

Second, he is a spiritual father. Just as we see a doctor for healing when we are physically sick, we see a priest when our souls are sick and need healing. 

Third, the priest represents the Church and the people we have sinned against. In the early days of the Church, people publicly confessed sin at the beginning of Mass and were absolved. Much to our relief, for centuries now we have had private confession.

(3)We proceed by making the sign of the Cross and saying, “Bless me father for I have sinned.” One could also simply begin, “In the name of the Father….” We should then state when we made our last confession: “It has been (so long) since my last confession.”

(4)We then confess our sins. We must be specific. Sometimes people say, “I broke the sixth commandment,” which covers everything from a lustful thought to rape and adultery. We do not need to provide the full-blown story, just the basics to enable the priest to help. We need to give some quantification — missing Mass once is different from several times, which is different from all the time. When we are finished confessing our sins, we state, “I am sorry for these and all of my sins.” With this information, the priest may counsel us. He also assigns a penance for the healing of the hurt caused by sin and the strengthening of our souls against future temptation. He then asks us to (5) say an act of contrition, which is generally the traditional prayer: “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all of my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all of my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.”

Finally, the priest imparts absolution. Ponder the beautiful words: “God the Father of mercies, through the death and

resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This formula emphasizes our merciful Heavenly Father, the saving mystery of our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection, and the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Church.

The priest then dismisses us, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,” to which we respond, “His mercy endures forever.” (Many priests may simply say, “May God bless you.”)(6) We then leave the confessional to do the assigned penance.

The sacrament of penance is a beautiful sacrament through which we are reconciled to God, ourselves and our neighbors. Remember the words of St. Paul: “God is rich in mercy; because of His great love for us, He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin” (Eph 2:4).

Practices

Dear Padre,

What are the principal means of lay holiness?

— A Searching Lay Person

Dear Searching,

The means of holiness are the same for all the baptized, whether lay, ordained, or religious. Prayer is the most essential ingredient to holiness no matter what the vocation. In public prayer, we join others to offer communal worship. In private prayer we maintain, clarify, and nourish our fundamental relationships with God, others, and the world. There is no holiness without prayer.

God’s love via love of neighbor is an eternal challenge of Christian holiness. The gospels say every person is our neighbor, especially persons in need. Jesus particularly identified himself with the needy when he said, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

We also quietly and unobtrusively live our holiness when we persevere and remain faithful to our vocational commitments. Whatever our lifestyle choice, living up to its demands is the stuff of holiness. Being faithful to a spouse in marriage, working for family harmony, staying true to dedicated singleness in the world or in the religious community setting — all are avenues of holiness.

Fourth, there is no holiness without the self-control that establishes personal discipline. Free expression of every unbridled appetite, desire, or ambition is incompatible with Christian life. Christians must “deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me [Jesus]” (Luke 9:23).

Holiness also comes from, and finds its noblest expression in, a life of service and ministry. Baptism initiates us into the fullness of Christian reality, which ultimately means discipleship. Being willing to share our faith and our expriences of God in community, giving witness to God’s presence in our lives, stepping forward to serve and minister to our sisters and brothers, and working for peace and justice in our world are essential elements of holiness.

— The Padre

Father Joe Morin, C.SS.R.

Copyright 1995, Liguori Publications / Liguori, MO 63057-9999

Recommend Minimum Practices as a Man of God

  • Attend mass weekly
  • Remain in a state of grace (confession)
  • Receive the Eucharist in a state of grace
  • Pray daily and if you have a family, pray with them daily
  • Set good example at work- do not participate in gossip, don’t waste time on non-work pastimes, come to the aid of those who need guidance on the job. Do the best you can with the talent God gave you.

Advanced Practices for Men of God

  • Daily or weekly rosary
  • Daily mass or daily mass readings if you cannot attend mass
  • Weekly mass journal (the one thing!)
  • Daily prayer with family
  • Daily reading of the Bible
  • AFC’s Family Catechism nightly
  • First Saturday mass with family
  • Frequent confession (every 2-4 weeks)
  • Brown Scapular
  • Family Consecration
  • Regular/frequent Adoration
  • Listen to Catholic Radio 1060 am, ewtn, Catholic podcasts, cd’s and audiobooks.
  • Attend mass on all Holy Days of Obligation
  • Carry a Rosary in your pocket at all times
  • Volunteer time with a Church organization

Take the extra step and complete the 4 step process to holiness at www.familyholiness.com

Please visit our website for more tools to help you become the best version of yourself.

Start using a Mass Journal

This idea was taken from Matthew Kelly’s book Rediscover Catholicism. Purchase for yourself a small notebook that can fit in your pocket.  On the inside cover write, “God, show me one way in this Mass that I can become a better version of myself”. Take your notebook and a pen to mass. Sometime before Sunday’s mass,  try to read and reflect upon that Gospel.  When you get to church ask God, “God, show me one way in this Mass that I can become a better version of myself this week!”  Then listen to the music, the readings, the prayers of the Mass, the homily, the quiet of your heart. When that one thing strikes you, write it in your Mass Journal. Do not write down a lot of things, just the one thing. Do this every week. You can even ask your family to keep a mass journal and when you get home from mass you can ask each other what their one thing is. This can lead to some great family discussions. This one habit of keeping a mass journal will change your whole experience of the Mass, your relationship with God, and your appreciation of the Church. This one habit will help you become a better version of yourself, will make you a more engaged and contributing member of your parish community, and will invigorate your relationships.

Defending Your Faith

The following are some common objections or questions that you may encounter as a follower of Christ. Some are in general and some are specific to the catholic faith. Due to the length of the answers and discussion, links have been provided to expand on these comments and writings.

Pope:

Eucharist:

Priest called father:

Who wrote / compiled the Bible:

Purgatory:

https://ccatuga.org/top-10-questions-for-catholics

Recommended Audio Cd’s

Top Ten List

  1. The Truth (Fr. Larry Richards)
  2. Confession (Fr. Larry Richards)
  3. Corapi Conversion
  4. Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Lively Virtues
  5. Fr. Donald Calloway’s Conversion
  6. Jewish Roots of The Eucharist
  7. Beads for the Battle
  8. Best Version of Yourself (Matthew Kelly)
  9. Building Better Families (Matthew Kelly)
  10. Why I’m Catholic When I Could Be Anything Else

Please ask for these at a BIC meeting.

Share your faith with others in times of need

Death/loss/grieving:

Inspirational Quotes

Apps

iMissal- $4.99 A complete missal. Liturgical calendar. Mass Readings. Audio mass readings. Order of the mass. Mass videos. Bible verse of the day. Over 80 popular catholic prayers.

iPieta-$2.99 Bible. Baltimore Catechisms 1-3. Daily readings and gospel. Numerous devotions. Much more.

Confession-$1.99Custom examination of conscience. Multiple users with passwords. Walks you through your entire confession.

WordOnFire- Free. Father Barrons sermons, videos, blogs and writings.

CatholicTV- Free. Video of daily catholic mass, daily rosary, catholic reflections and daily catholic news.

LivingBread- Free. If you like to listen to 1060AM radio and are out of the listening area you can stream their programing here.

iRosary- $2.99To each his own. If you rather follow along with a digital rosary on your mobile device you can do it here.

Catholic Mass Times- Free. Great for traveling. Find churches near your location, mass times, bulletins, phone numbers and directions to the church.

Divine Mercy- Free. The complete divine mercy message and devotion.

Totally Catholic Trivia- $1.99 Great app to play with the family! Over 1000 questions related to the catholic faith.

Recommended Books

The first three books are available for sale at this fellowship

Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly

Be a Man by Father Larry Richards

Strong Fathers Strong Daughters by Dr. Meg Meeker

The Apostolate’s Family Catechism by Rev. Lawrence

     G. Lovasik, S.V.D.

Legacy, A Father’s Handbook for Raising Godly Children by Stephen Wood.

Father, The Family Protector by James Stenson

Catechism Of The Catholic Church (second edition)

We recommend a Catholic Bible if you do not have one. The following two are excellent choices.

For complete bible with old and new testament:

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version / Second Catholic Edition by Ignatius Press

For a New Testament only study bible:

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, New Testament, Second Catholic Edition RSV by Ignatius Press

 Note:  The above list is only a small sample of the many great Catholic and Christian books available. For a more extensive list please visit the “knowledge base” link of our website www.biccmf.org

Recommended Podcasts

Word on Fire: Fr. Robert Barron (weekly homilies and more)

NFCM Channel 2: Catholicmediaonline.org

Audio Sancto: audiosancto.org (Sermons and homilies)

NAB: www.usccb.org/nab/nabpodcast.shtml (daily readings)

EWTN: ewtn audio library

Reason for our Hope: www.thereasonforourhope.org Fr. Larry Richards (weekly homily)

Challenge and Change: AFC (various talks and conferences

Go to www.biccmf.org for podcast links

Local Mass Times and Confession

St. Michael Church, Independence- Mass: Sat. 4pm, Sun. 8a, 10a, 12p. Confession on Sat. at 3:30p and by special request.

St. Columkille, Seven Hills- Mass: Sat. 4p & 5:30p     Sun. 7:30a, 9a, 10:30a, 12p.

Confession on Sat. 3-3:30p, after the 4p Mass until 5p, after the 5:30p Mass until 6:30p, First Sunday of each month…after all masses…or by appointment.

St. Basil, Brecksville- Mass: Sat. 5p  Sun. 7:30a, 9a, 10:30a, 12p, 5:30p

Confession on Sat. 3:30-4:30p or by appointment

St. Joseph Byzantine, Brecksville- Mass: Sat. 4p   Sun. 10:30a (winter), 10a (June-August). Weekday 8am

Confession is one half hour before liturgies for fifteen minutes and by request.

Assumption, Broadview Hts. Mass: Sat. 4p. Sun 7:30a, 9a, 10:30a, 12:15p

Confession: Sat. 3-3:45p and after 4p Mass.

For a traditional Latin Mass:

Immaculate Conception Parish,  4129 Superior Ave.
Cleveland, OH

Tridentine Mass every Sunday at 12:00 Noon

Key Dates on the Liturgical Calendar

To prepare for these events, more information can be found at www.biccmf.org/keydates

Conclusion

Please feel free to contact us(insert link here)  if you have any questions about anything. If you have suggestions we would like to hear those as well.

As men we are playing the hard game of life. And if we are doing things right and according to God’s will…. the game will not be easy in these times. This fellowship is like the locker room for catholic men. We need to regroup and get away from all of the noise and confusion of the stadium and into the quiet of the locker room. Here we can be inspired by some great coaches who will be our guest speakers. We can bounce game strategies off of one another and find out what works and what doesn’t work. Most importantly we can talk freely about that which should be most important in our life…God. In most cases, you will find that no matter how difficult you think you have it, there will be someone in this group who can be the person who can talk you down from the edge of the cliff because they have been where you are…and beyond.

God Bless You

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