{"id":54437,"date":"2015-08-04T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2015-08-04T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=54437"},"modified":"2015-08-04T10:34:58","modified_gmt":"2015-08-04T17:34:58","slug":"making-a-huddle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2015\/08\/04\/making-a-huddle\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a huddle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in\u00a0San Diego, I was\u00a0part of a group which we called\u00a0“The Men’s Huddle”<\/em>. We were a\u00a0small group of Catholic guys who got together every couple of weeks in order to share our lives, hold each other accountable and to encourage one another\u00a0as we sought to become all that God calls us to be.<\/p>\n

\"Huddle\"<\/p>\n

In the last couple of years I’ve noticed more men’s groups have been springing up. This is\u00a0really great to see and today I’d like to write a little bit about The Huddle, in the hope that it will inspire\u00a0other men to do something similar. The Huddle\u00a0was a great support\u00a0to me during my time in San Diego and I would like more men to experience the sort of blessing which comes with membership of such a group.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The idea<\/h2>\n

The idea for the Huddle came from\u00a0my friend and roommate, Nathan. We had talked for some time about the need of men’s ministry and, in particular, for a men’s ministry that was personal<\/strong>. At that time, there were several other men’s activities in\u00a0the Diocese, but these were not frequent. They were also\u00a0usually larger affairs, and\u00a0ones which\u00a0required little or no commitment on behalf of the men involved.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What Nathan and I wanted was\u00a0a group where there was, first and foremost,\u00a0intimacy<\/strong> and honesty<\/strong>. We both felt that this couldn’t really be achieved\u00a0in a group where (a) meetings was infrequent (b) the numbers were large or (c)\u00a0attendance\u00a0inconsistent. We decided, therefore, to assemble a small<\/strong> group of guys who would meet on a regular<\/strong> basis, where each man would\u00a0commit to journeying with the group. What would be said in the Huddle would remain in the Huddle…<\/p>\n

The early days<\/h2>\n

We began the Huddle simply by meeting once a month, either at a brewery or in someone’s home. We had no real agenda of which to speak. We would simply meet, share a couple of beers and chat about stuff. Not all members of the group knew each other that well and it was\u00a0an opportunity just to get to know one another\u00a0better.<\/p>\n

\"Eagle_and_Child_(interior)\"<\/p>\n

Over time, the format of our meetings evolved. Fairly\u00a0quickly we took to ending the evening with\u00a0Night Prayer (it took several weeks before we all managed to get iBreviary installed on our phones!).<\/p>\n

After a few months, we agreed to start adding some more structure to our meetings. I had received spiritual direction during University and I suggested that we adapt the format I had been given\u00a0back then. We did this for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to make sure that the topics of conversation in our meetings extended beyond the upcoming\u00a0Marvel movie and the score at the latest Padres’ game. We wanted to talk about things of substance as well. Secondly, we wanted to make sure that everyone in the Huddle would\u00a0share something of themselves at each meeting, as intimacy is only built through self-revelation in an atmosphere of trust.<\/p>\n

Our Meetings<\/h2>\n

In its final form, the group was made up of seven guys, most of whom were laity.\u00a0We met together on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. We sometimes met at a quiet pub and sometimes at someone’s house. If we met at someone’s house, somebody would bring beer and another person brought food.<\/p>\n

The evening would begin with just some time relaxing together, talking or shooting\u00a0pool.\u00a0At some point, somebody would call the meeting to order (usually one of the bossier members!). We’d begin with a short prayer and then we’d\u00a0take it in turns to\u00a0share aspects of our lives which are outlined below,\u00a0which I affectionately dubbed “Life, wife, holiness and strife”<\/em>!<\/p>\n

1. Life<\/strong>
\nEach person would usually begin by saying a thing or two about what was going on in his life, especially with regards to work, relationships and family.\u00a0This would typically form the backdrop for the later\u00a0sections…<\/p>\n

2. Vocation (“Wife”)<\/strong>
\nOur group was made up of men in a variety of\u00a0vocational states. Some had received Holy Orders and some had received the Sacrament of Matrimony. Still others were in committed relationships and others were still just trying to work things out.<\/p>\n

The purpose of this section was for the person to share\u00a0what he was\u00a0doing to pursue and embrace his vocation, both broadly-speaking and specifically (marriage\/priesthood). I would say that this section was one of the most beneficial\u00a0things about the Huddle, as men do not typically discuss these things with each other.<\/p>\n

3. Faith (“Holiness”)<\/strong>
\nSince the purpose of The Huddle was for each man to grow in holiness, one of the sections was dedicated to the spiritual journey. Here we would talk about our prayer life, our sacramental life, as well as our evangelistic efforts.<\/p>\n

4. Cross (“Strife”)<\/strong>
\nThe final section would usually relate to the things with which we were struggling and for which we would like encouragement and prayer. In my opinion, it’s only really possible to do something like this where the group is small, since it’s much easier to talk about your fears and struggles with people whom you trust.<\/p>\n

Go forth and huddle!<\/h2>\n

The Huddle had been running for over a year before I left San Diego and\u00a0I have to say the Huddle\u00a0was definitely one of the highlights of my week. Those men were a real support in my life and helped me grow.<\/p>\n

\"Pier\"<\/p>\n

When others expressed interest in joining, we instead\u00a0encouraged them to start their own cell, and in this way Men’s Huddle Beta was formed.\u00a0So, if you’re not in a group like this, I’d invite you to go form one! I really can’t encourage it enough since,\u00a0as the proverb goes, <\/span>“Iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another…” <\/span><\/em>(Proverbs 27:17)<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s your experience of men’s groups (or women’s groups)?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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