Fraternity and faith strengthen Men of St. Joseph

GREENVILLE — “Every man needs Christian fellowship, not just good friends, but good Christian friends,” Don Turbitt, founding member of Men of St. Joseph International, strongly emphasized. “That’s what’s going to change their lives for the better.”
Twelve years ago, God worked through Polish Cardinal Stanisław Jan Dziwisz, asking Turbitt to create a ministry dedicated to the spiritual renewal of Catholic men. He named this ministry after the greatest male saint in heaven: St. Joseph, father and husband. Today, Men of St. Joseph International is established in 18 countries around the world.
Initially, Turbitt was hesitant to take on a men’s ministry, knowing the struggles that would come with it. He asked God to give him solutions, “and I literally woke up from a dream and in minutes, wrote down my 72-hour plan. If He died and rose in three days, 72 hours, He said if you give me 72 hours in a year, I’ll give you a resurrected life.”
Toward this goal, the Men of St. Joseph International meet once a month for an hour, once a year for a six-hour conference and another time yearly for a 42-hour retreat. In total, 72 hours a year of spiritual development.
Father Christopher J. Murphy, the organization’s chaplain for the past two years, spoke about its purpose.
“It involves gatherings of men at the parish level for their own spiritual enrichment, for accountability, and it’s really centered around a life of prayer. To strengthen Catholic men in their devotional life, their personal life of prayer.”

It does this through building holy friendships between men. Father Murphy noted how men, unlike women, tend to have few friends outside of family and work, and that “spiritual friendship is much more rare.”
This kind of friendship, he stated, is “a much deeper thing” than those found in the workplace or secular clubs.
“The focus is fraternity in Christ, so it is men trying to follow Christ,” he said, further stating that men “both want and need to be challenged … by other men and in turn, becoming better husbands and fathers.” He is especially encouraged by the numbers of younger men becoming involved in the parish chapters.
One of the group’s greatest benefits is that “It gives us other men that we can relate to,” Turbitt said. He noted that men aren’t born fathers, but Men of St. Joseph gives younger men fatherly examples to emulate and learn from. And growth isn’t limited only to the spiritual life, as “when you grow in your spiritual life, your physical life follows in perfect line. The grace of God isn’t just to get you to church, it’s to live a healthy life. Everyone needs it.”
Turbitt’s home parish of St. Philip in Greenville has a thriving chapter of Men of St. Joseph International. Several years ago, when the Christian-based movie “Courageous” came out, roughly 100 men came to the parish to view it, with 40 men signing up for the ministry that very night. Turbitt reported that it has only grown from there.
Many of those involved at St. Philip, including the group’s leader, Keith Kline, are younger men in their 30s and 40s. Turbitt called this “ideal,” as these men become teachers and leaders in the parish.
“Our goal as Men of St. Joseph is to renew the parish and protect the priest,” Turbitt said.
He would like to see 12 “holy men” surrounding each priest in every parish with an active Men of St. Joseph International chapter.
As a 20-year veteran firefighter, then construction company owner and now full-time missionary with Renewal Ministries, Turbitt knows how hard it can be to bring men back into the Church. But he feels God has blessed his ministry, growing it in places like Uganda, where one parish began a men’s choir. This burgeoned into a Mass heavily attended and served by the men of the parish. Turbitt takes little credit for his hand in the shift in men returning to active participation in the faith.
“God’s in charge. The Holy Spirit, He’s got enough strength to do it; I haven’t, but He has.”
Recently, the Rhode Island Men of St. Joseph have partnered with local Knights of Columbus councils, encouraging the men of one group to join the other. As the Knights focus on performing good works, and the Men of St. Joseph on deepening their spiritual life, the two organizations found that they can work together for the mutual benefit of all the men involved. As Father Murphy remarked, “Each groups appreciates the gifts the other brings.”
Every monthly meeting focuses not only on prayer, but teachings. Currently, the Men of St. Joseph are working through a 12-month series on the Eucharist, appropriate with the Eucharistic Revival in progress. They also publish a book called “Signposts,” covering Catholic topics, but other books are also used in the teachings.
The annual conference will take place on May 4 at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, with Father Larry Richards, of EWTN, as the main speaker. Father Murphy will give a talk toward the end of the day as well.
Retreat, however, is where Turbitt sees lives change. Before going into the weekend, the Men of St. Joseph invoke the Holy Spirit to move in every attendee’s life. Those who came into the retreat with a knowledge of God leave with a relationship with Him, Turbitt said.
These men strengthen each other monthly and yearly, learning about the Church, growing in faith and building a deeper life of prayer, which flows into all other areas of their lives. “God’s grace is not just for church,” Turbitt commented. “It’s all about learning how to live life the way God wants it to be.”