BARRINGTON – Even though their time appears to have passed, the MOB still meets on a regular basis here in Rhode Island. Not in secret, either. And they’re actively recruiting new members. Mind you, this has nothing whatsoever to do with organized crime, but everything to do with “made men” – more precisely, a group of guys going above and beyond to become more like the men God made them to be. Better sons. Better fathers. Better brothers. Better friends. Better colleagues. Better bosses. Better at every role they play.
Toward that end, this dedicated band of brothers from Barrington’s St. Luke’s Parish assembles each Saturday at the town’s Blue Kangaroo Café, and often at other times and places. Tongues implanted firmly in their cheeks, they’ve taken to calling themselves the Catholic Men of Barrington (or MOB, for short), but make no mistake, they are as serious as can be about their reason for gathering.
“Yeah, I’ve got my golfing buddies. Yeah, I’ve got my let’s-go-and-have-a-beer buddies. Yeah, I’ve got my let’s-watch-the-football-game buddies. But the conversations you have in those forums are not like this,” explains Paul Languirand, age 59, one of the MOB’s founding members. “This is a group of men who love each other as Christ asked us … to come together, support each other, and just want to grow in their faith. It’s such a beautiful thing.”
Young, middle-aged, and senior citizens. Fathers and grandfathers. Married and single. They represent a spectrum of age groups and life experiences. Matty Blake, a 54-year-old relative newcomer, declares, “It was easy for me to commit to it because … it’s something I was looking for anyway.. That’s what attracted me, having a group of peers that you could share things with and go through the Catholic journey with together. I was like, ‘I wish I could share these things I have in my heart with other men going through the Catholic journey,’ which nowadays can be challenging.”
No less challenging for Blake, Languirand, and their compatriots, the catalyst that brought this diverse group together in the first place – a rigorous regimen of prayer, reflection, and ascetic self-care practices designed by developers of a digital app called Exodus 90.
THE GENESIS OF EXODUS
Exodus 90 calls for subscribers (exclusively male) to spend the 90 days leading up to Easter engaging in 10 daily and weekly penitential and prayerful practices. They include reading and meditating on the Book of Exodus (hence the name), setting aside an hour of alone time with God each day, abstaining not only from meat but also from unnecessary indulgences (such as discretionary purchases, sweets, alcohol, and excess screen time), engaging in healthy physical exercise, and what some men say is the most difficult: taking only cold showers.
To ensure they’re maintaining their discipline, participants meet as a group on a weekly basis and have individual accountability “anchors” – other men in the group who keep them honest by checking in daily on their progress. Brainchild of a onetime seminarian a decade ago, Exodus 90 today boasts of its quarter of a million paid subscribers across some 80 countries worldwide, who receive exclusive content through the app to help them on their journey.
That includes Languirand and the now 20 or so members of the MOB. He and fellow St. Luke’s parishioner Chris Ernster are very involved in their church, yet, as the world was emerging from forced hibernation during the COVID-19 pandemic, both men found themselves searching for something more to satisfy their spiritual hunger. They’d heard of Exodus 90 and gave it a go along with a half-dozen friends from Attleboro, Mass.
“And we really liked it. We found it really powerful,” Languirand professes, “because it’s prayer, discipline, and fraternity. If you try to do it on your own, you can do it, but without the fraternity and accountability, it’s less effective.”
So, last year, they introduced it to St. Luke’s, with the blessing of their pastor, Father Timothy Reilly. “I thought it was a marvelous idea,” he recalls. “Kind of like humility and going into the desert, letting God take over your life, all the things that Lent should be for each one of us. And I wish I’d done it myself.”
Father Peter Lee, a native of Korea and St. Luke’s current priest-in-residence, began joining the weekly meetings at the MOB’s invitation. Lee found unexpected inspiration from them, which, he admits, keeps him going back week after week. Lee elaborates with the following analogy.
“When you go to the gym, it’s not just for your own workout. You see who else is in good shape, and that inspires you to work out harder. As a priest, I just focus on my spirituality. I don’t have to think about my secular life, but they have to manage two lives – their regular life and their spiritual life – and they’re managing both very well. They’re trying their best, and seeing them try, that humbles me. I shouldn’t think I’m special just because I’m a priest. Because their effort is double mine. And they treat me as a brother, with honor. Not just as a priest, but as one of their brothers, and they treat each other like real brothers, like Moses and Aaron [in the Book of Exodus]. Their enthusiasm, their love of God, and their fraternity makes me humble.”
GROWING IN NUMBERS
Ninety days proved not nearly enough for the Catholic Men of Barrington, who now meet throughout the year to continue strengthening their fellowship. For 2026, they’ve committed to providing food, clothing, and other necessities, one Monday each month, to guests at Emmanuel House, the Diocese of Providence’s homeless shelter for men. They also gather regularly for adoration and to catch up on each other’s lives at the Blue Kangaroo.
“Some weeks,” Blake confesses, “I find myself crawling to that room, like, ‘Oh, it’s been a long week.’ Other times, I’m running to that room because I’m so excited about something I’ve thought of or want to share with the group. It’s become a great anchor in my life. There’s no doubt it has changed me. I’ve grown both in faith and … it really does call to mind how lucky I am and how spoiled I am. It’s a tactile faith you’re living for ninety days. I’ve come to love it.”
With improved planning and coordination, the MOB hopes more men will soon join them. At least one already seems ready. “I’m so grateful to have these men in our lives, in our parish,” adds Father Reilly. “Exodus 90 is such a great resource for everyone. We can always do better next year getting the word out. I think the Lord is speaking to my heart this Holy Week through all of them, encouraging me to do Exodus 90 next Lent.”
