To defeat the Enemy, with its strategy of eliminating the Strong Father, the Knights of Columbus should strive to restore the Strong Father.
The order can do that by creating a program of courses that teach young men how to be a man, lead a woman, and lead a family:
- Before he can become a strong father, a boy must first learn how to be a man. He does that by completing an initiation into manhood.
- Once he has learned how to be a man, a young man must be trained in how to lead a woman in a relationship. He must learn how to be a good husband.
- Next, a young man must be trained in how to lead a family: how to protect and provide, lead and guide. He must learn how to be a strong father.
Initiation Into Manhood
The first step towards restoring the Strong Father in our society is to create a course of male initiation. It might look something like this:
BASIC ARRANGEMENTS
Participants must undergo a doctor’s physical exam, and pass a physical fitness test. If a boy doesn’t pass the fitness test, he’s given a daily diet and exercise program to follow (and assigned a fitness coach) until he can.
Two dozen teenage boys come together for three weeks during the summer, after their freshman year in high school. They live, eat, and sleep at a local Catholic high school.
No electronic devices are allowed. The boys all eat in the cafeteria, and sleep on cots in the same room. Two adult Knights serve as monitors each night.
Each boy brings with him only these items: six pairs of underwear, towels and toiletries, two plain t-shirts, pants, shower shoes, and a belt.
Each is issued a set of exercise clothes: two t-shirts, a pair of shorts, socks, sneakers. Each gets a cot and a blanket as well.
A cook prepares the meals, but the boys wash the dishes and clean the cafeteria. The boys also wash and dry their own clothes, and keep their sleeping room neat and tidy.
INITIATORY ACTIVITIES
- Each boy receives a short uniform haircut. This physically marks his separation from the world of boyhood and entry into the sphere of manhood.
- Every morning, the boys do physical training and run in formation, during which they sing a running song—in Latin. This builds cohesion in the group.
- Each boy must keep his personal area well-organized, tidy, and clean. If it’s not, he is put on laundry duty. This builds discipline and independence.
- On Sunday morning, the boys go to mass. It’s a rest day, during which they can read from exemplary books, such as Wild at Heart and Profiles in Courage.
Week One:
- During the day, the boys receive training in boxing or another weaponless martial art. They also spar with each other, which builds confidence and courage.
- Each boy also undergoes an ordeal of pain or hardship, withstanding something that’s not physically damaging, but tests his fortitude and commitment.
- At a one-hour class every evening, they’re taught about the three masculine qualities of Structure, Strength, and Independence, with examples and exercises.
Week Two:
- The boys participate in teamwork exercises. First, pairs of boys negotiate an obstacle course. Later, teams of five work their way through obstacle scenarios employed by the US military to train its junior officers.
- They also undertake building projects. In these, the boys split into two work crews that take a pile of large stones and use them to build a “cathedral:” a stone structure large enough to comfortably contain the whole crew sitting. Later, all the boys form one crew, and build an even larger structure using the stones.
- At a one-hour class every evening, they’re taught about the manly virtues of Honesty, Courage, Discipline, Fortitude, and Generosity, with examples and exercises.
Week Three:
- A priest teaches the boys how to pray effectively: not just reciting the words of prayers, but considering the meaning behind those words; not just asking God for favors, but for blessing and guidance.
- At a one-hour class every evening, the boys are taught how Jesus exemplifies the highest form of masculinity. They’re also taught about the saints and angels most helpful in attaining true manhood.
- On Friday, each one fasts for 24 hours, and keeps an overnight vigil like the knights of old, seeking guidance from his guardian angel or patron saint. On Saturday, a priest or deacon helps him to understand what he experienced.
- On Sunday, after mass, they graduate. Each one wears dress clothes, and receives a symbol of achievement: a Knights of Columbus tie, representing his new status.
- The young men put on their new ties, and then go to a ceremony, with their families in attendance. Here, the young men receive personal congratulations from all the Knights in the Council, and a blessing from a priest.
Leading a Woman
After a young man has been initiated into manhood, his next course is on how to lead a young woman in a romantic relationship. Before he can become a Strong Father, he must learn how to date, and find the right mate.
Most women want to be led in a romantic relationship as they’re led on the dance floor. That is, they want a man to provide them with a firm, secure “frame,” and to respond to their signals. So, in this course, the young man learns:
- The essence of the Masculine (structure, strength, independence) vs. the Feminine (flow, sensitivity, relationship).
- How the Masculine complements the Feminine, and vice-versa, illustrated with examples from good romantic relationships. The woman is the man’s “radiant beauty” and he is her “warrior of love.”
- How men communicate and socialize, and how it differs from the way women do these things. The general idea is, “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.”
- How to lead a woman on a date: asking her out, picking her up, walking her down the street, showing her courtesy during the date.
- The purpose of dating: finding the right woman to marry. Also, general principles for determining what sort of woman he might be most compatible with.
- How to lead a woman on the dance floor, in a two-step, swing step, and salsa step. Young ladies attend this dance class, as the young men’s practice partners.
Leading a Family
This course is for young men who are engaged to be married. It teaches them how to exemplify the Strong Father as the head of a household. It equips them to fulfill a man’s purpose as a father: to protect and provide, lead and guide.
For a father, protecting his family from harm is his first responsibility, so each young man is taught how current mainstream American culture harms families:
- How today’s popular culture and public institutions discourage and even prevent fathers from leading their families, and induce their children to disrespect them.
- What dangers lurk online, in unrestricted social media, widespread pornography, and streaming media content produced by companies such as Disney.
- Which institutions pose the greatest threats to their children’s spiritual well-being: public schools, counseling practices, and family courts after a divorce.
In this course, men are also taught how to lead a family. It includes training in how to:
- Set and enforce healthy boundaries
- Provide discipline and structure for kids
- Create a calm, secure home environment
Read the next section: An Opportunity for Greatness >>
