We are a group of men who gather regularly to grow in the Catholic faith. We are about prayer and faith formation.
Our Mission
To sustain a fellowship of men that gathers regularly to reflect on and grow in the love of Jesus Christ.
Our Vision
That all men have access to fellowship which fosters formation and conversion.
Come and see (John 1:39)
Why “Fellowship”?
CMFSYD was established in September 2013 – See Holy Innocents, Croydon Bulletin #54. Men gathered to read scripture using the S.O.A.P. as per a 2012 menALIVE weekend. Others joined in themed gatherings, largely based on models in the USA, such as CMF, California who provided resources. What are the principles of fellowship? ‘The fellowship setting does not provide answers to problems it facilitates giving them over to Jesus Christ for resolution’ (https://saintdominic.org/cmf). In Australia, the word ‘fellowship’ is virtually unheard of to describe Catholic gatherings. Still, it is better than either ‘conference’ or ‘group’ in describing the bond between the men who gather in faith. CMFSYD is also about the development of intentional discipleship.
Growth within and beyond
Supported by the then Auxiliary Bishop for Sydney (Anthony Randazzo), a catechist and a Deacon used a template from the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (USA) and invited leaders from known men’s groups. Members of Catenian Association, Knights of the Southern Cross, Men of St Jospeh, Brothers4Soul (Schoenstatt), MenALIVE, and St Brigid’s Men’s Group (Marrickville), created a successful men’s conference on 1 September 2018. Since then, the Archdiocese created a network with staff dedicated to Men’s Ministry – Maximus. While ‘events’ have a place, ‘fellowship’ occurs naturally within small groups. CMFSYD therefore continues to host some events but remains appropriately small and intimate in nature. The motto of Catholic Men’s Fellowship, Sydney is Gather-Reflect-Grow, hence we use a variety of methods to gather.
Catholic Men’s Fellowship meet weekly via zoom to consider various Catholic topics and what they mean for men of the 21st century. We are men from several different parishes attend, mostly in Sydney, but also from overseas. We conclude meetings with Liturgy of the Hours. Any man who wishes to gather with us in prayer is welcome.
What is our formation content?
CMFSYD draws on a wide variety of Catholic sources. Some of which include:
- Bible Study
- Church history
- Missionary Discipleship
- Liturgy of the hours
- Spiritual Formation
Kapaun’s Men – Fr. Kapaun (frkapaun.org)
- Theology of the Body
Click HERE for the 2024 CMFSYD Calendar and Curriculum.
Special gatherings
When there is a special event, we try to attend. An example was a men’s gathering at Saint Jerome, Punchbowl where Archbishop Anthony Fisher presided at a special Mass. We are grateful to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and to able to attend such events.
We also attended a presentation about the Discernment of Charisms, an important way to serve and build up the Church. Some of us went deeper into discernment of specific charisms, which is effectively a lifelong process to be the best version of our Christian selves that we are called to be.
Saint Jerome, Punchbowl early 2023
Faith formation and support of pastors
All people are constantly being formed. This is why we make specific efforts to bet formed in the Catholic faith, and in an enjoyable atmosphere. We enjoy learning more about ‘the faith’, and sometimes we gather for breakfast. Because we are men who support our parishes, we pray for and support our Parish Priests. We share a meal at various times with family. We support special gatherings such as the 50th birthday of Reverend Father Kim Ha.
What do men think about the support of a parish priest?
- “The role of a Parish Priest must be very demanding at times and stressful. As acolytes we get regular opportunities to speak with Fr Kim in the sacristy. Hopefully our conversations though mostly casual in nature may reinforce his confidence that there are men in the parish he can depend on when needed.” – Des East
- “For me it’s as simple as comparing it to the Apostles and Jesus. Jesus needed the Apostles to help him get the word out to the rest of people, something that he may have done, but would have taken so much longer. Men who attend masses need to understand they need to help with the message of the parish and the role they can play. After all we are all disciples of Jesus.” – Domenic Giannone.
- “PP is like a ‘Father’ if a family, to me a parish is like a family. Like all humans, fathers have good and not so good points. PP is a model of Jesus.” – Kevin Smith.
Support of a newly ordained pastor
We supported newly ordained priest, Reverend Father Richard Sofatzis by assisting with the setup, cooking, and clean up associated with a parish BBQ after the 10:30am Mass at Saint Joseph Enfield, on 1 October 2023.
You are invited to pray for our priests, without whom we would not have access to the Real Presence. https://hardonsj.org/category/the-real-presence/
O Jesus, eternal Priest,
keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart,
where none may touch them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands,
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.
Regular Spiritual Guidance
Deacon Louis Azzorpardi is a regular part of our gatherings and helps us to remain on track with church teaching. Because our core group are from a wide range of parishes, you can find a place at our gatherings where we are open to a wide range of catholic formation topics. Perhaps you would like to investigate, or you may know of a man who would like to ‘come and see’.
Contact Kevin 0435 668 382 or Norm 0438 515 441 for more information about CMFSYD.
(Pronouncing a newly married couple “Man and Wife”)