Easter might be late this year, but Lent has come early for a group of Irish men, who have signed up for ‘spiritual bootcamp’. While the Lenten journey is 40 days, an estimated 1,000 Irish men are about halfway through a 90 day experience – which includes daily cold showers and no television. “It’s Lent on steroids,” said Luke McCann, who completed his first Exodus 90 journey about four years ago.
Exodus 90 sprang from a monastery in the United States about ten years ago and is taking root in Ireland.
Among the enthusiasts is Irish Gaelic football manager, Mickey Harte. While Exodus 90 attracts a range of men – from the fervent to the faithless – it is not for the faint-hearted. “It is a challenge,” said Mickey Harte “But you know men love a challenge. That’s a good starting point.”
Regime
Participants commit to a daily regime that might have been unremarkable a few generations ago, but is now quite challenging: cold showers, prayer, no alcohol, no sweets, no fizzy drinks, no snacking between meals, no TV, no video games, and no unnecessary purchases.
There is no meat on Wednesdays and Fridays when the men are restricted to one meal, and two light ones.
The men are encouraged to avoid unnecessary use of their computer and smartphone, and exercise three times a week.
The good news is that eight hours of sleep is recommended!
Music is allowed, but only that which lifts the soul up to God.
Look to the cross. On the cross hangs the great deliverer, the only one who has the power to set you free”
In a world where men often feel isolated, or alone, Exodus 90 includes a fraternity, usually four to six men, and assigns an anchor, who shares daily contact, a role Mr Harte now takes on.
One of the aims of Exodus is to convince men that God wants to liberate them. “God desires your freedom even more than you do,” said Mr McCann. “Look to the cross. On the cross hangs the great deliverer, the only one who has the power to set you free.”
While Egypt was the land of slavery in biblical times, Mr McCann said modern man can be enslaved in his own home, where so many are addicted to the iPhone, social media, the television to name a few devices. There are also the vices of over-eating, alcohol, drugs, gambling, and pornography so readily available.
Mr McCann, the all-Ireland Mission Coordinator for Human Life International in Ireland, said Exodus 90 can be transformative.
Mr McCann recalled that after he came back to his faith, he no longer has the same passion for things that used to consume his time. “Even watching football,” said Mr McCann. “Now I just find it boring.”
Famous
Mr Harte is arguably as famous for his Catholicism as he is for coaching abilities. He said one of the benefits of Exodus 90 is that it “instils discipline” and “self-control”. “In a world of plenty,” he said. “We can eat, drink and be merry and we often do. This means you have to take control of the way you live your life.”
Exodus 90, said Mr Harte, can set men on a path away from their attachments that get in the way of God, of life and love. “We don’t realise it but we kind of become addicted to the phone, the TV, iPads and we miss the real people around us in our family and the people we meet in day to day life.”
Mr McCann recalled one participant, a grandfather, who became quite emotional when he shared his own experience. He said the man revealed that he was really getting to know his grandchildren because he was no longer distracted by watching football or horse racing during their visit.
I had been saying to myself for months that I would like to join a group to challenge myself to give up some bad habits and cravings that I’ve had most of my adult life”
A new participant who gave his first name as, James, told The Irish Catholic that he could not have imagined taking up the challenge a few months back. “I would have laughed – or maybe cried!”
But James felt drawn to join Exodus 90 in January. “It ticked all the boxes,” he recalls. “I had been saying to myself for months that I would like to join a group to challenge myself to give up some bad habits and cravings that I’ve had most of my adult life.”
Rewarding
Now he gets up at 6am for prayer and finds it rewarding. “I’ve learned strength through prayer and patience. I have a clarity of mind that I didn’t feel before.”
The Exodus 90 fraternity meets in person or online each week to share and to encourage each other to keep going, even if the previous week was not perfect. “It’s very honest,” said Mr Harte, “and very open and a really safe place for men to be together and speak about their faith and other things in the world as well.”
Each member of Exodus 90 speaks to their anchor daily even if it is just for a few minutes. “It is very fulfilling for both sides,” said Mr Harte. “It means you are not on your own.
Mr Harte said that the men, without TV or other distractions, take more time for prayer and scripture-study, which for many is confined to Mass on Sunday. “A once-a-week event in our life is not going to create an awful lot of growth,” said Mr Harte, who is fired up about sharing the faith. “We shouldn’t be hiding the faith or keeping it as a private thing. It is not private. God said ‘go out into the whole world and tell the good news’.”
“The best thing that anybody can have is the presence of Jesus in their lives.”
**
I could not help noticing the number of ‘drag queen’ events popping up in Belfast to celebrate Mother’s Day luncheons on March 30. To each his own. But I do find it quite odd. Why is a man dressed in exaggerated female clothing and make-up now the ‘thing to do’ on a day dedicated to mothers. Count me out. Motherhood is a great gift from God and I do think there are better ways of celebrating!
***
There are proposals in the US State legislature in Washington to legally require Catholics priests to break the seal of confession in the case of child abuse. The aim is worthy but once the seal is broken on one issue, what is to stop other changes? Once the seal is broken, trust will be eroded. It reminds me of an old joke. Two protestants take to heart the scripture in the Letter of James to “confess your sins to one another.” So, one says to the other, “I am a terrible adulterer and I’m having an affair with two different women in this congregation…what about you?” “Oh,” said the other. “I’m a terrible gossip and I can’t wait to tell everybody!”
A cold shower and prayers in spiritual bootcamp
Easter might be late this year, but Lent has come early for a group of Irish men, who have signed up for ‘spiritual bootcamp’. While the Lenten journey is 40 days, an estimated 1,000 Irish men are about halfway through a 90 day experience – which includes daily cold showers and no television. “It’s Lent on steroids,” said Luke McCann, who completed his first Exodus 90 journey about four years ago.
Exodus 90 sprang from a monastery in the United States about ten years ago and is taking root in Ireland.
Among the enthusiasts is Irish Gaelic football manager, Mickey Harte. While Exodus 90 attracts a range of men – from the fervent to the faithless – it is not for the faint-hearted. “It is a challenge,” said Mickey Harte “But you know men love a challenge. That’s a good starting point.”
Regime
Participants commit to a daily regime that might have been unremarkable a few generations ago, but is now quite challenging: cold showers, prayer, no alcohol, no sweets, no fizzy drinks, no snacking between meals, no TV, no video games, and no unnecessary purchases.
There is no meat on Wednesdays and Fridays when the men are restricted to one meal, and two light ones.
The men are encouraged to avoid unnecessary use of their computer and smartphone, and exercise three times a week.
The good news is that eight hours of sleep is recommended!
Music is allowed, but only that which lifts the soul up to God.
In a world where men often feel isolated, or alone, Exodus 90 includes a fraternity, usually four to six men, and assigns an anchor, who shares daily contact, a role Mr Harte now takes on.
One of the aims of Exodus is to convince men that God wants to liberate them. “God desires your freedom even more than you do,” said Mr McCann. “Look to the cross. On the cross hangs the great deliverer, the only one who has the power to set you free.”
While Egypt was the land of slavery in biblical times, Mr McCann said modern man can be enslaved in his own home, where so many are addicted to the iPhone, social media, the television to name a few devices. There are also the vices of over-eating, alcohol, drugs, gambling, and pornography so readily available.
Mr McCann, the all-Ireland Mission Coordinator for Human Life International in Ireland, said Exodus 90 can be transformative.
Mr McCann recalled that after he came back to his faith, he no longer has the same passion for things that used to consume his time. “Even watching football,” said Mr McCann. “Now I just find it boring.”
Famous
Mr Harte is arguably as famous for his Catholicism as he is for coaching abilities. He said one of the benefits of Exodus 90 is that it “instils discipline” and “self-control”. “In a world of plenty,” he said. “We can eat, drink and be merry and we often do. This means you have to take control of the way you live your life.”
Exodus 90, said Mr Harte, can set men on a path away from their attachments that get in the way of God, of life and love. “We don’t realise it but we kind of become addicted to the phone, the TV, iPads and we miss the real people around us in our family and the people we meet in day to day life.”
Mr McCann recalled one participant, a grandfather, who became quite emotional when he shared his own experience. He said the man revealed that he was really getting to know his grandchildren because he was no longer distracted by watching football or horse racing during their visit.
A new participant who gave his first name as, James, told The Irish Catholic that he could not have imagined taking up the challenge a few months back. “I would have laughed – or maybe cried!”
But James felt drawn to join Exodus 90 in January. “It ticked all the boxes,” he recalls. “I had been saying to myself for months that I would like to join a group to challenge myself to give up some bad habits and cravings that I’ve had most of my adult life.”
Rewarding
Now he gets up at 6am for prayer and finds it rewarding. “I’ve learned strength through prayer and patience. I have a clarity of mind that I didn’t feel before.”
The Exodus 90 fraternity meets in person or online each week to share and to encourage each other to keep going, even if the previous week was not perfect. “It’s very honest,” said Mr Harte, “and very open and a really safe place for men to be together and speak about their faith and other things in the world as well.”
Each member of Exodus 90 speaks to their anchor daily even if it is just for a few minutes. “It is very fulfilling for both sides,” said Mr Harte. “It means you are not on your own.
Mr Harte said that the men, without TV or other distractions, take more time for prayer and scripture-study, which for many is confined to Mass on Sunday. “A once-a-week event in our life is not going to create an awful lot of growth,” said Mr Harte, who is fired up about sharing the faith. “We shouldn’t be hiding the faith or keeping it as a private thing. It is not private. God said ‘go out into the whole world and tell the good news’.”
“The best thing that anybody can have is the presence of Jesus in their lives.”
**
I could not help noticing the number of ‘drag queen’ events popping up in Belfast to celebrate Mother’s Day luncheons on March 30. To each his own. But I do find it quite odd. Why is a man dressed in exaggerated female clothing and make-up now the ‘thing to do’ on a day dedicated to mothers. Count me out. Motherhood is a great gift from God and I do think there are better ways of celebrating!
***
There are proposals in the US State legislature in Washington to legally require Catholics priests to break the seal of confession in the case of child abuse. The aim is worthy but once the seal is broken on one issue, what is to stop other changes? Once the seal is broken, trust will be eroded. It reminds me of an old joke. Two protestants take to heart the scripture in the Letter of James to “confess your sins to one another.” So, one says to the other, “I am a terrible adulterer and I’m having an affair with two different women in this congregation…what about you?” “Oh,” said the other. “I’m a terrible gossip and I can’t wait to tell everybody!”
New Bishop Chairman: No special path for Germany in reforms
Bishop Coll: young Catholics seek ‘doctrinal solidity, not adaptability’
Late Bishop Willie Walsh honoured with plaza on first anniversary
Dr Slim urges humanitarian shift as Trócaire warns of climate impact
Top TOPICS
Unsurprisingly, quite a few Lent related items featured in the media last week. The News
When I was in college, back in the days when the earth’s crust was still
Dear Editor, Garry O’Sullivan makes valuable points concerning the accountability of deceased clerical sexual abusers
Bishop Niall Coll’s recent remarks mark a significant moment in the lead-up to the upcoming