The story of the Cincinnati Catholic Men’s Fellowship movement began when certain men separately experienced the power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They were drawn into the need for fellowship with each other to share the experience and to go deeper.
In the spring of 1986, Father Ken Sommer, Kevin Lynch, Tom Young, and Declan O’Sullivan established the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Greater Cincinnati to promote the growth of Christian fellowship to fellow Catholics. After much prayer and reflection, it was decided to direct the fellowship ministry to men only.
Much of the theological framework for the fellowship is based upon Father Ken Sommer’s “Call to Holiness,” a series of talks and retreat topics focused on the dynamic impact of Christianity. The discovery of the immense potential for growth implicit in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ caused great excitement in the founders, and they were filled with zeal to share it with others.
A central concept of the fellowship is that “all growth occurs in relationships.” The key is the establishment of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the promotion of dynamic relationships with family and community. It was decided that the best place to develop the relationship concept was in the Fellowship meeting format. By sharing their experiences of God in an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality, men began to connect with each other beyond the superficiality of acquaintanceship.
Led by Kevin Lynch and Gus McPhie, a group of men from the Fellowship sponsored a successful one-day evangelical F. I. R. E. (Faith, Intercession, Repentance, Evangelization) Rally in the fall of 1988. This sparked a series of annual conferences in the fall of 1995 dedicated specifically to male spirituality and the promotion of fellowship. The first “Answer the Call” event occurred in St. Gertrude Church’s Parish Center in Cincinnati with over 500 men in attendance. The enthusiasm for the Lord was palpable and as a result, many Fellowship groups sprang up spontaneously.
This success inspired the leadership team to continue to sponsor large “Answer the Call” conferences on an annual basis. Thousands of men attended these gatherings in large local arenas. It is estimated that over 50,000 men have participated in the conferences in Cincinnati since 1995.
Encouraged by the success of the Catholic Men’s Conferences in Cincinnati, many other cities and dioceses across the country have been inspired to hold similar events.
For many men, the conferences were not just milestones in their lives but real defining moments. As a result of these conferences, there are now Fellowship groups active in many parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and in dioceses in Kentucky.