Jason Craig, father of five boys, and Jared Staudt, who has four of his own, are longtime friends who are becoming neighbors this Fall, as Jared’s family has moved across the country to start homesteading near the Craigs. They have thought long and hard together about Catholic life and how it relates to culture and family life. They will be sharing their thoughts and practical insights on fatherhood and the arduous task of raising sons to manhood, using Jason’s book Leaving Boyhood Behind: Reclaiming Catholic Brotherhood as their starting point.
During Battles in Autumn, they will be recording four conversations about fatherhood and the adventure of raising boys. They will launch the series live at the Freedom Summit in Estes Park. Jason will give us an overview of his book and how it has inspired men across the country to be more deliberate about initiating their sons into Catholic manhood. Jared will respond with his own thoughts to set up their ongoing conversation.
From there, they will be discussing the importance of “Rites of Passage” in their next conversation. Throughout all of history, cultures have developed rites of passage to initiate boys into manhood. In absence of these rites, modern boys flounder and become stuck in juvenile ways or develop their own destructive practices. They will discuss how we can rediscover rites of passage in Catholic communities today.
Their next top, “Restoring Dominion”, will reflect on the vocation of men. Adam was entrusted with the task of tilling and protecting the Garden in order to exercise his God-given task of dominion. Men today struggle to exercise this fundamental vocation of exercising dominion through their work. This conversation will touch on how men can return to healthy work and draw their sons into it with them.
Finally, Jason and Jared will discuss “Building Fraternal Culture.” Fathers cannot raise sons alone. The Christian life requires fraternity, and it is sorely lacking in the Church right now. This last conversation in the series will address the necessary task of restoring fraternity within our parishes and the way in which this will help us to raise up the next generation of strong Christian men.
To catch all of these fireside chats, join us in the Exodus App!
