HOWARD BEACH — Adrian Colón, 24, admits that he wasn’t much of a churchgoer until one day out of the blue he decided to attend Mass at St. Helen Church in Howard Beach, and Father Michael Panicali approached him to introduce himself.

“Father Mike came up to me after the Mass. He had never seen me in church before because that was my first time in a church in a very, very long time,” he recalled.

Colón and Father Panicali chatted a bit, then the priest casually mentioned that he runs a Men’s Ministry in the rectory on Thursday nights and invited Colón to come to the next meeting. He did, and he has been attending both the ministry and Mass ever since.

The Men’s Ministry, which Father Panicali has been leading at St. Helen’s since he arrived as its parochial vicar in 2022, was organized to provide an opportunity for men to grow in their Catholic faith and find support from other men as they navigate life’s challenges.

Through prayer and discussion, participants explore “what it means to be a man in today’s world and what it means to live up to the call of the Gospel,” Father Panicali explained.

“Men today are under attack. We hear this word ‘toxic masculinity.’ Men are under a lot of pressure to avoid this label of toxic masculinity,” he said. “Also, men are under pressure to show that they have what it takes to help society flourish.”

The ministry meetings, which always begin with a prayer and end with members reciting the rosary, draw 20-30 men each week. Participants are encouraged to speak freely, whether it be about tensions on the job, troubled marriages, substance abuse issues, or doubts they might have about their faith.

Colón, who admitted to having “misconceptions about the faith” before returning to church, encouraged his buddy John McCarthy, 23, to attend a ministry meeting.

“I thought it sounded awesome,” McCarthy said. “It’s important for men to come together and share. And it’s important to keep growing in the faith.”

Colón and McCarthy — the youngest participants in the ministry — represent a surge in young men in the U.S. returning to religion. According to a Gallup poll released in April, 42% of men ages 18-29 consider religion “very important” to their lives, up from 28% in 2022.

However, the ministry has many age groups, from Gen Z males in their 20s to Baby Boomers in their 70s.

Colón said he likes the age range.

“When I first came here, I saw much older men,” he said. “I guess being young, I thought, ‘Can they relate to you? They won’t be able to give you what you’re looking for.’ I was completely wrong. Being able to connect with them has been great. I love coming here.”

The ministry has accomplished its goal of bringing men closer to the faith, said regular attendees who spoke to The Tablet at their meeting on July 30.

“I turned to my faith, and I gave up a lot of things; a whole different lifestyle that I was living,” said Daniel Molina, 38. “Even though I received the sacraments when I was younger, I lived a life of not practicing any Catholicism. And when I reverted back, I started going to church every day.

“I wanted more, and I wanted to share it with people. And then Father Michael invited me to come here.”

Many of the men said they have a deeper understanding of Catholicism thanks to the ministry and that their lives have been enriched by the sacrament of reconciliation, which many said they had not received in decades until they started attending meetings.

Father Panicali also makes himself available to anyone who wishes to go to confession after the meetings.
And the ministry has spawned friendships beyond St. Helen Church, with participants connecting through WhatsApp group chats.

But it’s the weekly meetings that tie the men together.

“I used to look forward to Friday nights,” Molins said. “Now I look forward to Thursday nights.”