Video series echoes Bishop Olmsted's call 'into the breach'

CNA Staff, Sep 8, 2020 / 09:00 am

A video series encouraging men to spiritual and moral leadership of their families will be broadcast this week, based upon a call to men from Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix.

The series, "Into the Breach," is based on a 2015 pastoral letter from Olmsted. The videos feature commentary from Olmsted, theologian Scott Hahn, evangelist Curtis Martin, and other Catholic figures.

The series is produced by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization of men.

Regarding the series, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said last week that, "Catholic men and fathers shoulder a great responsibility. Our role in evangelization is indispensable, especially within our homes as we build our domestic churches."

"Our families and our parishes need our faithful witness more than ever. As Catholic men and as Knights of Columbus, it is our duty to 'step into the breach' and play our part in the renewal of our families and the Church," Anderson added.

Olmsted's exhortation aims to be "an encouragement, a challenge, and a calling forth to mission" for men, pointing to the saints and the life of Christ to suggest a model of Christian identity.

"Our identity is caught up in the identity of the eternal Son of God," Olmsted wrote.

"Looking to what the secular world holds up as 'manly' is in fact to look at shadows – or even at outright counterfeits – of masculinity. No athlete, no matter how many awards; no political leader, no matter the power he wields; no performer, business man, or celebrity, no matter how much adored; no physical attribute or muscle mass; no intelligence or talent; no prizes or achievements can bestow masculinity on a man. The idolatry of celebrities at this time is a particular temptation, but to build one's masculine identity on such fleeting models is to build an identity on sand."

The videos will be broadcast Sept. 8-11 at 5:30 p.m. ET on the EWTN television network. Catholic News Agency is a service of EWTN News.