Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
Letter from Matt Sholler | September 2011
Dear Brothers,
When we hear the word addiction, most of us associate it with substance abuse or compulsions toward gambling or internet pornography. But Fr. Richard challenges us to go still further in our understanding of what it means to be addicted. Each of us is, in effect, an addict because we are rigidly attached to our own repetitive, narrow patterns of thinking.
This phenomenon affects much of how we relate to ourselves, our families, our co-workers, and even how we govern our society. We can all do with a healthy dose of what Bill Wilson of Alcoholics Anonymous described as "emotional sobriety." Check out Richard's reflection on this topic in this month's Passage and Verse section. Stay tuned in the months to come for other CAC offerings related to Richard's newest book, Breathing Underwater: Spirituality and the 12 Steps. UK MALEs weaver Adrian Scott also blesses The Drumbeat this month with a poem that calls us to do the work of sobriety.
In other CAC news, we welcome our new CAC controller Jeff Roybal. His arrival will, among other things, bring additional financial know-how to the task of sustaining our men's work well into the future.
Australia's Rob Jones is featured in this month's Men in Profile. We also extend a hearty welcome to the newly Initiated Men of New York and the Czech Republic who continue to round out our global circle. Stay up to speed on men's events taking place near you by visiting our On the Horizon or Regional Contacts section.
Finally, a reminder that The Drumbeat considers submissions from ALL of our readers. If you have a short essay, poem, song, movie review or other expression of your spiritual journeying, email it to menswork [at] cacradicalgrace.org!
Peace and Fire,
Dear Brothers,
We extend a special welcome to the men who recently completed the Men’s Rites of Passages in the United Kingdom and Australia. Combined with the MROPs held elsewhere in the US and internationally earlier this year, we are close to surpassing 5,000 Initiated Men worldwide! The MROP remains a cornerstone of the Men As Learners and Elders program and we encourage all men who may be interested to consider applying to upcoming MROPs in New York (this September!) and Texas (November). Spaces are still available!
As the summer begins transitioning to fall, the CAC has a couple of important announcements which are also of interest to the MALEs community. First, we are saying good-bye to Stephen Picha, former CAC executive director. The CAC and the MALEs community extend their deep gratitude to Stephen for all of his expansive contributions over the last ten years. You can read the full announcement here.
Second, we are thrilled to announce the release of Fr. Richard’s latest book, Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps. Check out our Featured Resource section to read Richard’s reflection on the book’s message and sign up for our upcoming webcast.
Finally, I urge you to continue looking for our Men in Profile section in each Drumbeat. In it we feature a short interview with men who are serving the MALEs mission in different parts of the world. This month’s profile is on Mike Bennett, one of our newly-appointed members of the MALEs Council of Elders.
