WAUNAKEE — The “Thursday Morning Men’s Group” at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee has been faithfully meeting for 15 years, sometimes varying in size but not in enthusiasm. 

Their steadiness hasn’t stopped them from innovating, as they’ve been able to invite national-level speakers, host social events, and find ways to thrive even during the challenges of the COVID pandemic and the changes of the Into the Deep strategic initiative. 

Humble beginnings 

Parishioner Steve Geishirt first got the idea for a men’s group through visiting a Protestant group that had strong and compelling fraternity. Afterward, he prayed for three years that something similar would happen at St. John the Baptist Church. Eventually, the Lord gave him an opportunity to make it happen. 

“Three years into it, I got a phone call,” Geishirt said. “One of the guys [said] ‘We’re starting a men’s group, would you like to join us?’ I said, ‘Yes, absolutely!’ And he said, ‘Good, that makes three of us, now we’re officially a group.’” 

The Holy Spirit would make a lot happen through those humble beginnings. 

“So it started, we began meeting on Saturdays, and then all of the sudden it was four [men], then it was five, then it was seven and eight, and it continued to grow.” 

When some of the members visited the Catholic men’s group in Oregon, they saw a fantastic model and program in That Man is You. 

Wanting to make it happen at St. John the Baptist Church, they picked a new morning for meetings, and began recruiting men to help them lead. Within a week, they had 13 men willing to take on leadership roles. 

Then-pastor Monsignor James Gunn gave his blessing for the program, and they hit the ground running: almost 75 guys showed up for the first meeting. Consistently, they have 30 to 50 men. 

Hospitality and fraternity

Geishirt’s openness to leadership, along with that of his co-leader Eric Bundy, has helped form a loyal group of guys. In the early years, much of the hospitality at the meetings came from the generosity of a few individuals, such as those who volunteered to make food for the group. 

“They put out a pretty nice breakfast every week, just the two guys,” said group member John Koga. 

“They would be in here at like 4:30 in the morning, starting breakfast . . . it turned out to be a big draw . . . there’d be a lot of fraternity, talking around the serving counter . . . We don’t have a lot of situations that pull men together and let them talk, converse, and get to know each other. You go to Mass, and you disappear out through the front doors of the church, and you never see the guy again, you know? But this was bringing men together.”

Over the years, many members have been drawn in by that strong sense of brotherhood.

“I’ve seen guys who just come in, kind of quiet, checking things out, [saying] ‘I’m not sure if this is good,’ suddenly just getting on fire [and saying]: ‘I want to be on the core team.’ [or] ‘I want to help make things happen.’ It’s wonderful to watch,” Geishirt said.

Koga, for his part, now runs the breakfast service rotation, ensuring that the burden doesn’t fall only on two guys. At this point, they have it down to a science, and the 4:30 a.m. start time is no longer necessary. 

Young members find inspiration

In more recent years, the group has seen an increase in younger members, especially since Into the Deep brought St. John the Baptist Church together with others into St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish.

Benjamin Pike commented that part of what drew him in was the desire to find men who truly modeled the Faith, who could help him put together the different aspects of Catholic life in a practical way that worked. 

“I joined in December of 2017, pretty much fresh out of college, 22 years old, had really struggled just understanding how the world works,” Pike said. 

“A lot of times, we grow up learning of the faith, we kinda hit on bits and pieces of it, but never, I don’t think, as children, or at least for me anyway, never really develop the integration, and all of the pieces, the education, the prayer, the relationship, and the fraternity pieces. And so that was something that I found 
. . . for me it was really nice to actually see men who were older than me, as models, as somebody that I could emulate.” 

Most men can find someone older to emulate. At this point, group members range in age from their 20s to their 80s. 

Holy routines 

The group meets early in the mornings, generally starting at 6 a.m., to accommodate those men who need to get to work.

Each meeting, the men have breakfast, watch a Catholic formation program, and then discuss it. During Advent and Lent, many men arrive even earlier in the morning to pray the Rosary together. All year round, meetings begin with a prayer to St. Joseph and end with a prayer to St. Michael.

The formation programs are a part of what draws men into the group. Marshall Frey was initially reluctant to join, as he was already a Knights of Columbus officer, and thought the morning commitment might not be a good fit. 

“But I came to realize very quickly how critically important it was to have that spiritual support and renewal with these gentlemen,” Frey said. “For professional people, we’re required to get continuing education credits, those type of things, and that same thing is absolutely critical, even in the spiritual realm.” 

Formation and brotherhood

Their primary resource remains the That Man Is You program produced by Paradisus Dei, which releases new fall and spring seasons of videos regularly. However, since the men were eager to continue to meet in the summer, they’ve also supplemented with many other programs. 

The discussions after the videos often digress, but that’s part of the point. The conversation doesn’t just serve an intellectual goal, it gives the men a chance to discuss their blessings and struggles.

Geishirt has heard more than one man comment, “You can’t have conversations like these in the everyday world.”

“Everybody truly wants to help,” group member Greg Gillis said. “It’s not a counseling session, but it’s . . . a brotherhood, where we try to be there for each other, and say ‘hey, you want to talk to somebody? Let’s talk after the meeting.’ . . . We’re brothers in Christ, and it’s working out that way.” 

The group disperses as many of the men head off to work, but the spiritual effects remain. Frey can see how incredibly positive the influence of his camaraderie with these men is, and his family can see it as well. “My daughter had said one time, ‘Dad, you are always the happiest on Thursdays, when you come home from your men’s group.’”

Connections in the parish

Fr. Joseph Baker, pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, also values the group. 

“As the pastor, the men’s group, for me, is the embodiment of the lay apostolate,” Father Baker said. 

“It’s a beautiful group of men trying to work together to grow in holiness . . . it’s driven by the men who are part of that group, and for the priest to be able to complement that and support it, without being the driving force, is an amazing thing. And it speaks to the men who are a part of that group and why they’re coming together, and the fact that it has lasted as long as it has, is because it’s driven by that desire, at the end of the day, for fraternity . . . to grow in faith.”

The priests of the parish have always been supportive of the group, and the group encourages men to be part of broader parish initiatives and often invites clergy to speak. 

They also have a great relationship with the Knights of Columbus Council #6371 in Waunakee, and they are the Knights’ designated Cor program.

In addition to the regular meetings, the group has organized many other events over the years. They host social events, such as bowling and pizza or shooting clays, many of which include the men inviting their families to join in the fun. They also bring in speakers, including people like Patrick Madrid, Dr. Edward Sri, Christopher West, and Chris Stefanick. 

In 2017 they hosted a successful men’s conference in Waunakee, and their group was consulted by early organizers of the Madison Men of Christ Conference. They also encourage men who want to start similar groups in their own parishes — some of those men have started groups that are still ongoing at Stella Maris Parish in eastern Dane County and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Madison. 

Into the future

However, the center of the group remains the brotherhood found through the morning meetings. They recently made a long-awaited name change to reflect it. Now known as “Brothers in Christ,” they officially emphasize four pillars that have come to be the core of what they do: learn, grow, share, and pray — together. 

They warmly welcome men from the parish who want to join, and also invite any men who are interested in potentially starting such a group in their own parish. To contact them, check out the webpage: saintmax.org/brothers, or email BrothersinChrist@saintmax.org 

Ultimately, they aim to do whatever the Holy Spirit requires. As Geishirt said, “He’s kept us moving; it’s just been great. If we keep Him happy, I mean, we’re gonna do just fine.”