In the beginning, four men drank coffee at an East Walnut Hills Frisch's and realized something was missing in their lives.

        The group decided at the restaurant 15 years ago to gather other Catholic men into small groups to share, pray and ultimately, develop and deepen personal relationships with Jesus Christ.

IF YOU GO

What: Answer the Call, Catholic Men's Conference     When: 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday     Where: Xavier University's Cintas Center     Tickets: $25, includes lunch and parking. Sliding fee for those who can't afford ticket. 513-321-HOPE (4673).

        The Catholic Men's Fellowship movement since has grown to 140 small men's groups that meet once or twice a month throughout the Tristate. Eighteen cities across the country have established similar programs, and the organization last week opened a national resource office in Gaithersburg, Md.

        On Saturday, 8,000 people are expected to attend Answer the Call, a Catholic Men's Conference at Xavier University's Cintas Center. The audience will be mostly male and Catholic — although women and people of all faiths are welcome.

        Featured speakers include former Florida Sen. Connie Mack, Father Daniel Coughlin, chaplain of the U.S. Congress, and Tim Philpot, a former Kentucky state senator and president of the Christian Business Men's Committee International.

        The conference and small groups encourage “men to do more than go to church, sit there with their arms crossed, then go home and say, "That's it until next week,'” says Kevin Lynch, 61, of Symmes Township. One of the original founders of the Catholic Men's Fellowship, he says as men grow in faith, “they're going to become a better family member, father, church member and community member.”

        The movement, along with others such as the largely Protestant Promise Keepers, aims to help men express their spirituality and share their struggles.

        The small groups are the heart of the movement. The meetings are part prayer, part Bible study, part counseling session, but mostly a time for men to share their hearts.

        Men's spirituality is different from women's, says Declan O'Sullivan, a founding member in his mid-60s. It's more socially acceptable for women to talk about their feelings and spirituality, he says. Men are trained not to show emotion.

        “Men are trained to be in charge, to suppress your feelings and to have, as the British would say, "A stiff upper lip,' says the Mount Lookout resident. “You ask a guy how things are going and he'll say great, but he may be dying inside.”

        More often, women carry the spiritual role in the home and church, says Father Jim Willig, priest at SS. Peter and Paul parish in Reading.

        “It's important for men to assume an equal role, for men to take on our spiritual responsibilities,” he says.

        Father Ken Sommer, a Marianist priest at Our Lady of the Holy Spirits Center in Norwood, planted the seeds for the small groups. He followed the example of the founder of his order, Father William Joseph Chaminade, who advocated forming small groups as a way to build community.

        Father Sommer taught a Lenten series seminar 15 years ago. Mr. Lynch, Mr. O'Sullivan and Tom Young, 61, of Symmes Township, attended. His message struck a nerve, and they began meeting for coffee and talking about how to take action.

        They decided to hold a meeting for men. The four sent 200 letters to other Catholic men; about 10 showed up for the first meeting. But it grew from there.

        Seven years ago, the fellowship held its first men's conference. Last year, 8,000 attended.

        Mr. Lynch took early retirement from a sales manager position at Procter & Gamble to volunteer full-time in developing and coordinating the fellowship.

        He works an average of 25 hours a week.

        “I felt like this is what I was really supposed to be doing,” Mr. Lynch says. “What I have seen is that men who gather together with other men find their spiritual lives enriched . . . Their faith comes alive.”

        That was the case for Mr. O'Sullivan. He was a cradle Catholic who attended church faithfully but didn't have a personal relationship with Christ.

        Then he hit a midlife crisis.

        “You realize you're no longer in control of your own destiny,” he says. “There's a lot more to life than just yourself and your own desire. You have to submit to the force of life, in this case, Jesus Christ.”

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