Father Rick Heilman wants to challenge Catholics to a boot camp in 2013 — a Church Militant boot camp.
His use of military imagery to promote a strong devotional life has a purpose: to unite Catholics as spiritual warriors under the supernatural power of God.
This is precisely his reason for developing ChurchMilitant.com, along with a book of the same name and other tools that promise to assist in reawakening faith, battling evil and rescuing souls.
"In the U.S. Army, the first goal is to get everyone working and functioning as a team, so they can accomplish the goals and training before them," says Father Heilman. "That draws from St. John the Baptist, who said he [God] must increase, while I must decrease. That is what military training really is all about: that nobody is trying to stand out, but they work together as a fighting force of warriors — but as warrior saints."
Father Heilman founded the Knights of Divine Mercy men’s apostolate in his parish, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pine Bluff, Wis., in the Diocese of Madison. It is now a growing grassroots movement, with a national office, chapters in Wisconsin and in several other states. Father Heilman is also a guest spiritual director on Relevant Radio’s The Inner Life.
The Church Militant campaign, written for men and women, is organized under a threefold mission: individual readiness; reliance on one’s alliance, or communion of saints; and special-ops rescue, requiring prayer for one another. Its contents are nothing new, but made up of the age-old devout practices that are lost on many of today’s Catholics. The regiment involves daily habitual prayer from the Morning Offering to the Angelus and evening prayer, Scripture reading, Rosary and Mass — plus regular confession, Eucharistic adoration, Stations of the Cross, novenas, fasting and other devotions. Tools include a field journal to track one’s daily spiritual journey, a pocket prayer book, a 26-part In the Trenches video series and even a World War II military-issue Rosary.
The purpose is to restore or strengthen people’s faith lives. "We’ve gone through this period in our Church where (many) people don’t think you need to pray the Rosary anymore or go to Mass anymore — that casual Catholicism that lulled a lot of people to sleep, and the forces of evil grew strong during that time," says Father Heilman. "We need courageous Catholicism, to stand for what is good and right and holy. People’s hearts will be set ablaze if they know that they’re part of a cause."
Recalling Mary’s last words in the Bible — "Do whatever he tells you" — the priest reminds Catholics that when they are obedient to what Mother Church wants them to do, then they open up a torrent of God-given grace in their lives.
Father Heilman is leading his parish through the Church Militant program this Lent, a time when Catholics are in a 40-day "boot camp" of extra prayers, fasting and almsgiving.
Parishioner Hussein Zoroufy went through the book with his wife and five children, age 7 to 19. "It was very powerful for them, understanding that we’re all part of a greater Church, the communion of saints. We’re not just called to be alone out there, but a spiritually unifying force," he says. "Structure was the main thing that it added to my prayer life — and the idea of, literally, centuries-old, time-tested techniques. It gave me a lot of confidence that I was embarking on something authentic that has been proven already."
Tim Virnig, the national director of the Knights of Divine Mercy, says there has been a real hunger among men for masculine spirituality, such as that of St. Ignatius of Loyola, a soldier who had a conversion and then used his training to conquer the world for Catholicism, including starting the Jesuits: "When you call out men to be spiritual leaders of their families and their communities, they will answer that call; they’re willing to stand up. That’s how God created us to be: strong leaders. Making Mass a priority or a half hour of mental prayer and devotional reading, leading the family in the Rosary — there are lots of things men can do if they understand that it’s important for keeping their own spiritual lives solid and their families’ too."
"It’s been life changing for me. I think it’s a tool that will re-inspire anybody to go the extra step to strengthen his or her faith," says Virnig. "In the Year of Faith, what better time to do that? And because of what’s happening in our country, we have to be ready as Catholics. If we’re not trained and ready, both in our devotional life and the sacraments, we’ll get trampled (by cultural forces)."
Adds Bishop Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison: "Here in our diocese and throughout the country, we are seeing a return to popular piety and both private and public devotions among young and old, in families, in parishes, small groups and on college campuses. Father Heilman’s great endeavors couldn’t be timed much better. Our culture, our country and our world need these types of good spiritual campaigns."
Barb Ernster writes from
Fridley, Minnesota.
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This is why I brought a Knights of Columbus Council to my parish.
God bless Father Rick! His website, book and frequent Relevant Radio appearances are invaluable tools for men in battling the tempatations of our culture.
Hello Barbara,
You have come to my mind many times of recent and with this excellent article I now KNOW it is time for me to reach out to you! Please contact me at your convenience—- I’ll look forward to your response. Thank you.
“Love is never finished.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
The terms ‘The Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant’ in the past were often used in the context of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) no longer speaks of the Church as the Church Militant and are also no longer mentioned in the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993). The Church is primarily a mystery and a community still on pilgrimage through history. It is not yet finished or perfected. The formal term “communion of saints” gradually came to apply principally to the communion between the heavenly Church and the earthly Church. More recently, it has come to apply as well to the exchange of graces and spiritual benefits between individuals on earth (the Church militant) and the saints in heaven (the Church triumphant) and the souls in purgatory (the Church suffering). The doctrine of the communion of saints was affirmed in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, nn. 49-51 (see Part V.6.6).
The terms ‘The Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant’ in the past were often used in the context of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) no longer speaks of the Church as the Church Militant and are also no longer mentioned in the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993). The Church is primarily a mystery and a community still on pilgrimage through history. It is not yet finished or perfected. The formal term “communion of saints” gradually came to apply principally to the communion between the heavenly Church and the earthly Church. More recently, it has come to apply as well to the exchange of graces and spiritual benefits between individuals on earth (the Church militant) and the saints in heaven (the Church triumphant) and the souls in purgatory (the Church suffering). The doctrine of the communion of saints was affirmed in the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, nn. 49-51 (see
Father Corapi came out with something very similar not too long ago, Spiritual Survival Guide. it was very good.
It’s one thing to be educated and informed to a more prayerfull life and knowledgeable to the Catholic Church (some people forgot some of the catechism);it’s another to be blind followers and not question the Church’s involvement in how we should run our lives.Christ is more important than the Church. People should be able to question and disagree with the Church and still call themselves Catholic;same with questioning and disagreeing with our police,gov’t officials,Congres,and the President and still call themselves Americans.The Church should be a guide with the Kingdom of God not just be only the Catholic Church.The Kingdom of God is all around us,we need to be open to that and not have our faith be dictated and programmed to us in a ‘boot camp’.
I know Father Rick and he is so wonderful, strong in the Faith and so kind. Knights of Divine Mercy is forming wonderful Catholic men in our diocese and I am always urging men to join that. I gave this book to my dad, a Vietnam vet, who is halfway through it and praises it and the better knowledge it gives about the Faith and how to live it.
Father Corapi used to use the same imagery. It’s so true we are in a spiritual battle, especially in these times. May the Holy Spirit give us the hero-Pope we need!
Ann, why are you Catholic if you disagree with the teachings of the Catholic Church - just join one of the thousands of Protestant denominations and do your own thing. Those of us who follow the Catholic Church understand Jesus gave the apostles the power to bind and loosen here on earth. The pope and bishops represent the apostles. It is not blind to follow Scripture and the Catholic Church. Since I came back to the church and follow its teachings, I can finally see.
I think it would help if our priests and shepards would remind us that we are the Church Militant and not the Church Oh Well What can You Do About It blah blah blah church.
Ann, your claim is completely bogus one for a genuine Catholic to make.
Membership in the Church is NOT equivalent to membership in society, not is ourrelationship to her the same as our relationship to politicians and government bureaucrats.
As for “the Church’s involvement in how we should run our lives”, there is no other place where the Church should be more involved. Just like Moses didn’t bring the Ten Suggestions down from Mt Sinai, the Church doesn’t simply off her ideas of what constitutes holy living - She teaches us how to live and requires it of us.
Your argument smacks of those who reject the notion of sin - a modernist get-out-of-jail card used by progressives to obtain a green light to live as they please under the phony rubric of the independence of the(ir) individual conscience. They accuse anyone who observes out loud that what they do or say is outside Church teaching of judging them, usually with plentiful reference to logs jamed into eyes, etc.
TG has put it well (I’ve gone through a similar humbling process) by inviting you to go where you will be happier (in this life only, of course), and I join in making that invitation.
Matthew Kelly claimed that dynamic Catholics practice prayer, intellectual conscience formation through study, generosity with others, and Evangelization.
Might I suggest that instead of mutually excommunicating each other, we practice these gifts honestly with respect for both those who fight for social justice, against fundamentalism, against bigotry AND those who fight against liberty, the culture of death, and moral relativism?
All six of these are a problem for the faithful member of the Church Militant. Despite their votes for Romney, most Communion Catholics are just as attacked when the rich centralize the economy around the stock market instead of around individual families, and support unions and a living wage. Despite their votes for Obama, most Kingdom Catholics see the future of the Kingdom of Heaven in paying for an unwed mother to have a home to stay in rather than forcing her into an abortion, and encourage their gay friends towards chastity and celibacy rather than jumping on the bandwagon of gay marriage.
We do these things because WE are Catholic, not because the people we serve are. But if we fall to infighting, if we allow the division in American Politics to become a division within the Church, then we will be absorbed into the morally relative swamp and America will have no authentic Christian presence.
Ann seems to have forgotten 871-945 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is true. Or maybe she just skipped paragraphs 882 and 883.
And while I share TG’s wonderment at Catholics who can deny the authority of the Bishops and not realize that all the social justice activities of the Church are also done by Protestants, Islamics, and even Atheists (much as I hate the Freedom From Religion Foundation, they do encourage their members to volunteer at soup kitchens) I would never kick such out of the Church- for they are the body of Christ also.
We are the Church militant- but divide and conquer is a very old strategy that the Devil knows quite well.
Ann,
Apparently you are either not Catholic or don’t understand the Bible. God doesn’t have 35,000 religions on Earth, he has one, the Catholic Church. God is not a leader of disunion, fighting, and argument. He is a God of organization. As you would like, if WE decide what is right and wrong, we are taking up the original sin of Adam and Eve, who were the first to decide what was right and wrong.
You either follow God and his Church on Earth or join the world. By openly making these statements, you are going against the very teachings of Christ himself. He told Peter the first Pope, that what he and his disciples (the first Bishops) bound on Earth would be bound in heaven. Whether you agree with the Church doesn’t matter. God and his Kingdom is not a democracy. He is our King, he makes the rules. He inspires the Church through his Holy Spirit and they pass that on to us.
Very good, Grok, “Whether you agree with the Church doesn’t matter. God and his Kingdom is not a democracy. He is our King, he makes the rules.” Too many of our fellow Catholics have been led down the destructive liberal path of believing we can create our own “Christianity” based on how our emotions dictate our thoughts; they unfortunately do not believe in absolute Truth. Thanks so much for your susinct and accurate comments.
Face it, God made us in His image out of “love for us,” in response, we have ever since tried to remake God into our image out of “love for us” also!
I suppose some folks would claim that means God and they are alike! A few I’ve run into would consider God lucky….
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