A new group at Whitby’s Holy Family Parish is reminding men that the most important role they’ll ever have isn’t at the office, but at home, in the pews and in the lives of their children.

Launched in January, the Holy Family Dad’s Group has quickly become a powerful answer to the challenges facing modern Catholic fathers. Founded by Richard Kanemy, a parishioner since 1997, and leadership team member Christopher Doyle, the group gathers on the third Thursday of each month for prayer, faith formation and shared fraternity. 

In just the past five months, the group has registered 90 men with an average of 50 attending each meeting thus far. Each month sees fathers, grandfathers, even those hoping to become dads one day, join in conversation and prayer. 

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Built on the three pillars of faith, fraternity and prayer, the group uses powerful resources such as the Knights of Columbus’ COR and Into the Breach series to confront the spiritual realities and duties of fatherhood. Men often watch videos relating to each month’s topic before gathering in small groups to share anything from personal struggles to family victories with honesty and vulnerability. 

Since its debut earlier this year, topics such as spiritual warfare, taking back your identity and Catholic families in a post-Christian world have been explored. Prayer intentions for one another often follow conversations, a powerful, intentional inclusion from the group’s creators. 

Thus far, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with the leadership team attesting that fathers now have a safe space to speak openly about family pressures, distractions and the desire to grow closer to God. 

“We are getting a lot of  insights from attendees, especially the granddads who are saying they wish they had this kind of program when we were younger to do it with their kids,” Kanemy said. 

“ We're meeting people where they're at, and our dads are really appreciating that there's a space where they can feel sustained by that fraternity of fellow fathers who have gone through raising kids and getting advice from them, but also just connecting, learning and sharing the joys of family life and seeing where God is present in their lives,” Doyle added. 

However successful, the group did not appear out of nowhere. Kanemy explained that the group grew out of a smaller men’s faith-sharing group he helped start seven years ago. What began with just three men quickly grew into a regular gathering of about a dozen, where participants encountered the beauty and depth of the Catholic faith, often for the first time in their adult lives.  

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In many ways, the timing of the group's success could not be more critical. Kanemy spoke to how, 40 or 50 years ago, simply following the flow of society often aligned with Christian values. Today, fathers who simply drift with the culture are finding themselves moving in the opposite direction of the Gospel. 

Still, he was quick to praise today’s wealth of resources that are largely available, making this kind of formation and group approach easier than ever before. 

“Formed is like Netflix for Catholics, it’s amazing,” he said, speaking to the on-demand streaming platform dedicated to Catholic content the group often uses. The two leads also highlighted series such as The Wild Goose with Fr. Dave Pivonka and Chris Stefanick’s Real Life Catholic. 

“These are tools for male formation that simply weren’t around 20 or 30 years ago. It’s never been easier to do something like this,” Kanemy said. 

This month, discussions will be especially pertinent with the gathering taking place during Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. While the statistics around the topic remain sobering, having a safe space to openly discuss struggles has already proved fruitful for those in distress, openly or silently. 

“ It turns out a lot of the problems (that are) brought up are the same. Everybody’s asking for more patience, more self-control and more trust in the Lord,” Kanemy said. “It’s when you see that you're not alone with those challenges and that you have got brothers praying for you as you’re praying for them that this becomes very helpful.” 

Even in its relatively early stages, Holy Family’s Dad’s Group exists as a hopeful example for other parishes interested in taking its example and putting it into practice. Both Doyle and Kanemy are hopeful of a future that sees not only the idea expanded, but monthly meetings sparking further weekly groups for deeper ongoing support.

Optimistic in that growth, its founders are convinced of the deeper mission at work as Father's Day serves as an annual occasion to celebrate and remind Catholics of the vital role dads play in our homes and communities at large. 

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“We learned through one of the videos that fatherhood's a divine institution established by God, and when fathers take their rightful place, homes are healed, communities are built and generations are secured,” Kanemy said. 

“ Our community, our province and our country need this to grow.”