Our Charism
It is the Catenian aspiration that through the pursuing the Catenian Principles, through the experience of faith-based friendship, inspired by the Gospel and by the charism of our patrons, Saints Peter and Paul, St Thomas More and St Mary of the Cross, Catholic laymen who join our fraternity will be strengthened in their faith, in their family life, and in pursuing Christ’s mission in both His Church and the world. The Catenian experience can be symbolically illustrated as follows:
We are an association which offers opportunities to develop friendships, share experiences and even have some fun. We do this by meeting each month in groups called Circles to pray and conduct business, then we share a meal together and often listen to a guest speaker. We also hold regular social events with our wives to strengthen the friendships that have formed and our family lives. We offer:
- An experienced knowledge base to assist with planning and managing activities and events and an opportunity to strengthen the faith of men in parishes;
- A strong and robust organisational structure to complement other activities – eg St Vincent de Paul, Men Alive or other charitable, religious organisations – providing a continuation or extension of once off or irregular activities; we do not see ourselves as in competition but rather as complementary;
- A quiet place for men, including priests and other clergy to meet and relax over a meal and to pray;
- The company of likeminded men – free of career and work pressures; a social life separate from work; a support network post retirement; ideal for newly arrived parishioners seeking a means to integrate into the life of the parish or community;
- An opportunity to develop lifelong friendships. The need for such support mechanisms for men is well documented.
The Association's name is derived from the Latin 'Catena' (a chain) with the Circles being the links in the chain. The emblem consists of a continuous chain of links surrounding a cross. This symbolizes that our Catholic faith is at the centre of all we do.