St. Michael's Lent
Our Lady of Grace
Exodus 90 Men's Group olgraceau.exodus@gmail.com
A worldwide network of "fraternities", small groups of 6-10 men who journey through seasonal challenges together to grow closer to God. Our next seasonal challenge is St. Michael's Lent, a 45-day period that begins on August 15, 2025.
At Our Lady of Grace we have two Exodus 90 fraternities comprised of men of various ages, marital status, and stages in their faith journey. And we always welcome new men interested in growing closer to God alongside a group of supportive fraternity "brothers".
We practice spiritual disciplines that help us grow in prayer and fight the spiritual battles against sin. And here's the key thing: you experience St. Michael's Lent as part of a fraternity of like-minded men from Our Lady Of Grace who are on the same journey. You don't do it alone. And you're likely to build some meaningful friendships along the way.
Don't be intimidated! You do the 45 days of St. Michael's Lent at your own pace and you do what you can. We'll help you get started with baby steps and stay with you throughout the 45-day journey. Nobody does it perfectly -- the focus is on incremental growth in your spiritual life. And the impact can be life changing.
If you'd like to chat about St. Michael's Lent at Our Lady of Grace, reach out to Rick Sobiesiak through email: olgraceau.exodus@gmail.com.
A brief video about St. Michael's Lent featuring Father Mike Schmitz:
At its core, St. Michael's Lent is about:
Reading or listening to daily scripture readings and reflections that take us on a journey through St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians. This takes about 10 minutes and you access the readings and reflections through the Exodus 90 app.
Devote 20 minutes to silent prayer each day, opening your heart to the Lord. If this is a new practice for you then we'll teach you how to grow into it.
Participating in a weekly fraternity check-in meeting. This goal is to share brief "field reports", provide fraternal support, and build friendships. In addition, throughout each week you'll be checking in with your "Anchor", another fraternity member. We rotate anchor pairings each week so that you get to know everyone else in the fraternity.
Those are the core elements. If you focus on nothing else than these core elements then you'll experience life-changing growth in your faith!
We also aspire to follow additional disciplines such as fasting from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays, getting a full night's sleep, and abstaining from social media. However, don't be intimidated! You do the 45 days of St. Michael's Lent at your own pace and you do what you can. We'll help you get started with baby steps and stay with you throughout the 45-day journey. Nobody does it perfectly -- the focus is on incremental growth in your spiritual life.
What additional support do you get? You can benefit from a wealth of resources available in the Exodus 90 app:
Spiritual guidance weekly videos from Father Innocent Montgomery and Father Angelus Montgomery, two members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFRs). They are identical twin brothers and are part of a larger community of Franciscan friars dedicated to renewal within the Catholic Church. The spiritual guidance they provide will be very much driven by questions that are sent in by men (like you) who are going through St. Michael's Lent.
A wealth of additional formation guidance such as: Faith and Work, Stewardship of Time, Becoming the Best Father, Beer and Christian Culture, and the Exodus 90 Gym Workout Guide.
Saint Dominic once said, “A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either rule them or be ruled by them.” When considering Exodus 90 you need to decide if you're fulfilled with your current state or looking for an exodus from the status quo.
Check out the videos below for perspectives on Exodus 90. If you'd like to join Exodus 90 at Our Lady of Grace (or just ask some questions) please reach out to Rick Sobiesiak through email: olgraceau.exodus@gmail.com.