The year is 2045. You go to a Novus Ordo Mass with your family. There is no hustle and bustle in the lobby outside the sanctuary. Everyone is quietly filing in. There is reverence in the air. Instead of sharing loudly about their recent medical procedures, the old folks quietly prepare their souls for the Holy Sacrifice. Even the children sense something is different, and their squeals and cries diminish. The priest processes in with an army of altar boys behind him. There is determination in their faces. This means something to them. Traditional chant swells from the choir loft, and incense fills the room. The liturgy begins. The priest is facing the altar, as usual, and intones the opening prayers in familiar Latin. During the homily, the priest reminds his people to pray for Pope Benedict XVII and his failing health. For a moment, you remember his election 20 years ago. A small smile crosses your lips as you think about all he's done for the Church in the past two decades. If someone had told you back then that Cardinal Dolan would be considered one of the greatest Popes in history by the end of his life, you would have laughed in their face. Now, you are content to offer up a prayer for his soul in gratitude for everything the Lord accomplished through him. Your reminiscing is interrupted as your child climbs onto your lap to listen to the rest of father's homily.

Replace “therapy” with “men’s ministry” and we’ve solved the family crisis, the vocation crisis, and the masculinity crisis all in one