By S.L. Hansen
for the Register
Before dawn on Wednesdays, Labor Day to Memorial Day, a group of faithful Catholic men gather at Lincoln’s John XXIII Center for Mass at 5:45 a.m., followed by reading and discussing great works on Christianity.
Each man leaves filled with a deeper understanding of his faith, rejuvenated strength to live like a saint, a sense of fraternity... and, to be honest, coffee and rolls.
The group has been meeting so long, nobody can quite recall exactly when it started. However, some of the earliest participants all agree it was about 40 years ago.
Bishop Robert Vasa – now Bishop of Santa Rosa Calif., but then Father Vasa, a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln – remembered being approached by a handful of men who asked him to help lead a prayer and study group for them. Brad Schmidt, a member of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish and a former college football player, was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and at the time was attending a Christian Bible study group with Dr. Tom Osborne of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The bishop recalled, “Brad came to me one time and said: ‘Why don’t we have something like that?’ And my thought was: ‘Why don’t we?’”
After a meeting between Bishop Vasa, Schmidt and John Hyland, who was also interested in the idea, the Sunrise Morning Group was launched.
“I came up with the name and the protocol, and Brad spread the word,” Bishop Vasa said.
The one thing Bishop Vasa insisted upon was a commitment from the men that would equal his own. He knew if the men were overly casual about the group, his own passion for it would falter. Schmidt, Hyland and several other men pledged to show up weekly.
The idea was to start with Mass, and then have the men read a good book about the faith together and discuss it at leisure. Rolls and coffee would be provided by members, so that by the time the gathering ended at 7 a.m. or so, they could go straight to work.
“Our goal was not to read a ton of books, but pick out significant ones,” said Bishop Vasa. “The Soul of the Apostolate [by Jean-Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O] may have been the first book that we did.”
When the 1983 Catechism of the Catholic Church was published, the Sunrise Morning Group tackled it, paragraph by paragraph, beginning to end.
“I think we spent maybe two, maybe three years on it,” Bishop Vasa estimated. “We were in no hurry.”
As the men took turns reading, they would interject questions from time to time. That usually led to a good discussion, where various perspectives were shared.
“They formed a kind of fraternity among themselves, mutual support in the faith,” reflected Bishop Vasa. “It undoubtably deepened their individual faith, and if that, the faith of their families deepened and if that, the culture was enriched.”
“What it is for me, it’s the middle of the week, a shot of adrenaline to get your spiritual life back on track,” said John Sinclair, who admits to being the oldest participant.
In time, the group grew to anywhere between 15-30 men.
“The men liked it so much, they invited other people to come,” Schmidt said.
Some came regularly, others intermittently as their schedules allowed. They took summers off, since most of the members were busy with their families and other activities, and resumed when school started.
In 1999, Pope Saint John Paul II named then-Father Vasa Bishop of Baker, Ore. The group had become so meaningful to him, he asked Msgr. Timothy Thorburn to take over as spiritual director.
“It really was a support group for my own spiritual life and reflection,” Bishop Vasa said. “These men all became my friends.”
Msgr. Thorburn may not have known what he was getting himself into, but he has been spiritual director of the group for 25 years, with no intention of stopping any time soon.
“I remember asking Bishop Vasa once, ‘On what kind of occasions do you cancel?’ and he said ‘None.’” Msgr. Thorburn recalled with a smile. “I can’t say I’ve been as faithful as he was, but it’s very, very rare to cancel, and it’s usually due to weather.”
He said the men “are very, very serious Catholics. They take their faith seriously and they practice their faith seriously. They are also very joyful. We have a good time, and we’ve had good discussions… I am just so grateful Bishop Vasa asked me.”
The general agreement is that there is a certain advantage to reading and discussing a book as a group, over reading on one’s own or listening to a podcast.
“I just think when you’re with a group of other people, there will be people who have insights that never occurred to me that are helpful,”
Msgr. Thorburn said. Referring to the group’s current book, “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist” by Brant Pitre, he noted that every man has come to see new perspectives on the Holy Eucharist, not just from the book but from each other.
Bishop Vasa further explained, “We will look at a text in a particular way, and others in a different way. It’s like the facets of a diamond… They’ll all have different ideas and concepts, so there is a mutual enrichment that takes place.”
The longevity of the Sunrise Morning Group certainly testifies to its value.
“It made me a better husband and father,” Schmidt said.
As men have moved away or passed on, others have joined from parishes all over Lincoln, keeping the discussion lively and the camaraderie strong.
“If anybody wants to come, come any time,” Sinclair invited. “You can hop in the middle of anything with us.”
For Catholics in other cities who would like to start a similar group, the key advice is to have a firm commitment among members, and a willing spiritual director.
“We were really fortunate to have two rock stars as spiritual directors,” John said. “We couldn’t have done it without a wonderful spiritual director.”
Bishop Vasa agreed but added, “Maybe it takes greater engagement on the part of the laity. It only takes three or four men or families in a parish that commit to a weekly meeting.” The group would then grow organically, as members invite friends or family to join.
The bishop stressed that alternating weeks does not work. The weekly commitment is easier to remember.
The Sunrise Morning Group has members sign up to help serve at the Mass, or to bring coffee and rolls. An email list keeps everybody informed.
As far as book selections, nearly anything would work.
“Some of the books we read were very impactful. Some we just plowed through them,” Msgr. Thorburn admitted. The important thing is to read and discuss the books as a group.
Some suggestions include: “Christ the Life of the Soul” by Bl. Columba Marmion, “The Secret of the Rosary” by St. Louis De Monfort, “The Soul of the Apostolate” by Jean-Baptiste Chautard O.C.S.O, “The Spiritual Life” by Adolphe Tanquerey and Veritas Splendor by Pope Saint John Paul II.
SNR photos | Natalie Bender
