Catholic Men on Their Knees Move Global Masculinity on a Forward Trajectory
Contact: Tom Ciesielka, TC Public Relations, 312.422.1333, tc@tcpr.net
(May 1, 2023 – Front Royal, Virginia) Each month, thousands of men gather together, flocking to the public square in cities and towns throughout Ireland, and around the globe, taking to their knees in prayer. There is certainly something compelling about the Men’s Rosary. It’s taken off worldwide. First catching on in two dozen Irish venues, these prayerful public assemblies of men have spread into forty nations, including England, Australia, Spain, and Mexico.
“It’s a powerful thing to see,” shared Patrick McCrystal, Executive Director of Human Life International Ireland. This is the Men’s Rosary, a masculine movement of the devout that has spread rapidly across Europe and taken root in Latin America.
Much has been written about the decline of masculinity – but McCrystal views the Men’s Rosary as a way to move the future of masculinity on a forward trajectory. He offers up the example of abortion.
“I’m involved in the pregnancy support movement, and when women come to our help centers, a big percentage of the time the man is absent,” McCrystal explained. “He has abandoned the woman. If men took proper responsibility for the women in their lives, there would be no abortion crisis.”
“At the root of the abortion issue is the need for restoration of God’s beautiful plan for marriage and sexuality and that beautiful intimate act that God has designed to be only between one man and one woman – husband and wife,” added McCrystal. “If it’s kept within those bounds, the whole mess that we see in society is cleared up.” That return to Church teaching is part of what the Men’s Rosary prays for.
It concerns McCrystal that this teaching is not being passed down to the next generation. Part of the mission of Human Life International is to build a truly pro-life culture, one that goes “beyond abortion,” to bring all of Christ’s teaching on life and family, including chastity and marriage, to the world.
“Saint John Vianney taught that religion gains much more influence when led by men,” said McCrystal, referencing the 18th century French priest credited with spiritual transformation of communities. “And statistics show that if men lead the family in prayer, 80 percent of the children will follow.” That is the goal of the Men’s Public Rosaries of Reparation, a visual and public act of repentance and prayer by men of all ages seeking to turn hearts to Christ.
McCrystal acknowledges that feminists don’t like that, but plenty side with him in the observation that when men don’t lead, society suffers. United States Senator Josh Hawley called it “the calamity of our age” that so few men feel a sense of purpose.
“A lot of the men that I’ve talked to certainly believe there’s something that happens in them when they kneel down and they pray and they humble themselves before God,” McCrystal affirmed. He explained that there are several purposes behind this corporate gathering of men in prayer to the Holy Mother of God.
“At a Men’s Rosary gathering, we pray for forgiveness and repentance for the sins that men have committed against women,” McCrystal continued. “The world has always been in a state of chaos – but this is a critically dangerous time. The only thing that will settle the world now is prayer and men’s public prayer is powerful.”
McCrystal understands that the battle for life is a spiritual one. It’s not just about shutting down the abortion industry or opposing liberal politicians. This modern “Saint Patrick” believes that the Men’s Rosary is a powerful tool in the battle to restore Ireland to a nation that respects and protects life.
McCrystal gives credit to the faithful in Poland for the original Men’s Rosary. He told how Owen Gallagher, who is now the head of the Men’s Rosary, showed McCrystal a photo of about 300 men kneeling in a town square in Poland, praying the rosary, and McCrystal’s response was clear, “Owen, I think we can do this.” And they did, launching the Men’s Rosary in October 2021.
“In Ireland, we took the idea and presented it in the English language, which is more universal than Polish, making it easier to spread worldwide,” noted McCrystal. After he made connections in Madrid, the Men’s Rosary moved into Spanish. A Mexican man living in the United States took it south of the border where it spread like wildfire through Latin America. McCrystal considers it a privilege to “be asked by Our Lady to propagate public prayer for men around the world.”
McCrystal believes that The Men’s Rosary is a flourishing component in a battle against the culture of darkness that has hung over Ireland in the years since the predominantly Catholic nation legalized abortion in December 2018.
There is reason for hope among those who value the sanctity of human life. Seeking to follow in the footsteps of Saint Patrick, McCrystal emulates his namesake, who baptized more than 120,000 Irish citizens and planted approximately 300 churches. McCrystal’s work with Human Life International Ireland is delivering help to children and mothers at risk of abortion, while working to foster revival in a country that was once so faithful that killing a preborn child was unthinkable.
Legend holds that St. Patrick celebrated Easter by lighting a fire in defiance of a pagan ritual. The druids told the king that unless the fire was extinguished that same night, it would never be put out. McCrystal likens The Men’s Rosary to that fire. “A flame and an inferno that’s going to spread all over Ireland and all over the world, I think that’s what’s going to happen with the Men’s Rosary. I think that is Patrick’s prophetic word that’s been alive in the hearts of in the Irish for centuries.”
About Human Life International
Human Life International is the only US-based authority on global life issues, including abortion, contraception, and end-of-life concerns. Human Life International is engaged in providing aid, training, and advocacy around the world and is the largest global pro-life and family organization, active in more than 100 countries on six continents. Human Life International provides resources and education on life issues from a Catholic perspective, while providing assistance around the globe, and prepares those training for and those active in ministry to address these matters in their vocation. For more information, visit hli.org.