Brett Powell, the delegate for development and ministry in the Archdiocese of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, is bringing retreats for his men’s ministry, Life Compass, to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Dec. 7.
Discussing his ministry, Powell said that in 2003 he was traveling from Toronto to Vancouver and felt as stretched-thin as possible. He felt like he couldn’t maintain all of his relationships. Powell’s priority, then, was clarifying to himself what mattered most in his life.
The Vancouver native told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum on the program that will air at 9 p.m. Nov. 22 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “Life Compass is really for men that are really successful, doing really well, and they’re doing really well at home, but they’re also (going) beyond that. … ‘Am I doing the right things; (am I) … living my absolute purpose?’ I believe that in every person’s life, not just men … they were conceived in their mother’s womb and there was a moment in time when even their own parents didn’t know that this child had been created. But God knew, and God knew exactly what he was doing.”
Men should be comfortable with their masculinity, Powell said. He explained that the phrase “toxic masculinity” has a negative impact on men because it might suggest that traditional masculinity is toxic. To Powell, this is a dangerous idea.
“You’ve got things like ambition, confidence, desire, passion in the hearts of men, and if we’re being told that these things are bad, that’s not good,” Powell said. “We’re called to live stepping in and stepping out. We’re called to be men of courage or called to protect and provide. We’re called to nourish everything good in this world and make sure it flourishes and multiplies. These are the active, proactive things that men are called to be.”
Masculinity, Powell said, is bestowed. Men have to be front and center in the battle for masculinity itself, he said. Men are necessary in the world, especially strong men. The ultimate example of masculinity, Powell said, is Jesus himself.
“When you look at his life and you study the pages of the Gospel(s), he manifested a lot of the virtues that some people would say are toxic,” Powell said. “Jesus was the ultimate manifestation of what I would call magnanimity. … Magnanimity is great hearted, but it doesn’t just mean great in terms of ambitious or proud or anything like that. It means broad-hearted, so we have to have within ourselves all of the good virtues.”
The Dec. 7 retreat will be held at Maternity of Mary in St. Paul at 8 a.m. Guests can register online at lifecompass.com.
To hear more about Powell’s Life Compass men’s ministry, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 23 and 2 p.m. Nov. 24.
The program also includes a discussion with Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, on the Christian values of the Thanksgiving comedy “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” Also, retired state senator Michelle Benson shares her efforts to promote a culture of life.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
