Fr. Dwight Longenecker: Why Catholic Worship Appeals to Men

By Fr. Dwight Longenecker, The Catholic Gentleman, November 8, 2023

Fr. Dwight Longenecker is an American who has spent most of his life living and working in England.

Some men of the parish wanted to make a retreat before Lent, so I suggested we head to the hills for a Benedictine experience. We rented a cabin at a retreat center in the mountains, and I packed the car with all the clobber we needed for Catholic worship. Once there I set up an altar with a crucifix and candles, placed a statue of the Blessed Virgin on a pedestal by the side, and set twenty chairs in rows facing each other. We were going to do our best to recreate the atmosphere and schedule of a Benedictine monastery for forty-eight hours.

Spending the weekend with other men on retreat got me thinking about why Catholicism continues to have an appeal for men that other religions lack. I’m convinced that the answer is liturgy. To understand why, we have to remember how men’s brains are wired. ….

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