Fathers Set the Spiritual Pace

From a young age, I had dreams of one day being a Father. It took longer than I had originally thought. But, at the age of 32, I held my firstborn son, Thomas, in my arms. After a long, courageous night of laboring by my wife, my son finally emerged. I had visions of what that moment would be like, the emotions I would feel. I heard stories of father’s overcome with emotion and feeling that instant connection with this new person in their life, that would change their very identity as a man. 

What I felt at that moment took me a long time to process. My mind and heart had been gearing up for this rush of emotion and to tell this story of a beautiful instant connection, but if I am honest with myself, what really was going through my brain was something like, “Who is this alien creature, and what am I supposed to do now?” I didn’t get this instant overjoyed emotion. In the moment, I remember thinking, what’s wrong with me? Am I a bad man, a bad Father? 

What I’ve come to learn is that being a Father is something that doesn’t just happen, it’s something you must do! Cultures around the world have always had a Rite of Passage that marked the transition from boyhood to manhood. It usually involved some sacrifice, act of courage, or enduring some trial or pain. After witnessing my wife’s labors, I see it's fitting that there are no similar Rites of Passage for women. They don’t have to go outside themselves to seek pain or discomfort, their bodies are built for sacrifice. My wife spent 9 long months with this little one nestled under her beating heart. He was wrapped, protected, and nurtured by her body. As soon as my son was born, my wife was rushed with a flood of oxytocin, the bonding hormone. A woman’s body transforms through pregnancy and labor and motherhood. 

Not much had physically changed in those nine months for me and I didn’t get any rush of oxytocin.  But what I did feel in those early days was a strong sense of responsibility, to my wife and the new life entrusted to us. Being a Father was something I was going to have to do.  It wasn’t going to just happen. I was going to have to work and to intentionally set the pace for the family; I knew I wanted to be the spiritual head of that family and form the culture of our family as one of faith. It's the action that brings out the love of the Father.

In terms of passing on faith, studies show that the responsibility uniquely depends on us fathers.

A study done by Baptist Press shows the importance of Fatherhood and passing on faith.

• If a father doesn’t go to church, even if his wife does, only 1 child in 50 will attend church as an adult.

• If a father does go regularly, regardless of what the mother does, between 66% and 75% of those children will attend church as adults.

Father’s set the spiritual pace of the family. Every night I give my son, daughter, and wife a blessing by tracing a cross on their forehead and praying for them, our family, and our community. I do this not because I’m perfectly holy, I do it as a reminder to them, and to myself, that I’m called to serve God and to model the sacrificial love of the Father. 

“And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15

A Dream & a Vision

Thank you so much for visiting Lycoming County Catholic. It’s been a dream of mine to start an interparish initiative in support of our local Catholic parishes, families, and faith community. Along with t

his website, blog, and podcast I’ll be publishing Lycoming Parish Neighbors mailed out for free to Catholic homeowners in the county.

Lycoming Parish Neighbors is only possible due to the investment of the wonderful sponsors you’ll see featured throughout these pages. Thanks to all of them, you’ll receive this magazine each month. You’ll see features of local families, stories, church and community events. This is just a teaser of what’s to come! Thank you so much to our sponsors for making this happen. I sincerely ask the readers to patronize the sponsors of this magazine. You’ll find articles written by our Professional S

potlight sponsors and a directory in the back with the contact information of each sponsor. I’ve met with all of these business owners. They are trustworthy and reliable. They care about this community. Please give them your support.

And who am I? Well, my name is Jesse Martin, I’m a husband, father, and local Catholic with a dream and vision to make my local community the best it can be. I grew up in South Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans, where I was a Theology Teacher, football and softball coach. In 2016, th

rough God’s providence, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for a Catholic non-profit in Philadelphia, the Culture Project, with a mission to restore the culture through the experience of virtue. We gave talks in high schools on the dignity of the human person and living a life of chastity. And then, as the story so often goes, I met a girl. Alisan was working in Philadelphia at the time, but she was from a town named Williamsport. When we met for coffee a few days before Thanksgiving in 2016, she found out that I didn’t have anywhere to go for the holiday, took pity on me, and invited me to her family's home in Williamsport for Thanksgiving dinner. I had figured out halfway through my coffee that I was going to marry her. So, when she invited me, I figured I might as well go meet my future in-laws. 17 months later, Alisan and I were married in my hometown at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Paulina, Louisiana.

And now here we are, raising two half-Cajun children in her hometown in the “Deep North.” I want these kids to grow up in a great town with great Catholic parishes, and a thriving faith community. In my time here in Lycoming County, I’ve met beautiful, holy, and amazing families at all of our parishes. There are people and families doing such great work in their churches, but they don’t always get to know e

ach other. I hope this monthly magazine can help alleviate that. I hope this is a place where we can share stories, successes and events; seek prayer and support; where we can meet each other and grow in faith together, no matter what the future holds for any particular parish. I also look forward to reaching those who have stepped away and who we no longer see regularly in the pews. We’d like to have you back. You are a son or daughter of God. You were claimed for Christ at your Baptism. You’re a part of this family

and this is where you belong.

Thank you for reading and thank you for your faith. Please pray for this magazine. If you have a story that you think should be shared in these pages, please reach out to me. If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor to help grow this initiative, please be in touch. My email is jessemartin@decidedexcellence.com. I think our greater Catholic community here in Lycoming County can be excellent. Let’s decide to be excellent. God Bless you and your families!