Catholic Men's Breakfast Group celebrates milestone
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Christina Leslie | Correspondent
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20
A priest, a lawyer, and a businessman walk into a bar… to pray and share their Catholic faith with dozens of like-minded men. Each first Wednesday of the month for the past 16 years, the Catholic Men’s Breakfast Group gathers in the basement of Kelly’s Tavern in Neptune City to pray, learn and share their insights into the Catholic faith that unites them.
Group co-founder and Red Bank lawyer Bernard Berry explained the origins of the organization 16 years ago this month. “We were reaching out to men for something more than the ritual of Sunday Mass,” Berry remembered of the group eager to discuss their Catholic faith in an informal venue. “We wanted a neutral site.” The owners of Kelly’s Tavern offered the use of their basement as a meeting room and supplied the members with coffee and tea at each meeting, and the small group soon grew by word of mouth.
Click HERE for gallery of photos.
Email and postal mailing lists to local parishes enabled the group to expand and attract more like-minded men from all walks of life. “Today, we have Extraordinary Ministers, Knights of Columbus, deacons, and those who work at senior centers and food banks,” said Berry. The group, whose members range in age from their 30s to their 80s, represent both retired men and those from many different business vocations, all sharing the desire to deepen their faith and share a few laughs over breakfast.
Each hour-long meeting features a different speaker; the list reads like a Who’s Who of Christian social teaching. Over the past sixteen years, meeting attendees have heard Bishop Cyprian Lwanga of Uganda and Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith update the sister relationship between the two countries; Father Frank McNulty analyze God’s presence in music and the arts; professor Father John Morley discuss his insights into Judaism and Islam; Seton Hall chaplain Father John Dennehy describe the spirituality in Catholic universities; Len Deo of the NJ Family Policy Council present the organization’s legislative actions; Presbyterian Rev. David Cotton describe his work in the Pastoral Care Department of Jersey Shore Medical Center, and numerous diocesan priests and deacons speak on aspects of faith.
At the Feb. 1 meeting marking the group’s anniversary, Deacon Richard Weber of St. Rose Parish, Belmar, offered a reflection on 16 years of “persistence,” a theme prevalent in many of the Gospel stories, and one that exemplifies the Catholic Men’s Breakfast group. As men, he recounted, sharing common values, trust and virtues, they gather together like another group of men, the Apostles, who followed Christ and were strengthened by their relationship with one another.
As befitting a faith-focused organization, family and friends of the members contribute their time, talent and treasure towards the group’s success. John Bonforte and his business administrator, Jo Ann Buonomo, manage the group’s email notifications while his granddaughter, Jessica, assists with the monthly postal mailing. Daughter Kristin and son, Scott, owners of a bagel shop in Long Branch, supply the refreshments for each meeting.
“It’s amazing to see the men come out,” Bonforte noted. “It’s a myth that men don’t share their feelings openly. We talk about our families, the times we live in, and have question-and-answer periods with the speakers.” Each meeting enervates the rubber and plastics business owner despite the early hour. “By the time I get there, it charges my batteries and it’s all worth it,” Bonforte declared. “It’s also important because my children and grandchildren know it’s a commitment of faith I make and keep. It sets a better example than any preaching I could do.”
“I think of it as my spiritual B-12 shot to supplement the rest of my Catholic life,” echoed group co-founder Berry. “It nurtures our faith, and compels us to act more in Christian charity. Men appreciate the talks and the materials we hand out and share them with their families, and they keep coming back because they want to be with other Catholic men.”
The Catholic Men’s Group welcomes new members. For further information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact John Bonforte, Sr. at [email protected] or 908-489-9090.
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By Christina Leslie | Correspondent
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20
A priest, a lawyer, and a businessman walk into a bar… to pray and share their Catholic faith with dozens of like-minded men. Each first Wednesday of the month for the past 16 years, the Catholic Men’s Breakfast Group gathers in the basement of Kelly’s Tavern in Neptune City to pray, learn and share their insights into the Catholic faith that unites them.
Group co-founder and Red Bank lawyer Bernard Berry explained the origins of the organization 16 years ago this month. “We were reaching out to men for something more than the ritual of Sunday Mass,” Berry remembered of the group eager to discuss their Catholic faith in an informal venue. “We wanted a neutral site.” The owners of Kelly’s Tavern offered the use of their basement as a meeting room and supplied the members with coffee and tea at each meeting, and the small group soon grew by word of mouth.
Click HERE for gallery of photos.
Email and postal mailing lists to local parishes enabled the group to expand and attract more like-minded men from all walks of life. “Today, we have Extraordinary Ministers, Knights of Columbus, deacons, and those who work at senior centers and food banks,” said Berry. The group, whose members range in age from their 30s to their 80s, represent both retired men and those from many different business vocations, all sharing the desire to deepen their faith and share a few laughs over breakfast.
Each hour-long meeting features a different speaker; the list reads like a Who’s Who of Christian social teaching. Over the past sixteen years, meeting attendees have heard Bishop Cyprian Lwanga of Uganda and Bishop Emeritus John M. Smith update the sister relationship between the two countries; Father Frank McNulty analyze God’s presence in music and the arts; professor Father John Morley discuss his insights into Judaism and Islam; Seton Hall chaplain Father John Dennehy describe the spirituality in Catholic universities; Len Deo of the NJ Family Policy Council present the organization’s legislative actions; Presbyterian Rev. David Cotton describe his work in the Pastoral Care Department of Jersey Shore Medical Center, and numerous diocesan priests and deacons speak on aspects of faith.
At the Feb. 1 meeting marking the group’s anniversary, Deacon Richard Weber of St. Rose Parish, Belmar, offered a reflection on 16 years of “persistence,” a theme prevalent in many of the Gospel stories, and one that exemplifies the Catholic Men’s Breakfast group. As men, he recounted, sharing common values, trust and virtues, they gather together like another group of men, the Apostles, who followed Christ and were strengthened by their relationship with one another.
As befitting a faith-focused organization, family and friends of the members contribute their time, talent and treasure towards the group’s success. John Bonforte and his business administrator, Jo Ann Buonomo, manage the group’s email notifications while his granddaughter, Jessica, assists with the monthly postal mailing. Daughter Kristin and son, Scott, owners of a bagel shop in Long Branch, supply the refreshments for each meeting.
“It’s amazing to see the men come out,” Bonforte noted. “It’s a myth that men don’t share their feelings openly. We talk about our families, the times we live in, and have question-and-answer periods with the speakers.” Each meeting enervates the rubber and plastics business owner despite the early hour. “By the time I get there, it charges my batteries and it’s all worth it,” Bonforte declared. “It’s also important because my children and grandchildren know it’s a commitment of faith I make and keep. It sets a better example than any preaching I could do.”
“I think of it as my spiritual B-12 shot to supplement the rest of my Catholic life,” echoed group co-founder Berry. “It nurtures our faith, and compels us to act more in Christian charity. Men appreciate the talks and the materials we hand out and share them with their families, and they keep coming back because they want to be with other Catholic men.”
The Catholic Men’s Group welcomes new members. For further information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact John Bonforte, Sr. at [email protected] or 908-489-9090.