Fraternus Squads
Raising up competent Catholic sons—and having meaningful brotherhood—doesn’t have to be a chore. Fraternus Squads provide the space and tools to do what men were made to do.
As we watch the inevitable disorder and chaos that lost fatherhood causes, some men might be tempted to shrug, maybe laugh, and carry on as usual. Real men, however, seek a change and learn to serve and lead as only they can. They do not leave the world orphaned.
A Fraternus Mens Squad starts with the truth about fatherhood.
Good fathers order themselves, their households, and their communities toward their true end, which is God.
Fraternus Squads
Squads focus on building the local bonds that bring order and truth to life.
No institutional affiliation or formal structure required—just start with your men. Squads can meet anywhere, (homes, bonfires, etc.), and have the flexibility that helps them integrate with real life.
The purpose is to move beyond shallow pleasantries and into the brotherhood that was born at our baptisms, primarily by cultivating a local Catholic culture.
You can’t join our online community because we don’t have one – no one does. Real community is local and in-the-flesh, meaning with Catholics near you. Stop trading in memes and outrage and be present and solve problems in your actual community.
Squads will provide the tools and resources to help you and your men bring order and maturity to households and communities, but in a way that allows for “freedom in the framework.”
Squads aren’t just support groups; they help men gain the wisdom needed to take action and build. Escape “small talk” and have some Big Talk with the men that matter in your life.
We’ve been doing this for 17 years. The most important thing fathers can do for their sons is to identify the mentors his sons need to become a man.
Squads help men construct the foundational fraternity that makes fathering and mentoring easier, potentially building up to a full Fraternus Chapter.
Max, Fraternus Father and Brother
Join Fraternus
It’s simple to get started. A Squad requires at least three men to form. Register yourself as the host and get a core group of at least two other men (over 18) to do the same.
Join a fraternus squad
Weekly meeting and conversation guidance to help you, your brothers, and your sons understand, discuss, and live the traditional seven virtues.
Weekly conversations with men “in the trenches” with full access to the Sword&Spade Podcast.
If you’ve already been invited by a squad leader, ask them for your join link.
Not exactly. Squads are for men 18 or older and are where brotherhood is solidified amongst the men. While it will certainly lead to engagement with younger men, we need the mature brotherhood of men first.
No. Unlike a Fraternus Chapter which is an apostolate of a parish, a Squad is a group of men subscribing and using materials privately and apart from particular institutions.
Yes. Many Chapters already have men’s Squads in their Chapter and these materials are designed to be used at all levels of Fraternus involvement.
It provides onboarding and training that Commanders and Chapters can use for men new to the Brotherhood, or for men needing to be refreshed on the ideas of Fraternus.
No. The Mens Squad materials are included in Fraternus membership.
Chapters will now have material for helping train and initiate new men into their Chapter. Men in Chapters will now also have an option to use alternative content to the Fraternus Book for existing (or forming) men’s squads within a Chapter. Men’s Squads can both exist as a part of a Chapter, and independent of a Chapter, but with the goal of having Men’s Squads serve as “training grounds” for future Chapters that smoothly orient and lead men into the fold of existing Chapters.
For Chapters receiving new men, they can initiate these new men using the new “The Ways of the Fathers” experience.
After these men are ready to commit to the Chapter, and join the rest of the men, they can jump into the flow of the existing Men’s Squad. For Chapters with existing Men’s Squads, the provided Men’s Squad materials (based on S&S and LBB) can be used during normal Squad time.
“This is an experience that elevates boys and young men to reach for virtue first. I can’t imagine a stronger opportunity for boys, young men, and fathers to grow in faith, virtue, and brotherhood. Thanks be to God for the great gift of Fraternus.”
Chris, Fraternus Father and Brother
If you’re not ready to join or support Fraternus but want to stay connected, subscribe to the free Fraternus monthly newsletter.
