In 2033, the world will mark the 2,000th anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Two thousand years since the stone was rolled away. Two thousand years since death was defeated. The question is not whether Christ still reigns.
Spoiler Alert: He does; Christ is King.
The question is whether Catholic men will finally begin living like we believe it.
When I pray about what I want the Church and our country to look like in 2033, I don’t picture perfection. I picture restoration.
I picture churches full again. Men joining the priesthood. Men leading their families in prayer instead of passively sitting on the sidelines. Fathers who know their children’s hearts. Husbands who love their wives sacrificially. Communities where men are no longer isolated, addicted, angry, or hopeless, but united in brotherhood and purpose.
Most importantly, I picture Catholic men rediscovering authentic leadership.
Not worldly leadership built on ego, status, or power. Christ-centered leadership built on sacrifice, humility, courage, and service.
Recently, I attended a law enforcement leadership training course that challenged me deeply, not just professionally, but spiritually.
As a detective, leadership matters. Men watch how you carry stress, conflict, tragedy, and responsibility. But the more I sat in that class, the more I realized the same truth applies everywhere else too; in our homes, parishes, ministries, and friendships.
The crisis facing our culture is not simply political or social. It is spiritual. Too many men have forgotten who they are and Whose they are.
That is why my ministry to men, Tehachapi’s COR Men, has become seriously important to me and a cornerstone of my weekly routine.
What began as a simple idea at Saint Malachy Catholic Church in Tehachapi, California, has turned into something powerful. Every Tuesday night, men from all walks of life gather together. Some are lifelong Catholics. Some have been away from the Church for years. Some aren’t even Catholic at all. But many are carrying wounds, addictions, anxiety, broken marriages, or loneliness. Yet week after week, men keep showing up.
Not because we have all the answers, but because men are starving for brotherhood, truth, and purpose.
We pray together. We challenge one another. We laugh, eat, worship, serve, and have honest conversations most men have avoided their entire lives. And slowly, you can see walls coming down. Men are returning to the sacraments. Husbands are becoming more intentional. Fathers are becoming more present. Friendships are being forged. Christ is moving.
That is the renewal I pray to see by 2033.
But it will not happen accidentally.
If we want restoration, Catholic men must stop waiting for someone else to lead. We must become the leaders our families, parishes, and communities desperately need. We must mentor younger men.
We must reclaim prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and authentic masculinity. We must stop settling for comfort and start pursuing holiness.
The rebuilding starts now.
Not in Rome.
Not in Washington D.C.
Not somewhere far away.
It starts in our homes. Our parishes. Around fire pits and cups of coffee with friends, dinner tables with our family, adoration chapels, and men’s groups on ordinary Tuesday nights.
Christ already won the victory.
Now it is time for Catholic men to live like it.
Dylan Johnson, Grand Knight, Council #7821
Founder, Tehachapi’s COR Men
Saint Malachy Catholic Church
Tehachapi, California