BY ANDY TELLI, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Precious Blood Parish on Fenmore Street in Owensboro has launched a new men’s ministry with the Restored Parish Mission and Men’s group training led by Catholic speaker and evangelist John Edwards.

The new ministry is based on the model developed by Edwards and his Just A Guy in the Pew Ministries. There are four pillars to the ministry, which provide themes for the weekly meetings: Fellowship, in which men gather in a relaxed setting to create new friendships; Service, in which men help with a service project; Worship, in which men participate together in a time of prayer and worship; and Formation, in which men discuss issues facing them and other men in today’s society.

The goal of the program is to help men develop authentic friendships and to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Edwards, who spoke at the 2025 men’s conference sponsored by the Diocese of Owensboro, kicked off the January 2026 parish mission at Precious Blood with his personal story of overcoming addiction and becoming a Catholic evangelist. On Saturday, he spoke on “Restoring Your Identity: Who You Are, Who’s You Are, and Why You’re Here” and “The Most Important Thing: A Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ.” The mission was followed by a training session for men interested in participating in the ministry.

The first meeting of the new ministry at Precious Blood was the fellowship meeting on Jan. 14 at Mister B’s Restaurant. A service meeting followed on Jan. 21 with a clean-up project at the parish grounds. The first worship meeting was held on Jan. 28, with Mass and the parish’s weekly Eucharistic Adoration.

Future meetings include:

• Formation: Feb. 4, at the parish burgoo barn to discuss and share personal experiences with issues facing Catholic men.
• Fellowship: Feb. 11, with axe throwing, darts, pool, pinball, arcade and golf at Escape Today, 820 West 2nd St. in Owensboro.
• Service: Feb. 18, to restock Blessing Boxes with food and hygiene supplies.
• Worship: Feb. 25, with Mass, Confession and Eucharistic Adoration at Precious Blood.
• Formation: March 4, with the viewing of the Living Lent video by Father Mike Schmitz and Ascension Press, followed by a sharing and discussion session, at the Burgoo Barn at Precious Blood.
• Fellowship: March 11, with a bourbon tasting at The Pub on Second Street, 116a West 2nd St., Owensboro.
• Service: March 18, to be determined.
• Worship: March 25, with Mass, Confession and Eucharistic Adoration at Precious Blood.

The ministry is open to all men, and they can attend any or all of the weekly meetings. Each meeting will begin with Mass at 6-6:30 p.m. at Precious Blood, followed by the activity for that week, which will typically be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Communication will be done through the GroupMe app.

For more information and to be added to the GroupMe app, email Charlie Johnson at [email protected].

Originally printed in the February 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.