Catholic Gentlemen of Our Lady

In July of 2025, the "Catholic Gentlemen of Our Lady" wend on a wilderness excursion. Below are some testimonies from this:  
 

“I led a retreat for eight men, navigating our canoes through the interconnected lakes of northern Minnesota to a secluded campsite on Ensign Lake. The Boundary Waters' beauty mesmerized me; it was exactly as I remembered it 25 years ago. Navigating the twists and turns of each lake and portages mirrored the challenges and uncertainties of everyday life. I appreciated Deacon Matthew's offer to pray for still waters each time we embarked, it was a comforting ritual. At times, the similar-looking stretches of water and forest disoriented me, making it challenging to stay on course. This feeling of navigating through uncertainty echoed my early experiences as a father and spiritual leader, when the paths of parenthood and faith often felt unclear. However, through prayer and the Eucharist, I found clarity, and my path toward God through the Holy Trinity became clear. Both Father Gus and Deacon Matthew helped deepen my relationship with God. Father Gus's thoughtful homilies, rooted in the surrounding beauty, connected the Gospel message to our wilderness experience. He assigned each of us a phrase from the Lord's Prayer to reflect on; mine was "but deliver us from the evil one." It was such a treat to receive the Eucharist daily as we stood in the canopy of the trees, nourishing our bodies while Father Gus's words nourished our souls. In the evenings, Deacon Matthew's gentle voice guided our prayers and offered time for quiet reflection, allowing me to absorb the day's graces and prepared my heart for the next. Away from the demands of civilization, I found ample opportunity to listen to God's voice in prayer, often while quietly fishing with my son, absorbing the pristine beauty. One of my favorite moments was Adoration, nestled among the pines, where I could focus more on God than on worldly concerns. The Boundary Waters stripped away the superficial, revealing the beauty of both the natural world and my relationship with Christ. I was reminded that God is present not only in grand cathedrals but also in whispering pines, shimmering waters, the abundance of fish, and quiet moments of prayer. I returned from the wilderness not just with soaked gear and stories, but with a renewed sense of wonder, a deeper connection with Jesus Christ fostered by the spiritual guidance of Father Gus and Deacon Matthew, and a heart filled with peace.”

 ~ Darren Brand

 

“The 2025 pilgrimage retreat with the Catholic Gentlemen of Our Lady was an excellent opportunity to journey to the far north of the United States over ten days, visiting holy sites like the Basilica in St. Paul along the way, and to spend quality spiritual friendship time with seven other like-minded Catholics. The fact that this retreat was planned, for the most part, by Liam when he was just 14 years old is a source of great hope in our post-Christendom era. My heart was inflamed by the sight of four young men discussing their faith, asking for time of prayer, and stepping right up to serve at Mass and to serve one another around camp. The time we had getting to know one another and establishing a daily camp routine of prayer, Mass, and service to one another did what any good retreat should do: it brought God into sharper focus for each one of us and reduced the distractions of daily life. This reminded me of the monastic life—living in community and being of one mind and heart, as God always intends. We had cold days and warm days, rain and sunshine, good food and bad food, reminding me of the Canticle of Daniel: "Let all creation bless the Lord." I am very thankful for Liam, Kipton, Dakota, and Colton, and thankful to their parents and benefactors who helped plan and fund this pilgrimage. In this Year of Hope, as Pilgrims of Hope, we were brought closer to God and His creation, and prepared ourselves to go out into the world with Christ's message of hope and salvation for the whole world.”

~ Deacon Matthew Brend

 

“I recently had the privilege of joining the OLV Catholic Gentlemen on a pilgrimage and retreat to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. Along the way, we visited several sacred sites, including the Holy Family Shrine and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis—stops that left a lasting impression.

As I reflect on our journey, I’m reminded of Saint Peter at the Transfiguration, reluctant to leave the mountain. Returning to a world full of temptation felt much the same. Yet, with the guidance of Father Gus, Deacon Matthew, and our fellow pilgrims—and through the Holy Spirit—we were equipped with spiritual armor for the road ahead.

Each day, we shared meals, fished, celebrated Mass, and ended with night prayers. These moments nourished both body and soul, and I will treasure them always.

Thank you to our donors, prayer supporters, and families for the sacrifices made so we could undertake this retreat.”

~Jason Willams

 

“I had a lot of fun on the wilderness trip the gentlemen of OLV decided to undertake in Minnesota. From the long total five days of road trip, where I saw a lot of cool faith inspiring sights, such as the cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul Minnesota, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, the shrine of the Holy Family between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, and so much more. 

The trip itself was also a ton of fun, as we fished, increased our faith and fellowship and enjoyed the wilderness. It sorta reminded me of what Saint John the Baptist and the desert fathers of the early church did in the wilderness to connect with our creator. I also loved how I had to trust in Jesus to catch a fish as I had no luck until the very last day of the trip when i caught a small walleye in one of Ensign Lake's narrows. Overall I'd like to thank everyone who made this possible and to let all the guys who went with me they made it a very fun experience.”

~ Colton Willams  

 

“My favorite experience on this trip was seeing the marvelous and beautiful Cathedral of St. Mary’s in Minnesota. The architecture was so stunning!

Another one of my favorite moments was the experience of riding the rapids in a canoe, that was awesome!

I really enjoyed having adoration in the middle of the woods. It was amazing to be able to bring Jesus with us on this trip to the woods.

Evening prayer was great to do as a whole group at the end of long day, tu helped us wrap the Lord in every little thing we did.

Thank you to all who contributed to this trip! And be assured that you are in my prayers.”

~Kipton Brand

 

“The Wilderness retreat was a one-of-a-kind retreat. I really enjoyed how much time everyone spent together. One of the parts that touched me the most was having adoration in the middle of the wilderness. There were many times when I thought that we might not be able to go on this retreat because of not being able to fund it, so my prayer leading up to this retreat was being able to put it together and it being fruitful for everyone who goes, as well as being able to actually go. Throughout this retreat there were many experiences that happened through praying to God. One day I was on the water with Deacon Matthew, while we were boat partners for most of the retreat, we would pray to and asked God to show us his creation “If it is his will” and about 10 minutes later we saw multiple Loons, and the trees started to shake, the birds started to sing. A few seconds after that we caught a fish. This was an amazing experience because people can often loose the sense that God also enjoys beauty and takes pride in his creation, we forget to ask him to show it to us. There was another time when Deacon Matthew asked the Holy Spirit to take us home safely, and all the sudden the wind changed and helped us drift home. These are just a few examples where I saw God working and Listening to our prayers. One part of prayer I learned while on this retreat was that when praying to God we should always start with Praise and thanksgiving and then end the prayer with, “If it is your will.” The reason that I say if it is your will is because if we want then where is the reliance on God? So, when we ask his will to be done, we want whatever God wants because he has the best plan for us. Throughout the retreat we had daily mass. And the theme that Father chose was “Our Daily Bread”.  I really connected to that because during the retreat we did not need phones or the brand-new things to be happy. I noticed a lot less distractions from all the temptations of daily life when you do not have all the fancy gadgets.”

~Liam Brand

 

“I had been a part of the Catholic gentleman of our Lady of the visitation since it began, but I hadn't been to meetings in a while because life kept getting in the way so when I heard they were planning a fishing trip to Minnesota I of course signed up. I had such a blast having mass outside every day and talking to father Gus about the Catholic Church in some of his experiences he's had on another pilgrimages I was very nervous for this trip at first because I've never done anything like this before but now that I finished with it and have gone through it I would do it again 1000 times even with the powdered beef stroganoff tasting absolutely horrendous 

And anyone who was thinking about joining a Catholic men's group like this one I would highly recommend it. It's a great way to meet friends and grow closer to God”.

~ Dakota Potton

 

“When asked to join the Catholic Gentleman of Our Lady several months ago, I was only too happy to say "yes".  The group of fathers and sons had progressed into being ready for a retreat of sorts that included a road trip to the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota, canoeing several miles to a remote lake, camping on an Island of that lake and every day, going out on the lake exploring the natural beauty and hunting elusive fish.  And we had fresh fish every night!  Each day was punctuated with the celebration of the Mass and evening prayer with Deacon Matthew offering guidance and reflections. As I was expected to offer the Holy Mass each day and preach, I took what the Lord offered in the daily readings and worked a theme for our retreat: "Give us this day our daily bread." Each day we had Mass, and  each day I took bite-sized pieces of the Lord's prayer which was the Gospel reading of our first day on the road: Mt. 6:7-15 (Thursday June 19). It was such an amazing experience to see a group of men and young men praying together, working together, cooking and cleaning together and having the time of their lives together.  They did not moan or complain about missing the creature comforts of home, technology, or any other distractions. I was amazed to see true fatherly care for the kids and true brotherly love and support among all the guys.   Kudos to the brave men who ventured into unknown waters, like the disciples of the first generation of Christians! Blessings to them all and may their numbers increase!”

~ Fr. Gus Stewart