Our Mission
We are a center for experiential education, rooted in the Gospels, encouraging the transformation of human consciousness through contemplation, and equipping people to be instruments of peaceful change in the world.
Men In Profile | August 2011
Mike Bennett
MALEs Council of Elders
DB: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first come to be involved in Men As Learners and Elders (MALEs)?
MB: I attended the 2001 Rites of Passage at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, which resulted in a passion and conviction for me that all men should at least be offered the opportunity to experience the freedom and liberation that the Rites offer. When the CAC sent out a questionnaire in 2002 to all initiated men, I indicated an interest in helping the Center develop the men’s work program. In 2003, I became a member of the Support Elders, which at that time was an advisory team made up of initiated men who worked with the CAC to promote the MROP and develop a network for all men who attended the Rites of Passage. In 2005, I moved to Albuquerque with my wife, Wendy, to fill the position of men's work coordinator at the CAC and held that position until the beginning of 2009. My wife and I continue to live in Albuquerque.
DB: Can you recall an especially powerful moment in your experience with MALEs that was important to your journey?
MB: The 2007 Arizona Rites of Passage was a very powerful experience for me because it was the first Rites that were held without Richard Rohr's presence. With Belden Lane taking Richard’s place as the Weaver, I saw that the power of the Rites was not dependent on Richard, but was much bigger than any one man or organization.
DB: What literature or other sources of wisdom have been especially helpful to your journey?
MB: Two books stand out for me in my journey:
- Moment of Christ by John Main
- Merton’s Palace of Nowhere by James Finley
The first book led me to begin my contemplative prayer journey and the second book helped to keep me on that path. What little transformation that has taken place in my life can be totally attributed to centering prayer.
DB: What do you think makes the Men As Learners and Elders program unique in what it offers?
MB: MALEs gives men the opportunity to focus on the spiritual dimension of their lives in a way that allows them to live in the world and not be changed by it. MALEs supports a man’s journey toward transformation by offering him the tools needed to create change from within whereby he is able to become God’s instrument for change in the world.
DB: What aspects of spiritual community-building for men would you consider distinctive or particularly noteworthy in New Mexico?
MB: To be honest, in spite of the presence of the CAC, to my knowledge the spiritual community-building among initiated men in New Mexico has not developed into anything particularly noteworthy. There are several small men's groups that meet on a regular basis, but we initiated men of New Mexico need to take greater responsibility for making our community more dynamic.
DB: What in your estimation are some of the keys to sustaining and growing a culture of initiation for men?
MB: To sustain and grow a culture of initiation for men, each initiated man should not hide the gift that he has been given, but offer it to other men. It is only by each of us taking seriously our spiritual journeys and continually seeking this road of transformation for ourselves and others that a culture of initiation will ever become a reality.
