John Paul II Renewal Center

ForgingMen of Faith

Through One-on-One Discipleship

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

— Proverbs 27:17

Get the Battle Plan Answer the call

Why Claymore

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The Battlefield

Mass attendance & religious affiliation has dropped dramatically over the last century among Christians. Atheism is at an all-time high. In this same time, we’ve seen a departure from morality and civility, particularly in western cultures. Men have been led astray, resorting to worldly pleasures to attempt to meet their innate desires for worship of God; Drugs, Pornography, Promiscuity, and more. But there’s hope! We’re seeing a generational reversal that began soon after the fallout of the Covid epidemic, led by Gen Z men. These men began seeing the lies our culture has told for decades. They are now seeking truth in ways not seen in a very long time. In the UK alone, 48% of Gen Z now believe in God. That is up from only 29% in 2018.

The Problem

As positive as this is, many are left to their own accords. Some are finding The Truth in The Catholic Church. Most are still seeking, often choosing a “cafeteria-style” spirituality that mixes religion, meditation, and philosophy. That’s better than nothing, but far from living in a state of sanctifying grace.

The Solution

We seek to anchor men in The Sacraments of The One True Church through personal relationship, which is the most effective means that Christ models.

Our Strategy

We match those men who are seeking truth (disciple) with a more “seasoned” Catholic man (leader). These men then build a relationship as the leader accompanies the disciple into a deeper spiritual life; with the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook as a resource. Though we begin with personal relationships centered on one-on-one discipleship, we incorporate fraternal fellowship, parish involvement, community engagement, and more.

Why Support These Soldiers

We look to men to restore the culture by strengthening The Church. Once men become properly catechized and formed in what is True, Good, and Beautiful, others (particularly women) will follow.

Something Real Is Happening

A quiet awakening is moving through a generation of young men raised on glowing screens, formed by pornography before they understood love, and now surrounded by AI simulations that imitate intimacy while draining it of meaning. And yet, in conversations across the country, we keep hearing the same restless confession rise from their hearts: There has to be something more.

Young men are hungry for the Truth. Claymore: Milites Christi (Soldiers for Christ) is here to meet that hunger head-on. Rooted in the teachings of Saint John Paul II, Claymore is a discipleship movement for courageous young men—and for those who walk beside them as mentors, fellow sojourners and supporters.

Read the Battle Plan →

The Twin Tyrannies

St. John Paul II confronted the ideologies born of the lie that man can live without God. He understood that when God is removed, man himself is diminished. A world without God inevitably becomes a world against man.

“Be not afraid.”
— St. John Paul II

From the Front Lines

Featured Videos

Podcast

Sean's Same-Sex Attraction, Marriage in the Beginning and Where Christ Points Us: We Discuss ACT Six

Sean shares his journey with same-sex attraction as we discuss ACT Six of the Claymore Battle Plan. Drawing from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body and his triptych vision — what love was meant to be, how the fall distorts desire, and where we are going — we look at marriage in the beginning, the meaning of lust, and where Christ points us for healing. Practical takeaways include the Claymore 10-minute morning ritual and praying with temptation rather than repressing it.

Podcast

To Pope Leo: Sexual Matters Matter; The Integrated Vision of Chastity and Justice

The claim that issues surrounding sexuality should take secondary priority behind concerns like justice, equality, or freedom reflects a distinction that unfortunately many modern Catholics increasingly make. In truth, it is a false separation between sexual morality and justice. The Catholic tradition has consistently rejected this division. John Paul II, for one, never treated chastity and justice as competing priorities. He taught instead that they arise from the same truth about the human person. This was the core of his personalist vision — that each person is an individual created in the image and likeness of God, and that each person must be loved and never used as a pawn in some political game, as is done in Socialism. The crisis is therefore not merely political. It is anthropological. Anthropology is the study of human beings — and so it concerns the meaning of the human person himself. When sexuality is detached from truth, from procreation, from covenant, and from self-giving love, the effects do not remain private. They radiate outward into the culture. The consequences become visible everywhere.

Podcast

When Science Hits The Wall: Piety, Father Georges Lemaitre, and the Big Bang

A universe with a beginning is a strange kind of good news — and it’s not just for physicists. We sit down with historian and prolific author Russell Lawson to follow a 2,500-year thread most people never hear: for centuries, doing science was often understood as a pious act, a way of reading creation with awe, patience, and humility. When that older posture fades, we don’t just lose “religion” — we lose meaning, purpose, and the courage to ask the biggest questions. We dig into the cultural turn Lawson calls modernization: the move from rural life to industrial cities, from silence to constant noise, and from “God’s providence is real” to “humans can fix everything.” That modern mindset can feel powerful, but it can also leave people stuck in cognitive dissonance — resulting in anxiety and spiritual exhaustion, especially when the heart is searching for love and the mind is still searching for truth. Then we get concrete with science and the Big Bang. Father Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest and mathematician, helps introduce the idea of an expanding universe and a real beginning. The more astronomy pushes toward the singularity, the clearer the limit becomes: science can trace physical evidence back to a start, but it cannot answer what came before time. That boundary doesn’t destroy science; it invites humility and opens a sane conversation about God.

Short

Praying with Temptations: The Claymore 10-Minute Morning Ritual: Knees Before the Phone, Always!

Short

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Five Pillars of Formation

Daily Prayer & the Sacramental Life

The foundation of every soldier of Christ. A disciplined prayer life and frequent reception of the Sacraments anchor the soul for battle.

The Claymore Battle Plan Handbook

A 275+ page handbook structured into 52 short, practical weekly chapters with Q&A and actionable acts to form men of purpose and integrity.

Building the Domestic Church

The future of humanity passes through the family. Build a home that stands as a fortress of faith and a living icon of the Trinity.

True Brotherhood & Accountability

Iron sharpens iron. Authentic friendships forged in truth, vulnerability, and shared mission that call men to greatness.

Cultural Engagement

Defend life, marriage, and freedom. Become witnesses to truth, goodness, beauty and love in a world that desperately needs them.

Get the free Claymore Battle Plan Outline to learn more about each pillar

For the Bold

For those who feel the fire of God’s call burning within them to lead other men or to be discipled by another man.

Take up the Claymore Sword!

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From the Field

A Quiet Awakening — and a Call to Lead

A quiet awakening is taking place among young men. A growing number of young men across this country are beginning to turn away from the empty promises of a secular culture and toward something real. More of them are stepping into Catholic churches for the first time, seeking truth, meaning, and authentic masculinity.

A Quiet Awakening

“For a split second, the mask drops.”

The culture has failed young men. But something unexpected is happening. A generation raised on screens, shaped by loneliness, and starved of meaning is starting to wake up. They are showing up at churches. Kneeling in adoration. Asking the questions that matter.

Claymore was built for this exact moment. Not with programs or gimmicks, but with the thing young men are actually hungry for: real relationships with men who have walked the path before them.