This summer, a group of boys aged 9-11 participated in a unique opportunity to grow in community, masculinity, strength, and skill, thanks to a 10-week boxing program started by an Idaho Catholic dad.
“Through boxing, the boys learned discipline, courage and self-mastery so they can rise up and become men who serve, sacrifice and lead with strength,” founder Jason Chavez told NWPB in a July 31 report by Lisa Ormond.
Inspired to provide opportunities for fraternal growth in his community, Chavez started King David Men’s Boxing in May, inviting fathers and sons to participate in the free program together. According to a flyer for the group, the sessions begin with prayer and a 10-minute talk, followed by boxing training. The topics include “identity,” “leader,” “protector,” “provider,” “priest,” “prophet,” and “king.”
Chavez also is the founder of the non-profit Communio CdA, which stated in a May 9 Facebook post that the first boxing class “was a powerful witness to the strength and beauty of Roman Catholic manhood.”
“Fathers and sons gathered in prayer, then entered a bold conversation about mission, identity, and journey — all grounded in our Catholic faith and the universal call to holiness. The boys were eager, engaged, and inspired,” Communio CdA stated, adding that they built “not just skill, but discipline, confidence, and brotherhood.”
Chavez also relied on God’s providence in order to bring the program to life. A couple who runs the OPEX CDA gym in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, offered for Chavez to run the 90-minute weekly sessions in their gym for free, and 1997 World Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Phil Hostak, a Catholic, offered his mentorship for the classes, according to the report.
“I kind of look at this class as a movement, similar to the Crusades back in the day, to help instill discipline and to help these boys grow into young men with their Catholic principles intact,” Hostak told Ormond.
The program, which was attended by 12 boys, recently concluded with rounds of successful sparring matches attended by friends and family. The boys did not receive trophies for completing the class but instead were offered a crucifix or cross to take with them. According to the report, all of the boys and a number of the parents took one.
Through the course, the boys have learned about virtue, as well as techniques for shadow boxing, hand sparring, footwork, how to correctly throw a punch, and other skills.
Chavez told Ormond that he “wanted to offer a masculine space where boys could learn how to take a punch,” as well as “learn to stand for what’s right.”
According to the report, many of the boys looked forward to attending because their friends were also at the class, which afforded them an outlet over the summer break to see each other and grow.
Rachel Anderson, whose son participated in the class, expressed appreciation for how the skills can be used to help others.
“We wanted our son to not only understand himself and stick up for himself, but also to know how to stand up for others and have the confidence to do so,” she told Ormond. “Being around other Catholic boys and men leaders is 100% a good environment to teach these types of skills.”
Communio CdA concurred in its May 9 statement: “This is more than just boxing. It’s the formation of young men in a masculine space, taught with masculine identity — by men, for boys, rooted in Christ. We’re reclaiming what the world has lost: strong, virtuous, faith-filled Catholic men showing the next generation how to live with strength, courage, and conviction.”