OUR STORY

 

Some of the hardest moments we navigate as human beings are when we’re called to forgive, let go of past mistakes and accept that God has a greater plan for our lives. It was in the sentiment of these beautiful, hard situations that Hard as Nails Ministries was created.

Hard as Nails Ministries began in 2002 when our founder, Justin Fatica, began to address the greatest need in our communities — the psychological crisis in our country. The top two reasons that individuals go to counseling are because of shame from past mistakes and an unwillingness to forgive. This led us to our initial goal of finding the hardest of hearts and impacting them in dynamic and relevant ways that left them changed and on fire for Christ. 

A few years later, Justin was speaking at an event. He asked the audience if they ever felt like giving up on life. One by one, hands raised into the air… and Justin was astounded by the number of people who could identify with such hopelessness. It was because of this realization that our vision — to make a world where no one suffers alone — was born. Shortly after this event, Justin became impassioned to do whatever he could to communicate to the depths of the hearts of adults and youth alike who suffer that no one should have to go through their pain alone, there is hope and community, and most importantly: Jesus is the answer to our greatest need for healing.

In 2010, we expanded our ministry and introduced the Hard as Nails Missionary Program to offer a unique opportunity to reach more people, specifically youth, through one-on-one encounters, follow-ups, and events. These young adults are trained to evangelize through vulnerability and connection with even the hardest of hearts.

At Hard as Nails Ministries, we believe the hardest of hearts are found both in the church pews and on the fringes of our world. We must connect with and impact our fellow brothers and sisters in a way that people of differing views can relate to — and we must do this with the same compassion, empathy, love, and forgiveness Christ so beautifully modeled for us.

Hard As Nails Ministries is a community of Catholic lay evangelizers and young adult missionaries who, for fifteen years with over 58 missionaries, have been committed to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young people and others throughout the United States of America and beyond. In carrying out its mission to “awaken the world to the power of God’s love,” Hard As Nails Ministries promotes and lives out the three “evangelical virtues” of courage, authenticity, and obedience. HN works to reignite parish life, to assist in strengthening Christian families and, in general, to be a catalyst in a more passionate practice of the Catholic Faith. In response to Psalm 147:3-4—“The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds . . . He calls each by name”—HN reaches out especially to suffering souls: the lonely, the powerless, those facing great challenges, people oppressed by patterns of sin or addiction, those from broken homes, and those struggling with fear, depression, or thoughts of ending their life.

Led by HN Founder and Executive Director Justin Fatica, the trained HN missionaries travel to every corner of the country on the You’re Amazing bus, offering one-of-a-kind inspiring, life-changing events at parishes and schools, conferences, college campuses, crusades, youth rallies, retreats, and assemblies of all sorts. HN’s unique, exceptionally personal, and down-to-earth approach to living out the Catholic Faith has brought about thousands of on-the-spot conversions that have matured into lives of committed Christian discipleship.

HN missionaries continue to accompany all those who have encountered Jesus Christ through HN events by way of an extensive and permanent follow-up ministry, which includes telephone calls, Passion groups, the weekly Facebook Live session with Justin Fatica, videos and podcasts produced regularly through the HN website, Justin Fatica’s five books, and the free HN Holy Bible that every event attendee receives.

On August 22, 2021 HN was officially recognized by the Catholic Church as private association of the faithful. Bishop Douglas Lucia of the diocese of Syracuse, NY blessed the official Hard as Nails Ministries statutes. See statutes document here Hard As Nails Statutes PDF

ISN’T IT TIME THE WORLD KNEW THE TRUTH?

We Think It Is

Now, more than ever, people need a strong relationship with Jesus Christ and the support of their church. The culture tells them they need to do something or have something to matter in this materialistic world. But in doing this, they eventually lose themselves in the struggle to find meaning in their life. The sad truth is that most people think they are completely alone in their struggle and feel that no one cares enough to help them through their challenges. Pretending that people are not struggling and that our community does not have the same struggles will not help others reach their full potential. We need to help everyone know that it is their struggles that reveal to them who they are: God’s kids. That is what makes them AMAZING!

AWAKENING THE WORLD TO THE POWER OF GOD’S LOVE

OUR FUTURE PLANS

 

The vision of HN is vast. At the tender age of 19 years old, the Lord gave Justin Fatica a clear vision of how the Church could be transformed. For the past 20 years, Justin has been tirelessly giving his life to carry out this vision. Here are a few ways that HN is moving forward in the vision to create a world where no one suffers alone. 

YOU’RE AMAZING FITNESS 
A bridge that connects us to the current culture is sports and fitness. You’re Amazing Fitness (YAF) is an encouraging, clean, and joyful fitness center based on servant leadership that intentionally helps each member have an amazing life. YAF has been designed by and will be operated by individuals with a proven track record of success in building up people — body, mind, and spirit. Through the model of “Sports to Service to Spirit,” YAF will bring people over the bridge of sports and into a life of service to the community. Once individuals are at the point that they are open, they will be invited to an event in the area that is focused on “Spirit” and will eventually lead to a relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church. 

We are currently working with the YAF Board to find land options for the very first You’re Amazing Fitness. Learn more here.


ENCOURAGEMENT COACHING 
A current project that is moving forward quickly is Encouragement Coaching, which focuses on how everyone can be an Encouragement Coach. Based on 8 Principles, Encouragement Coaching teaches that the “WHO” is more important than the “WHAT.” The book “Encouragement Coaching — 8 principles On How to Be a Great Encouragement Coach” is currently being written by Justin Fatica and Ken Blanchard. Learn more about encouragement coaching here.

Docu-Series 
A living example of Encouragement Coaching is being filmed in real-time! Coming soon, there will be a 5-7 episode docu-series which follows the story of Justin Fatica becoming a coach for a basketball team made up of inner-city and suburban boys. Team Amazing was born in the midst of Covid when Justin Fatica began coaching his son's AAU Basketball Team. In the heart of the pandemic, Coach Fatica built a multi-racial, inspirational team of young men and serves as a father figure to many of the players. Throughout this film, the importance of Encouragement Coaching comes alive and is lived out in the lives and stories of these young men and their coaches. Learn more about our docu-series here.

YOU’RE AMAZING MESSAGE
While living out Invitation Evangelization and Passion Formation, HN missionaries and staff are on a mission to take over cities with the “You’re Amazing Message.” This is being done through 30-day missions in cities across the US, which ends in a culminating “You’re Amazing Experience” event. The YAE is a didactic encounter for people of all ages to experience a breakthrough that will (re)ignite their relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church. At the end of the event, there is a direct invitation to be Baptized and/or Confirmed in the Catholic Church. The target for these missions and events are the people on the periphery of the Church — those who have no faith or have lost faith. Learn more here.


OUR VISION
The vision doesn’t stop here! HN hopes and believes with great conviction that these current small efforts will bear great fruit and eventually lead to the greater vision that was placed on Justin’s heart. In this vision, there are arenas in every city where weekly Billy Graham–style evangelist events will invite thousands of people to be baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Faith. Our vision is that cities will be filled with hundreds of You're Amazing vehicles, thousands of young missionaries on fire for Christ and Evangelization, and Churches that are filled with faithful people who know the importance of not suffering alone. We desire to build schools and to have communities of brothers, sisters, priests, and consecrated people who live out the HN statutes and a life of direct service to the Church that has been given by the Holy Spirit and blessed by the Church.

THREE EVANGELICAL VIRTUES WE LIVE BY

  • Courage

    First, we as evangelizers need to enable ourselves to face a personal challenge that holds us back from being who we are meant to be. In doing so, we are set free to evangelize. Evangelical courage gives us the strength to face resistance or even hostility when proposing the Gospel to a world very much opposed to it… blessing us with the endurance needed to face rejection and humiliation, and to persevere in the mission, despite forces of disintegration that may bear down on them. Evangelical courage moves us to take risks and to go to the periphery—with a heart set on others and not on self.

  • Authenticity

    Authenticity makes us real, earnest, sincere, and a person of genuine caring and concern. Unless we are authentic with ourselves, we can’t be authentic with others. The virtue of authenticity is crucial for breaking down, once and for all, the facades and the masks that we live behind… starting first with ourselves. The authentic evangelizer is not afraid of meeting people where they are—of addressing even the most controversial and uncomfortable issues and questions. As one Church document asserts, “Today’s young people are longing for an authentic Church…. We need to find attractive, coherent, and authentic models.”

  • Obedience

    Obedience moves the us to opt for a life of discipline reflected in every aspect of our lives. It is the way that we overcome ourselves [our false self] in our heart” (St. Augustine). Gospel obedience is not so much about submission as it is about likeness (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa)—becoming more and more conformed to Jesus Christ. Evangelical obedience is the deliberate “Yes” to the teachings of the Church. Evangelical obedience produces unity among the company of evangelizers, which others find irresistible. It blesses the evangelizer with peaceful self-control. Obedience makes us responsive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and sensitive to the needs of souls.

“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love,
and self-control”

- 2 Timothy 1:7 -

SCOTT HAHN AND THE ORIGIN OF OUR 3 VIRTUES

As HN began to grow in the early stages of ministry, the three Evangelical virtues of Courage, Authenticity, and Obedience were discovered and implemented as the heart of the HN charism. HN founder Justin Fatica was talking with world-renowned Catholic Theologian and Christian Apologist Scott Hahn on one particular occasion, and he mentioned the three evangelical virtues, and how important they are for the future of the Catholic Church. Scott Hahn has a very deep and very distinct voice. After listening and pondering for just a moment, he gave a resounding “hmmmm” and then said (in his decidedly “Theologian-esque” voice ): “ ‘2 Timothy 1:7! For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love, and self-control.’ Justin, this verse is all about the Evangelical virtues! The power is courage, love is authenticity, and self-control is obedience.’ ”

This was a true moment of inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and a deep reflection on the core of what these three virtues are. St. Paul was an Evangelist, and he gave these virtues to the Church for the purpose of Evangelization. HN lives and breathes the virtues of courage, authenticity, and obedience in an effort to renew and transform the Church through Evangelization.

THE FINE PRINT

Hard as Nails Ministries is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation on a mission to show every person that they are amazing because of who they are as Children of God.  

HN is officially recognized as a Private Association of the Lay Faithful and is listed in the 2019 P.J. Kenedy Official Catholic Directory on Page 173.