Waking up with the sunrise out on the lake with all your friends. What could be better? That is the luxury members of the Fishers of Men club at Saint Mary’s High School get to have.

Alumnus Chris Fahrendorf, who created it in 2016, wanted a club that would bring guys who don’t normally hang out together.

“I started the club to create a welcoming brotherhood-like environment for guys at Saint Mary’s,” Fahrendorf said.

The club is made up of athletes who participate in all sports — and also love to fish.

Somewhat of a double entendre, Fahrendorf said members of the club are “both fishers of men in the sense that we are following in Jesus’ footsteps in creating a brotherhood, and we are literally fishing just like the apostles.”

After graduating two years ago, Fahrendorf gave up the reign to his brother, Andrew.

“With Andrew as the president, I know the club is in good hands,” Chris Fahrendorf said.

“I wanted to get more involved with the school, and fishing seemed fun and the guys in the club were people that were fun to be around,” said senior Andrew Fahrendorf.

Being an athlete himself on both varsity basketball and volleyball, he enjoys being surrounded by like-minded people.

Adviser Anthony Cacho says the club serves as a way to get students outside together and meet new people. He originally agreed to oversee it because his son and his friends wanted to start a club.

“Now that the club is pretty popular and the kids like going fishing, I continue to do it for the kids,” he said.

Senior Patrick Sullivan said he joined the club “because I saw how it looked pretty fun and all of my friends were in it.”

Sullivan said members of the club meet on Thursday afternoons and discuss their upcoming fishing plans.

The group goes fishing biweekly at Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park, and take boating trips down at Lake Pleasant. They meet up as early as 6 a.m. and read the Bible before they head out.

“It is very difficult to endure a long week of practice and still have the motivation to go fishing early. However, this is expected from members of the club,” Andrew Fahrendorf said.

Chris Fahrendorf believes the club is creating meaningful relationships that will continue after high school.

“The club is filled with good young men who are willing to give up a couple of weekend hours to go fishing and to create meaningful friendships while doing so," he said.