(72) Press Release 1: Dr. Allen Hunt Featured in the 2015 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

AMDG

              This article was originally submitted to the Steubenville Catholic Register.

            For the sixth consecutive year, the Diocese of Steubenville is sponsoring a Men's Day of Renewal on Saturday, March 7 from 9 am to 3:30 pm (optional Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 8:30 am) at St. Bernard’s Church in Beverly on State Route 339 northwest of Marietta.  The patron of the Conference is St. Joseph, a model of a true man of God, to whom we depend upon for its success.

            To complement the Mass presided by Bishop Montforton and Penance Service the featured speaker is Allen Hunt, a popular and dynamic speaker around the country.  He was the pastor of a mega-church in Alpharetta, Georgia outside of Atlanta.  Under his leadership, Mount Pisgah Church doubled in size to serve more than 15,000 people each week, one of the largest Methodist congregations in the world.  Dr. Hunt helped to develop comprehensive ministries with children and students as well as a Christian School with over 1200 students, a pregnancy resource center, a Counseling Center, and ministries for the poor and homeless. 

            He discovered the truth in 1992, but it took him 15 years of struggle to make the final decision to leave his mega-church and make a complete change of life and convert to Catholicism.  This act of courage and integrity meant being ostracized by colleagues and friends and losing his prestigious position.

   

            Thus Allen Hunt is in a unique position to speak on the theme of the Steubenville Diocese Men’s Conference:  “This Old House: Ever Dynamic, Ever New”.  This theme promises to give all participants, especially cradle Catholics, a renewed appreciation of the beauty and splendor of the faith, motivating the men to learn and become more committed.  Today with the zeal of a St. Paul, this new Catholic evangelist works night and day to share his discovery of the faith and to spread it.  He does this through talks all over the country, writing, and partnering with Matthew Kelly at the Dynamic Catholic Institute.  See www.dynamiccatholic.com.  He will talk on “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”  in the morning session.  That is prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization.  His afternoon talk will focus on his journey to the true faith and how God revolutionizes our lives with His real presence in the Eucharist and its remarkable power for each of us.

        Prior to full-time ministry, Allen Hunt worked for an international leader in the textile, apparel, and retail industries.  He also was a management consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates.  Dr. Hunt earned a Ph.D. in New Testament and Ancient Christian Origins from Yale University.

        Dr. Allen Hunt is also a best-selling author of “Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church”; “Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody”; and “Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself”.

         Since St. Bernard's Beverly is in the geographic center of our far flung diocese, the Steering Committee is hopeful that the men of Steubenville in the north and the men of Ironton and Chesapeake in the south will be able to participate.   Nevertheless, this mini-pilgrimage is still a Lenten sacrifice of early rising and a long trip with great fellowship in a van or bus as the men pray together, discuss the talks and other events of the Conference, and deepen friendships.

A great gift or stocking stuffer would be the $25 registration for the men in your life.......husband, father, son, grandson, boy friend, etc.  A bag lunch is provided. 

One may register with Roger Huck; Men’s Day of Renewal; P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715.  Fill out the Registration Form in the brochure in your parish or simply send your name, address, phone, e-mail address, and parish with a $25 check made out to the Diocese of Steubenville.  More information from the Chairperson, Chuck Schneider - Chair Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal” 740-338-9091, 740-782-1877, or cjschn1964@yahoo.com.  Ads and donations to underwrite the Conference and keep the registration at a low price are greatly appreciated.  Keep posted on the Men’s Conference and articles on men’s spirituality at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com. 

(71) Dr. Ray Guarendi: Highlights the 2014 Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

       Dr. Ray Guarendi came off the screen to speak to 184 men at St. Mary’s Church in St. Clairsville.on March 22 to inform, inspire, and entertain.  His two talks went over very well as reflected by the reaction of the men and their written evaluations at the end of the day.  Some of the men shared the day with their sons.

 

As in prior years, there was a Penance Service and Mass, presided by Bishop Jeffrey Montforton.  This time, however, the Men’s Day of Renewal opened with Mass after the rosary during Registration and for the first time ended with a formal Holy Hour.  Furthermore, the Bishop opened himself up to some stimulating questions and spoke off the cuff on diocesan matters.  There was also a vocation presentation given by a seminarian.  It was day of renewal and enjoyable fellowship.

            In answer to a question, the Bishop was happy that St. Mary’s Marietta was designated with the special honor of basilica, only one of 64 in the United States.  It is one of the most beautiful churches that I have seen in my travels all over the world.  He did not agree that St. Mary’s should be a co-cathedral to shift the seat of the diocese closer to the geographic center.  Since the great majority of the Catholics of the diocese live in the north which includes the Steubenville area, the diocese can better serve the most people with the current location of the administrative offices.

            Dr. Ray Guarendi has a unique gift for blending deep insights, practical wisdom, and wit.  A few notes and main points here cannot demonstrate all of that well, especially the humor, but this summary can give you an idea of his two talks.

The Father as the Spiritual Leader of the Family

            He opened his morning talk with the facetious comment that wives sometimes tend to confess their husbands sins.

            Discipline. Dr. Ray, utilized his experience as a father of ten kids and a clinical psychologist, specializing in parenting, marriage, and family.  He emphasized the need for discipline in the home:  “If we don’t discipline the kids, the world will.”  But he cautioned, “Discipline without love is child abuse”.  A father should not take any satisfaction from making a comment such as “He’s not on drugs or anything like that”.  The standard to be aspired for is “moral character”.  Psychological correctness is becoming part of the culture and is replacing moral correctness.  We overanalyze.  The common question has become: Is it normal?  “Sin is normal”, but that does not make it right.

            Dr. Guarendi discourages yelling and screaming, but still the father must assert his authority.  He can be firm without losing it.  Too often a kid learns to ignore his parents until he raises his voice.  Don’t only look at the kids; look at yourself.

            Sons and daughters must be treated differently because they are wired differently.  Little girls talk earlier and more often.  They gently caress their baby dolls; boys will tear it apart.  Boys are more aggressive and would turn a stick into an imaginary machine gun.

                  

            Leadership of the Father.  He hears women say more and more that they are the authorities in the house…….tone, standards, not the men.  Dr. Ray lamented that too often “the guys are there for the ride”.  Dr. Ray recalled: “My father loved me desperately”, but did not verbalize it.  The father should not only say “I love you, but show it in many ways.”

            Parents will often abort their baby because prenatal tests indicate that the child will be abnormal.  However the tests are often wrong and parents kill a normal baby.

Why Be a Catholic?

            In his afternoon talk Dr. Ray tried to help the men, especially the cradle Catholics, to appreciate the faith.  He fell away from the Church as a youth, but rediscovered the faith of his fathers. 

Atheism.  He opened his remarks with the observation that the old atheist would assert that there is no God and I can do whatever I want.  The new atheist believes in God, but “believes that he thinks like me” as to what is right and wrong, etc.

Faulty Thinking of Protestants. While in a Bible Study, Dr. Guarendi was exposed to different beliefs.  “Who’s right among these diverse beliefs?”  Only the Catholic Church has a coherent and consistent body of beliefs.  Protestants believe in the Bible and interpret it according to what they believe are the proddings of the Holy Spirit.  But there are 35,000 different Christian faiths!  God established one Church to be an arbiter of this mess. 

  

Nevertheless, they say that they agree on the basics because they believe in the Bible.  Then why separate into so many different groups?  Our separated brethren believe that once saved, always saved.  Then some who lose their faith must not have been saved in the first place.  By that reasoning, that person was saved for three years until he lost his faith.

Where did the Bible come from?  The Early Church Fathers put together the Bible, which originally had 34 books in the Old Testament.  But Martin Luther took seven of them out because they did not agree with his theology.  So the Holy Spirit inspired the 34 books, and then corrected it after 1500 years?  Did the Holy Spirit change His mind on abortion?  Over the centuries they diluted down this body of teaching.  “You can’t agree to disagree on Physics because the bridge falls down”.

St. Irenaeus knew St. John personally.  The early Church fathers either knew the apostles or knew somebody who did.  This is the faith they handed down and we call it tradition.  Christ is either incredibly true or incredibly false.

It’s hard to believe that the fertilized egg in Mary’s womb was God of the Universe.  It’s hard to believe that a chair is mostly space within the atoms and molecules that are its building blocks.

“Spanking and having more than 2.13 kids are the only sins left” in our relativistic culture.

“If the Holy Spirit did not protect the Church for 20 centuries, it would be today a fractured mess.”

For more on Dr. Ray Guarendi, his ideas, and his work, go to his website, “Faith, Family, and Life” at www.drray.com.  His many books can be ordered there.  His television program, “Living Right with Dr. Ray” is on EWTN television and internet at www.ewtn.com every Saturday at 10 pm with an encore on the following Friday at 5 am.  He also has a radio program, “The Doctor is In” can be heard 1 pm Monday thru Friday on EWTN Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Sirius Radio Channel 130,  and on the internet at www.ewtn.com.  Archived broadcasts can be heard on his website.  One can find many excerpts and complete talks on You Tube by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dr.+Ray+Guarendi.

(70) Examples of Pulpit Announcements Supporting the 2014 Men’s Conference

AMDG

POSSIBLE 2014 MEN'S CONFERENCE PULPIT ANNOUNCEMENTS AT END OF MASS

            It is suggested that the Parish Representative ask the pastor to say a few words promoting the Men’s Conference after Mass and to also go.  We need confessors; his accompanying the men will help parish solidarity and help him to know his men better.  It may be something like the following as a starting point and be adapted according to the style of the pastor and the reality of his parish. 

First Announcement

          The Diocese is sponsoring a Men's Conference on Saturday March 22 at St. Mary’s Church in St. Clairsville.  I strongly recommend that every man in the parish takes advantage of the dynamic and entertaining Dr. Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist and father of ten adopted children.  He will help the men to become more effective spiritual leaders of their families and better connected with them.  You will return spiritually refreshed and reinvigorated after a day of enjoyable fellowship, traveling together in the parish van.  Use the sign-up sheet in the back of the church and see your parish representative (e.g., Paul Sebastian) to register.  Please pray for a fruitful and well attended Conference.

Final Announcement the Sunday Before the Conference

          The Men's Conference is this coming Saturday March 22 at St. Mary’s  Church in St. Clairsville.  The men will meet at the Parish Hall at 6 am and travel together like a pilgrimage in the parish van for some great fellowship and spiritual reinvigoration, a great sacrifice for Lent.

          Dr. Ray Guarendi will give the men tips on getting better connected with wife and children and becoming more effective spiritual leaders of the family.  Sign up in the back of the church.  You may register at the door, but calling your parish representative to register as soon as you can. That would make planning so much easier. Please pray for a fruitful and well attended Conference.

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St. Joseph, model of a true man of God, pray for us and for the success of the Men's Conference.

(69) An Example of a Promotional Talk By a Layman After Mass on the 2014 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

AMDG

            The following talk to the congregation after Sunday Mass may serve as a model or example that the parish representative could use in his parish, assuming that the pastor allows it.  He or other person may use it as he sees fit according to his particular style, adapting it to the parish culture and situation.  The personal testimony of a leader, who has attended a Men’s Conference, can be most effective.

POSSIBLE PROMOTIONAL TALK ON THE 2014 DIOCESAN MEN'S DAY OF RENEWAL

     Men, let's face it.  Too many of us are spiritual weaklings.....spiritual wimps!  And that includes me.  We have to do something about it.  Our Men's Conference would be a big help to each one of us.

·   We've got to get into spiritual shape and get better connected with God, our families and others, the theme of this year's Conference.

·    We've got to become spiritually strong to be effective spiritual leaders of our families, to become better fathers, better husbands, and to be able to put Christ into our jobs and professions.  To establish the kingdom, the Lord wants our help.

 

·       We've got to prepare ourselves for Easter and for eternity.

·       Our Men's Conference will help us in all of these areas.  On top of that we'll have a good time of great fellowship both at the Conference and in the van going there and back.  Last year the men came back spiritually reinvigorated, refreshed, and enthusiastic.  A typical comment was: “I didn't want to go, but they twisted my arm and I'm glad they did.”

·       We'll learn more about our faith too and grow in Christian maturity. We only have a superficial knowledge.  Dr. Ray Guarendi, our main speaker, has a weekly program on EWTN TV & is a national radio host, well known speaker and author. He’s dynamic and entertaining.  Dr. Ray, a clinical psychologist and father of ten adopted children, will help the men to become more effective spiritual leaders of their families and better connected with them.   

·       Perhaps the women can help by using their feminine mystique to encourage (not nag - tongue in cheek) their men to attend.  Please mark on your calendar Saturday, March 22.  We'll meet in the parking lot at 6 am.  Please register with me as soon as you can.  That really helps in organizing and planning.  Of course, better late than never at the door.  Thank you so much.

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St. Joseph, model of a true man of God, pray for us and for the success of the Men's Conference.

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(68) Men Asked to Use the 2014 Men's Day of Renewal as a Lenten Sacrifice

(AMDG)

Submitted to the Steubenville Catholic Register for publication in the March 14 issue.

           

            If the mother takes the spiritual lead in the family, the probability that the children will remain faithful to the Church as adults is about 40%.  If the father takes the spiritual lead, that probability doubles to 80%.  This is crucial because we are losing our youth.  As Danny Abramowicz of “Crossing the Goal” on EWTN likes to point out, “The children love Mom, but tend to follow Dad.”  Thus the participants are challenged to be true men as God intended.  That would entail being better connected with their families and becoming more effective spiritual leaders in the home in their complete self-giving to wife and family.  This will be the focus in the talk of Dr. Ray Guarendi, father of 10 adopted children and clinical psychologist, who specializes in families. His many books include the best seller “You’re A Better Parent Than You Think!”, “Back To The Family”, etc.

Dr. Ray Guarendi

             The men are invited to bring their teenage sons, relatives, and friends who are preparing for manhood so that this Conference may also be a Father and Son shared experience on Saturday March 22 at St. Mary’s Church in St. Clairsville (9 am to 3 pm).  All will enjoy this nationally known EWTN television personality, national radio show host, and author of many books.  Dr. Guarendi has a unique gift of blending deep insights, practical wisdom, and wit while entertaining the audience.

 

A Sacrificial Pilgrimage.  The Steering Committee appreciates the fact that the men will be sacrificing most of a valuable Saturday, but that’s what Lent is all about….penance, self-examination, personal renewal, spiritual growth, etc.  The men of the southern deaneries will have to leave their homes at an early hour and travel two to four hours, but that gives the Conference a pilgrimage flavor, especially if there's prayer and discussion of the day's events.  Traveling together in a van would make for great fellowship and would solidify the parish as the men get to know each other better, more so if the pastor accompanies them.  There was once a time when pilgrims would travel for days to a shrine on foot or horseback. 

A Possible Weekend Stay.  Some may wish to stay overnight in a nearby motel such as the Fairfield Inn (740-699-4980) and make it a weekend retreat, beginning with Stations of the Cross at 6:30 pm the day before.  They may still be able to obtain a special conference rate.  The wives would have a large Mall nearby.  Both Columbus and Pittsburgh are less than two hours away for a long weekend.   

For the first time the Conference will conclude with a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament as a follow up to Mass presided by the Bishop and a Reconciliation Service. 

            Promotional materials and ideas may be obtained from the Conference blog which promotes men’s spirituality at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com. 

The parish representative may collect the registration forms and send them to Roger Huck; Men’s Day of Renewal; P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715.  Individuals may do the same.  Make the $25 check payable to the Diocese of Steubenville and write “Men's Day of Renewal” on the memo line.  Although registrations are accepted at the door, the men are encouraged to register ahead of time to facilitate planning and to avoid long lines.