Saturday, March 4, 2017

(118) Suggested Bulletin Insert for More Detail on the 2017 Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

            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 in the Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal on Saturday March 18 at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell (9 am to 3:30 pm) off of Exit 25 on I-77 are challenged to become true men of God........dynamic Catholic leaders who will change the world, beginning with their families, their parishes, their communities, and the marketplace through their jobs.

            To complement the Mass presided by Bishop Monforton and Penance Service the featured speaker is Capt. Guy Gruters (USAF).  After graduation from the Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Engineering Science, Capt. Gruters flew more than 400 combat missions in Vietnam and received over 30 combat medals and awards.  He was shot down twice and captured the second time in 1967.  After leaving the Air Force, he captained DC-9s and Boeing 727s for Eastern Airlines until retiring in 1991.  Later Capt. Gruters was an account rep. for IBM and President of PC Software Systems.

            In his morning talk Guy Gruters will reveal how his faith and trust in God carried him through the ordeal as a Prisoner of War in the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” and other camps for five years.  Since bitterness is self-destructing, he will share in the afternoon talk how he learned to show mercy and forgive his brutal captors who tortured him and deal with people in a business environment.  The participants will discover how they can apply the lessons learned by Capt. Gruters to their daily lives.  He is a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus. 

            Drawing from his diverse experience and being a father of seven children, he will also touch on “Leadership and Teamwork in the Family, Church, and the Community”.  An excellent and dynamic speaker, Mr. Gruters gives talks all over the country and is the author of the book, “Locked Up With God”.

            This background puts Capt. Gruters in a position to speak on the theme of this year’s Diocese of Steubenville Men’s Conference, “Mercy and Forgiveness, Faith and Trust……..Means of Developing Strength  and Holiness in Difficult Times" and apply it to our daily lives.  That is through the power of faith rise up to be the spiritual leaders of their families, to do their part in renewing their parishes, be servant leaders in the community, and to make a difference for Christ by applying the social teachings of the Church to their professions.
 
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is to focus on the spiritual development of the men of our diocese. Having spiritually strong men of faith and character translates into more solid families, more dynamic parishes, and better communities. This is crucial to the Church, now and in the future. It is also critical for nurturing vocations.  It involves sacrificing most of a Saturday with some travel, but Lent is all about sacrifice and the quest for holiness.  That gives a pilgrimage flavor.  During the middle ages, pilgrims would travel for days by foot or horseback.
 
            Our men will leave in the parish van at 6:30 am and have great fellowship on the way.  They will see how the participants are moved by the beauty and power of the faith.   The experience of seeing so many men enthusiastically participating and lifting up their voices in song is uplifting.  There will be opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration & a Lenten Confession.  The Conference is open to teens so this can also be a father and son event, a shared experience.   In the past the men have returned spiritually refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.  Expect the same this year. 

            There’s more information on the diocesan website, www.diosteub.org and the Conference Blog, “Becoming a True Man of God” at diosteubmen.blogspot.com which is also devoted to articles to keep men in spiritual shape after the Conference.  For a greater variety, go to “A Little Bit for God and His People” at paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com.

            It should be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration. But most of all, through grace we'll have a few more good spiritually strong men for the kingdom of God in the battle against secularism and other evils and problems that our troubled society must confront.......men --not spiritual weaklings and wimps-- who will put Christ into their professions.  Finally, the men will become more knowledgeable, firmer in their faith, and better prepared for a more joyful Easter, not to mention a greater closeness to God and eternity which life on earth is all about.  The Men's Day of Renewal is growing into an annual event in our diocese, thus fulfilling a great need.  Although one may register at the door, please register with your parish representative, e.g. John Doe (245-9404), as soon as possible.  That would make planning (food, transportation, etc.) easier & minimize waiting at the door.  A sign-up sheet is in back of the church.

SUMMARY OF WHAT THE MEN'S CONFERENCE CAN DO FOR YOU.....BENEFITS

· Get into good spiritual shape and avoid being a spiritual weakling, i.e., a spiritual wimp.
· Have a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration in the parish van and at the conference, resulting in deeper friendships and parish cohesion.
· Develop ourselves as men of character and spiritual strength as we obtain the graces to conquer ourselves and cope with the problems that our troubled society and economy bring to us.
· Be a more effective spiritual leader of your family as a better husband and father.
· Prepare our hearts for the great feast of Easter and for eternity as we become closer to God.
·  Become knowledgeable about the faith and grow in Christian maturity.  We know so little about Church teaching.
·  Become a more effective soldier of Christ as you do your part in establishing the kingdom, winning the spiritual-culture war against secularism, and put Christ into your profession.
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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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USE THE SPACE BELOW (2/3 page) FOR THE SPEAKERS & REGISTRATION FORM FROM THE BROCHURE

(i.e., paste the part with the speaker photos & descriptions of Bishop Monforton and Capt. Guy Gruters as well as the registration form.  They may be reproduced either in color or black & white.)


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