Wednesday, March 15, 2017

(129) Invitation to Veterans to the Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

AMDG


March 12, 2017

Dear Fellow Veteran:

            I’m on the Steering Committee for the Steubenville Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal, which will be held on Saturday March 18 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell off of Exit 25 of I-77The men 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.

            Since you, especially if a Vietnam veteran, can identify with our main speaker, Capt. Guy Gruters (USAF), you might be interested in attending.  He complements the Holy Hour at 9 am, Penance Service, and closing Mass presided by Bishop Monforton at 2:30 pm.  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 in Vietnam for over 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.  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.
Since Capt. Guy Gruters exhibits the spirit of sacrifice that veterans have made for our country, the Conference will briefly honor all veterans present.  The MC will thank the veterans and ask them to stand.   Tentatively, a prayer will be offered for those on active duty, especially those in harm’s way.
If you would prefer to have Capt. Guy Gruters speak to your church, library, community group, local college, or veterans organization, I would be happy to put you in contact with him.  Since he lives near Dayton, travel expenses would be low.  He would adapt his talks to the audience.  
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is to focus on the spiritual development of the men of the 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.
The men 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 a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration and optional Lenten Confession.  The Conference is open to teens so this can also be a father and son event, a shared experience.   Non-Catholics are also welcome.  In the past the men have returned spiritually refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.   Although registration will be taken at the door, the men are asked, asked to register in advance if time allows through the attached brochure or the registration forms also attached along with additional information.

            There’s more information on the home page of 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.  One may also contact paulrsebastian@yahoo.com or call 740-245-9404.

            It should be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual reinvigoration. But most of all, the organizers expect that through grace there will be 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 the Diocese of Steubenville, thus fulfilling a great need.
           *********************************************************************************
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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APPENDIX

Links to Articles of Interest to Veterans

        Did you know that only five military chaplains received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest decoration for heroism and all five of them are Catholic?

·                            Blog #29 “Veterans, Salute The Flag Out of Uniform” 

  • Blog #30 “Veterans Still Suffering for God and Country”

  • Blog #31 Fr. Vincent Capodanno: “A Medal of Honor Marine Chaplain of the Vietnam War & a Maryknoll Father”

  • Blog #127 “Heroic Chaplains Who Have Been Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor”

  • Blog #160 - Cold War:  “Gallipolis, Ohio Resident Part of the History of the Berlin Wall: An Adventure in Cold War Intrigue”

  • Blog #180 - Korean War: “Fr. Emil Kapaun, the Most Decorated Chaplain in Military History”
          http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2016/11/180-fr-emil-kapaun-most-decorated.html





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