Friday, February 16, 2018

(141) Crucial Functions of the Parish Representative in Marketing the 2018 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

AMDG


SET THE MEN ON FIRE AND THE PARISH IS RENEWED AND ULTIMATELY THE ENTIRE DIOCESE.  EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD STARTS AT THE GRASS ROOTS……FIRST IN YOUR FAMILY AND IN YOUR PARISH.

       The most critical aspect of promoting the Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal is at the parish level…….having at least one representative in each parish to mobilize the men to attend......i.e. considerable one on one personal selling. This is so important since many men quickly browse through the church bulletin if at all, don't notice the poster, don't look at the brochures and pamphlets in the back of the church, and hardly listen to the end of Mass announcements.

          Since the Parish Representative cannot talk to every man even in small parishes, he can use all the help he can get to reach every man in the parish.  Thus we recommend that the Parish Rep form a team of men who have attended previous Conferences.   

With the abundance of fallen away and drifting Catholics, the pastor is happy that the men make it to Mass at all. Even if they are aware, we have to overcome inertia: “I don't know; I'll think about it; Maybe I'll go; I'll see how my schedule is; I may have to work; we'll see; I may have something else going on” etc.

Use the Parish Council to make the Men’s Conference, and the Women’s Conference, and the Youth Rally an important part of the parish pastoral plan and program.

        Another crucial aspect is the local Council of the Knights of Columbus.  They are most important to mobilize their men to attend and to help the Parish Representatives in mobilizing the men of the local parishes to attend the Conference.

        Then there are the many men who come to Mass occasionally if at all or are on the verge of falling away. Many others indeed have fallen away and we may have to take advantage of a casual meeting at a football game or in a store. All of the above are the men we are trying to reach.......the indifferent Catholic who's happy where he is in his spiritual growth and has no desire to get any closer to God. It's in this area where the Parish Representative can be a true apostle and missionary. It's evangelization at its best. The Men's Conference could provide that spark to set them on fire and bring them closer to the Church. This is the New Evangelization that St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI promulgated and Pope Francis continues to do, especially in this Year of Mercy.  This is perhaps the first step to renew families and parishes.  The men must take spiritual leadership.

       Thus I sent out the following e-mail to the parish representatives with a copy to the pastors in my Nativity of Mary Deanery. It occupies the southern extreme of the Diocese of Steubenville which extends over one hundred miles and 13 counties.  I also included prospective representatives throughout the diocese.

Mike Aquilina, our main speaker

MARKETING THE 2018 MEN’S CONFERENCE AT THE PARISH LEVEL

The Crucial Importance and Functions of the Parish Representative

Believe me, your role is crucial because the key to a great turnout is promotion at the grass roots: (1) at the parish level and (2) at the level of each Council of the Knights of Columbus.  We must reach the men, many of whom are laid back and lax about the Church; are drifting, or have fallen away except perhaps for Mass on Christmas and Easter.  Mobilizing the men of your parish to come to the Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal on March 18 at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell (off of Exit 25 on I-77 near Marietta) from 9 am to 3:30 pm or so is a very important part of the New Evangelization.  The men are invited to bring their teen age and older sons, grandsons, nephews, godsons, students, friends, etc.  An added feature is a Holy Hour with the Blessed Sacrament at the beginning of the day.

This event is so important because if the Lord uses this Conference to set the men on fire, we renew the parish and ultimately the entire diocese.

In our parish we have used bulletin blurbs, brochures, posters, etc. and many men don’t even know the date of the Conference.  All of these are important and help, but the most effective is the one on one personal selling.  That’s a lot of work.

At this year’s Men’s Conference we have nationally known expert on the early Church, prolific author, and speaker……Mike Aquilina.  He will show how the witness of the angels and the early Christians can teach us how to be effective witnesses in our secular culture today.  It will be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration.  We’ll go together in the parish van on Saturday March 3 at 6:30 am.  We’d love to have you (and your son) join us.  Can we count on you?  

That’s my sales pitch (6 lines) this year in my encounters with the guys……one on one or in small groups.  You can make it even shorter and better for your men.  Even if the person doesn’t come, the message will make him think.  In parting give him our brochure as a reminder to decide and register.  A sign-up sheet is attached.

If a guy tells me a definite yes, I try to get him to register in advance.  If the answer is “maybe”, I'll approach him again in a friendly jovial way, hoping and praying that I don't make a pest out of myself and come over as a telemarketer.  True, that's a risk, but it does take some persistence.  I try to avoid phone calls unless one is a good prospect a few days before the Conference. Of course, phone calling is a good option with men whom you don't see.  At the same time, I'm enlisting the help of the guys who went last year to help me to talk it up and promote it.  They are a great testimony.      

At the diocesan level we’ll probably have three articles in the Steubenville Catholic Register.  On the bottom of the home page of the diocesan website (click on www.diosteub.org) there should be a link to (1) our brochure and (2) “Additional Information”.  Our Bishop will give a talk and preside at Mass.

Useful Resources. You can utilize our Conference Blog at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com.  Last  year the 2017 series of resources began with Blog #111 – Overview; and continued with 112) Ad Form; 113) Diocesan Press Release #1; 114) Possible Short Bulletin Announcements; 115) Promotion Ideas; 116) Functions & Crucial Importance of the Parish Rep; 117) Sign Up Sheet; 118) Sample Bulletin Insert; 119) Diocesan Press Release #2; 120) Backing of the Pastor; 121) Role of the Deacon; 122) Example of an After Mass Talk By a Layman; 123) Possible Pastor Announcements; 124) Diocesan Press Release #3; 125) Catholic Newspaper Press Release; 126) Secular Newspaper Press Release; 127) Appeal to the Diocesan Councils of the Knights of Columbus; 128) Invitation to Parishes in West Virginia; 129) Invitation to Veterans; 130) Our Ad in the Program Booklet; and 131) Highlights of the 2017 Men's Conference.  The 2018 series will begin with #134 or so after three new articles.
At the parish level, we’re hurting unless we can confide in your help.  With the critical shortage of priests, we can’t count on the pastors because they are so busy and overworked.  Many of them are responsible for two or even three parishes.  They don’t have the time to do the grunt work of promotion.  Thus we ask you to cover some or all of the points below to the extent that you are willing and able.  If you can cover at least the first three items well, your campaign will be a success.  The rest of the items are bonus if you can.  Only item #3 may be difficult and/or time consuming.  Samples of items #2, #5, #6, and #7 will be e-mailed to you for possible use and adaptation to make it easier for you. 

SUGGESTED TASKS FOR THE PARISH REP FOR THE MEN’S CONFERENCE

1.     *Every parish should have received a poster and a brochure to duplicate as needed.  If they are not available in the church, please ask the secretary to run off more.  They could have been set aside and forgotten about.  Please be sure that the posters are posted in good spots, perhaps one in the church and another in the Parish Hall as well as a few brochures at each exit of the church.  You can duplicate the attached brochure or download one from the diocesan website and then duplicate them in color or black and white.  The brochure contains a registration form.

2.      *Ask the secretary with the approval of the pastor to put in a short announcement in the Church Bulletin each Sunday of the new year until the Conference date as long as there is space available.  You can put in a slightly different message each Sunday that makes the men think, not the same bland just the facts every week.  I sent a number of possible blurbs which you could adapt to your parish.  They are also available as Blog #114 at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com.

3.     *****The most important of all and the key is to mobilize the men one on one with personal selling of the event, collect the $25 fee, and register them on the form inside the attached brochure or on one of the short forms attached (each sheet has a set of three forms). Before approaching each man, ask the Holy Spirit to help you choose good prospects and say a silent prayer for success.  After talking to each man, give him a brochure as a reminder to decide and then register.  Men may register individually or the parish representative may collect the registration forms with payment and send them to Roger Huck; c/o Men’s Day of Renewal, P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715.  Although one can register at the door, this would save considerable time waiting at the door.  Checks for the Registration cost of $25.00 per person are to be made payable to the Diocese of Steubenville with “Men's Day of Renewal” written on the memo line of the check.  Early registration helps with planning as number of lunches, etc.

        Give priority to the most likely prospects, especially when time is limited.  Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance as to which men to approach during the rush to the parking lot.  Enlist the help of a couple of other men; get the local council of the Knights of Columbus; even better, form a team of guys who have attended previous conferences.   That would enable you to reach almost every man in the parish, especially those who come to Mass only occasionally.  That could be the start of an evangelization team, which every parish very much needs. 

          Ask the other men who have attended a previous conference to talk it up.  Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.  You can see the men before and after Mass, devotions, at family, community, or parish functions as the Fish Fry, by phone, perhaps at work, and anywhere else you may run into somebody you know.  If there is any unemployed man who would like to go, but cannot afford it, ask the pastor or a parish organization for help.  He also can simply show up at the door and say that he can’t pay.  I myself would be willing to pay for a few registrations if no other help is available.  Money should not be an obstacle for any man to go.

4.     Organize the men if possible to travel together as part of a car or van pool.  A larger parish or group of parishes might be able to fill a bus if the Conference is well promoted.  That will make for enjoyable fellowship and foment a more cohesive parish community as the men get to know each other better and become better friends.  It would be ideal if the pastor (free of charge) could accompany the men, thus giving him an opportunity to know his men better.  We need confessors.  If the distance is great, that will give it a pilgrimage flavor, especially if the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy are said and the men discuss the conference on the way back.

5.     Put a sign-up sheet on a clipboard on a table in the back of the church.  Ask the pastor to include the sign-up sheet in his announcements at the end of Mass as a reminder each Sunday.  The sign-up sheet should include the name, phone number, and e-mail address to contact for registration and confirm the time and place of departure in the car pool van or bus.

6.     Obtain permission to put a one sheet (front and back) insert into the Church Bulletin.  This would include selling points, benefits for the men, details about the speaker, and a registration form.  There will be an example on the Conference Blog at http://diosteubment.blogspot.com, which you could use as is or as a model for adapting it to the culture of your parish.

7.     Ask the pastor to say a few words to support the Conference with a few words in the announcements after Mass.  His enthusiastic support and help would be huge.

8.     Perhaps a leader among the men could say a few words after Mass with the pastor’s approval. One who has been to a previous Conference could give great testimony.

9.     Enlist the help of parish organizations and the local council of the Knights of Columbus and its grand knight to mobilize and organize the men. Even members of the Catholic Women’s Club and other women could encourage their men to attend……husbands, boy friends, fathers, sons, godsons, nephews, friends of the family, etc.

10.      To obtain the best speakers in the country (they are expensive), the Steering Committee asks for donations and/or ads for the program booklet from local businesses or council of the Knights of Columbus.  Attached is a form with instructions for obtaining the ads.  If the proprietor or key person in the business is Catholic, it should be a much easier sell and his business would have exposure throughout our far flung diocese……13 counties in all.

11.      Use the Social Media (Facebook, Twitter) and the old fashioned telephone, both voice and texting to contact the men, one on one.

          If we can get the men in good spiritual shape, we renew the family.  If we renew the family, we renew the parish, soon the diocese and ultimately the Country.  We let the women be the pillars of the parish when the men should be spiritual leaders in the parish and especially in the home.  If the mother takes the spiritual lead in the family, there’s only a 40% chance that the children will remain faithful to the church as adults.  If the father takes the spiritual lead, that probability doubles to 80%!  It's our job to put Christ into the market place......in our professions, on the job, and in the community.  That's why this Conference is so very important and you have a crucial role.  That’s why it’s so important that the every pastor asks a leader in the parish to be a parish representative for the Conference.

          To get a good turnout (each soul has immeasurable value), we need a solid program plus MARKETING, MARKETING, MARKETING.......PROMOTION AND PERSONAL SELLING.  This is 21st Century evangelization at its best.  Certainly, St. Paul and the original apostles after Pentecost would have used every marketing tool if they would have them.  I think that they were marketers of the Gospel.  May we follow in their footsteps in promoting this Men's Conference.  If we could draw an average of ten men from every parish in the diocese, this would be a big success.

           The Conference Blog at http://diosteubment.blogspot.com is designed to help you promote the Conference and when it is over, to improve and maintain men’s spirituality with excellent articles.  My personal blog at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com has many more articles on men’s spirituality.  If I can be of any help, please call me at 740-245-9404 or e-mail me at pauls@rio.edu.  Thank you so much for your help and God bless.

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St. Joseph, model of a true man of God, pray for us & for the success of the Conference.
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