AMDG
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| Dr, Scott Hahn, the main speaker. |
If the Men are in good spiritual
shape, the family is renewed. If the
family is renewed, the parish is renewed and so is the diocese. The men must be spiritual leaders in their
families. The men must step up and be
the pillars of the parish.......not only the women. The men must put Christ into the marketplace
and in their jobs. Set the men on fire
and we renew the parish, the diocese and ultimately the Country, thus
transforming Society. That's what we're
trying to accomplish with the Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal.
I am a member of the Steering
Committee for organizing the Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal. Having taught at Franciscan when it was in a
rather tumultuous transition from a secularized Catholic College into a Christ
centered university (1980-83) and now having my daughter Naomi as a recent
graduate in Nursing. My son Joseph was also
a student there, I have a special love for Franciscan and would love to share a
great opportunity for your students and faculty.
In that same spirit we thought that it would be great if a delegation of students, staff, and professors from Franciscan University could attend our Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal on Saturday March 7 at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption (9 am to 4 pm) 506 Fourth St. in Marietta off of Route 7 or Exit 1 on I-77. Students from Franciscan University would be great witnesses and it would be a great experience for them. If we can attract a good number of men, we will be able to provide more nationally known speakers in future years.
Dr. Scott Hahn is Professor of Biblical
Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of
Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is the Founder and
President of the St. Paul Center, an apostolate dedicated to teaching Catholics
how to read Scripture from the heart of the Church. Scott has been
married to Kimberly for forty years, and together they have six children and
eighteen grandchildren. Two of their sons are seminarians
studying for the Steubenville Diocese.
A former Presbyterian pastor, Scott entered the Catholic Church in 1986.
The author or editor of over forty popular and academic books, including “Rome
Sweet Home” and “The Lamb’s Supper”, Dr. Hahn has
delivered thousands of talks, nationally and internationally, on a variety of
topics related to Scripture and the Catholic faith.
It is essential that
the men take the spiritual lead in the family and in the parish. Too often the women are the pillars of the
parish. According to our past speaker,
Fr. Larry Richards, the probability that the children will remain faithful to
the Church in later life is about 40% if the mother takes the spiritual
lead. However, if the father does his
job as spiritual leader, that probability of later faithfulness doubles to
about 80%!!!! According to Danny Abramowicz,
the children love Mom, but tend to follow Dad. The great majority of your male
students are the future fathers and husbands in the Church. Franciscan
University has been doing a great job of forming their students; the Men's
Conference would be great supplement and a great experience.
The
theme is “The Challenge
of Being Catholic” with St.
Joseph, model of a true man of God, as the Conference’s patron.
In his first talk, Scott Hahn will draw
on Church's teaching and his own experience to show how ordinary Catholics can
effectively share their faith, and so be part of the New Evangelization. This talk will help Catholic laymen to reach
friends, co-workers, and family members, especially those who are
non-practicing or have drifted away from the Church. In his second talk, Dr. Hahn will speak on
how to strengthen our marriages and our family life, both of which are in
crisis. Drawing from Scripture, and
forty years of experience as a husband and a father. Scott will offer some practical tips on how
to make your home a domestic church.
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is to focus on the spiritual
development of the participants. The includes
helping the men to take the right path before having to face the four last
things.......Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell.
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, especially if there's a rosary and
discussion about the day's events along the way. During the
middle ages, pilgrims would travel for days by foot or horseback.
The diocesan website at diosteub.org has a
link to the brochure and Additional Information. Hover over the
"ABOUT" Menu at the top of the home page. Then hover on
"Men's Ministry" and click on "Men's Day of Renewal".
The link to our brochure and "Additional Information" are on the
bottom left under documents. 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. Attached are the
conference brochure and other resources.
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, which life on earth is all
about. The annual Men's Day of Renewal
fulfills a great need.
Often the enthusiasm
generated at a men's conference is contagious and there could be a spillover onto campus since the students see fellow participants
moved by the beauty and power of the faith.
Non-Catholics are also welcome.
This is all a part of the New Evangelization......to fire up the
apathetic Catholic who doesn't do much beyond attending Sunday Mass, the
minimalist; to touch the drifting Catholic and the fallen away through the
publicity and inviting them to attend.
Your students and their youth would stand out and be most effective
witnesses for the faith and it would be a great experience for them. The experience of seeing so many men
enthusiastically participating and lifting up their voices in song is
uplifting. In the past the men have
returned spiritually refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.
You could appoint a
student committee to mobilize students and professors with one on one selling, organize a van pool, and register the
men. Filling out the attached registration
form in advance and giving it with payment of $25 to a representative would
speed things up at the door. A sign-up
sheet would also be helpful. This would also
facilitate follow up on the undecided and for organizing a car or van
pool. A few days before the event, send
a count to “Roger Huck” <huck4816@roadrunner.com>. If sufficient time, please send the
registration form to Roger Huck; %Men’s Day of Renewal, P.O. Box 54; Beverly,
OH 45715. That would help our planning.
A layman could briefly talk about the Conference at the end of Mass. This would be a great supplement to any
promotion that you care to make in the bulletin, from the pulpit, etc. I know that there are almost two weeks and
only one week-end left before the Conference, which is not much time. I'm sorry about not being earlier, but it is
still very doable.
Hopefully, students and
professors will return on fire which would make your university parish more
dynamic. Thank you so much and God
bless.
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 brings 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.
***********************************************************************************
St. Joseph, model of a
true man of God, pray for us and for the success of the Men's Conference.
A STARTING POINT FOR A SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT
1.
Diocesan
Men's Day of Renewal Saturday, March 7 from 9 am – 4 pm at the Basilica
of St. Mary of the Assumption in Marietta. In the first talk Dr. Hahn will draw upon his
1986 conversion experience to help us to be more effective in the New
Evangelization, which applies to all of us. Hopefully the men will leave with a sense of
mission to show fallen away Catholics within their extended families and circle
of friends what they are missing by drifting away. Every Catholic has a part, small or large, in
bringing non-Catholics and unchurched friends to the Faith. Critical is selling them on the
faith........Why be Catholic despite the scandal we have suffered through?
2. Diocesan
Men's Day of Renewal Saturday,
March 7 from 9 am – 4 pm at the Basilica
of St. Mary of the Assumption in Marietta. In the second
talk Dr. Hahn will draw upon his experience as the father of six, including two
in the seminary. Scott Hahn can give us
some great tips on how to make your home a domestic church as advocated by St. Pope
John Paul II. Certainly Scott Hahn has had his struggles as we all do in
forming our families and keeping our marriages healthy. He has given
considerable thought to the Domestic Church in writing his book, "The
First Society", which today is in a grave crisis.
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