(7) Urgenty Needed: A Few Good Men to Promote the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

        If the Men of the diocese 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.

        A successful and well attended Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal on Saturday March 10 at St. John's Church in Bellaire (9 am to 3 pm) would be a big step in that direction. An excellent program is in place. Danny Abramowicz, 1969 All Pro Wide Receiver of the New Orleans Saints and former Offensive Coordinator (top assistant coach to Mike Ditka) of the same team, is the featured speaker in both the morning and afternoon sessions. A Penance Service and Mass is included. Helping men to get into good spiritual shape is the mission of Danny Abramowicz in his program “Crossing the Goal” on EWTN Catholic television and in talks around the country. However, marketing is crucial to the success of this Conference.

        The Steering Committee for the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal has sent posters, brochures, and registration forms to every parish in the diocese and is asking each one to promote the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal.......announcements in the bulletin and from the pulpit, a bulletin insert, etc. Parish organizations such as the Knights of Columbus can also be a big help. But the most important of all is a leader and a few good men in each parish to assure that the overall promotion is adequate and mobilize the other men of the parish to attend.......one on one selling of the Conference and to organize the men to go as a group in the parish van, a van pool, or hiring a bus.

          That would be great fellowship and would solidify the parish as the men get to know each other better, especially if the pastor accompanies them. If the distance is great, there would be a pilgrimage flavor, especially if there's prayer and discussion of the day's events. Pastors, already overworked, can't do it all, especially the grunt work of promotion. They urgently need the help of the laity. Even the women could encourage their men to attend. Promotional materials may be obtained from pauls@rio.edu or from http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com.

          Thus the Steering Committee asks for at least one or two representatives from each parish. The pastor could appoint a representative or a leader could inform his pastor and volunteer. In any event each parish representative is asked to make his availability and contact information known to the Chair of the Steering Committee, Steve Ishmael at 740-635-2102, 740-296-9927, or swi167@comcast.net. The parish representative may collect the registration forms and send them to Ishmael at P.O. Box 167; Lansing, OH 43934 by February 15 and pay only $20. This may also be done individually. Make the check payable to the Diocese of Steubenville and write “Men's Day of Renewal” on the memo line of the check.

(6) Danny Abramowicz Featured in Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal at St. John's Church in Bellaire, Ohio

                 
           
      For the third consecutive year, the Diocese of Steubenville is sponsoring a Men's Day of Renewal on Saturday, March 10 from 9 am to 3:30 pm (optional rosary at 8:30 am) at St. John's Church in Bellaire just south of I-470 off of Ohio State Route 7 across the river from Wheeling. For the sake of balance, it's closer to the population center of the diocese and easier for the men from the north end. 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 and Penance Service the featured speaker is Danny Abramovicz, an internationally known personality of EWTN's “Crossing the Goal”, a TV program (9 pm Thursdays, 6:30 pm Sundays & 6:30 am Mondays) to form men of God, which many women also find interesting. His claim to fame in the secular world is All-Pro wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints in 1969 when he led the NFL in receptions and a charter member of the Hall of Fame of the Saints, the 2010 Super Bowl winner. From 1997 to 2000 he was Mike Ditka's Offensive Coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. Abramowicz is also a local boy.......Steubenville Catholic Central alumnus, who later broke records at Xavier University and is a member of its Sports Hall of Fame. He will share many spiritual lessons learned in his career with many examples from the game of football applicable to the game of life where the stakes are much more serious.......one's soul and everlasting life.

         The first two conferences were held at the magnificent St. Mary's Church in Marietta, the geographic center of the diocese. This involved a mini-pilgrimage of about three hours for the men in the north although that had some great benefits.......a real 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. Now the men of the south will have that opportunity.

         The Steering Committee would like to thank the men for their sacrificial participation in past conferences and especially the pastors and parishes representatives (more are needed), who are critical for bulletin announcements & inserts, word of mouth one-on-one promotion, organizing car pools, and the ultimate success of the Men's Day of Renewal. A great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer would be the $20 registration for the men in your life.......husband, father, son (18 or over), grandson, boy friend, etc. A bag lunch is provided. One may register with the Chair of the Steering Committee: Stephen Ismael; P.O. Box 167; Lansing, OH 43934. Please include the name, address, phone, e-mail address, and parish with a $20 check made out to the Diocese of Steubenville. More information: Steve Ismael at 740-635-2102, 740-296-9927, or swi167@comcast.net. Donations to underwrite the Conference and keep the registration at a low price are greatly appreciated.

(See photo below by the New Orleans Times Picayune early in his career with the New Orleans Saints)