AMDG
The 2013 Steubenville
Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal will be held on March 16 from 9 am - 3 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell,
Ohio (1/2 hour north of the twin cities of Marietta, OH & Parkersburg, WV off of Exit 25 on I-77 and 1/2 hour south of I-77). The theme is “Embracing the Faith” with St. Joseph as the patron of the
Conference. At 8 am before the official
start of the Conference, there will be a Holy Hour with Exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament and Rosary. The
program includes the dynamic and entertaining speaker, Fr. Larry Richards, who
will challenge the participants to be true men as God intended. Too many of us really don’t know what true
manhood is. Also included is a Penance
Service and a Mass presided, by Bishop Jeffrey Monforton. The priests attending will concelebrate with
him.
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. These are crucial to the Church, now and in the future, not
to mention the critical need for nurturing vocations. The theme of the Conference is “Embracing the
Faith” with St. Joseph, model of a true man of God, as its patron. The distance is great for many, but that
gives the Conference a pilgrimage flavor and Lent is all about sacrifice. After all, we're in a Super Bowl, and each
one of us must win it. The trophy for
victory, the prize is eternal salvation, everlasting happiness in heaven when Christ Himself
would say to you...... “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Too often
the women are the pillars of the parish.
It is essential that the men take the spiritual lead in the family and
in the parish. One holy woman in our
diocese likes to challenge the men and say: "I don't see many REAL men
around".......i.e., authentic men of strong character, virtue, and
integrity.......willing and able to put Catholic values into their families,
their professions, and the public square.
She refers to some research. It
concludes that if the mother takes the spiritual lead in the family, there is
in the neighborhood of a 40% probability that the children will remain faithful
to the Church in later life. However, if
the father takes the spiritual lead, that probability doubles to about 80%. If the men can get into good spiritual shape,
we'll have stronger families and parishes.
Set the men on fire and
you renew not only the parish, but the entire diocese and ultimately the
Country, thus transforming Society.
Fr. Larry Richards, the main speaker, is a captivating, dynamic, and
entertaining speaker as well as a favorite at men’s conferences around the
country. He has considerable experience
as a counselor and in conducting many retreats, parish missions, and
conferences for people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. He will answer some of the most profound
questions that men encounter in their lives.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nprg5Ew6Mo
to preview.
| Fr. Larry Richards emphasizes a point at one of his conferences. |
Fr.
Richards is the author of the best seller, “Be a Man! Becoming the Man God
Created You to Be”
which challenges men to be true men as God intended with manly virtues such as
love, wisdom, courage, integrity, and compassion to pursue holiness, to make a
difference in the world, and to live as a beloved son of God, revealing the
meaning of a man’s life. Fr. Larry
inspires men to become the true heroes they long to be. He recounts his struggles to learn true
manhood, as well as the inspiring stories of others he has served. He tells men
how to focus on the right goals, to live according to the Holy Spirit, to be a
man of true love and of wisdom, to appreciate properly the differences between
men and women, to pursue holiness, and to make a difference in the world. Not
preachy but direct, Father Larry challenges men to be strong, without putting
on a mask of false strength or machismo. He calls men to admit their faults, weaknesses,
and limitations, while urging them to find strength in faith and genuine love
to overcome their sins and faults.
He
often appears on EWTN, hosts his own national radio show, “Changed Forever” on
Relevant Radio at www.relevantradio.com and other stations
on Saturday 8 pm & Sunday 11 am. Fr.
Larry Richards is
the founder and president of the Reason for Hope Foundation dedicated to
spreading the good news of the Gospel (see www.TheReasonForOurHope.org) by educating others about Jesus
Christ and giving insights on true manhood.
Fr.
Richards, born in Pittsburgh, earned a degree in Mental Health at the College
Seminary at Gannon University. He
completed his priestly training and studies in Theology at St. Vincent
Seminary; received a Master of Divinity degree; and was ordained in 1989. He is the pastor of St. Joseph Church and the
Bread of Life Community in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Fr. Larry is also the Spiritual Director of the TEC (To Encounter Christ)
Retreat Program for the Diocese of Erie.
At the same time he is close to completing the requirements for a MA
degree in Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame.
It should be a
great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration. The last three years the men returned refreshed spiritually,
reinvigorated, and enthusiastic. Expect
the same this year. Most impressive in
prior years was the Mass concelebrated by the Bishop with up to 25 pastors who
accompanied their men. The men sang with
such enthusiasm that the walls reverberated.
It was great to see how the participants are moved by the beauty and power of the faith
and it's contagious. 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 greater closeness to God and eternity which life on
earth is all about. If successful, a
Men's Day of Renewal can become an annual event in our diocese, thus fulfilling
a great need.
One or two good men are urgently
needed in each parish to help to assure adequate promotion overall and to
promote the Men's Conference with one on one selling of the event. Then they would 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 and we'll need confessors. 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 need the help of the laity.
Each prospective 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.
This would save considerable time waiting at the door. This may also be done individually. Make the
check for $25 payable to the Diocese of Steubenville and write “Men's Day of
Renewal” on the memo line of the check.
Other Promotional Help Needed. The best form of advertising is word of
mouth. Thus we are asking participants
of past years to tell their friends about this great opportunity for spiritual
renewal. The local Knights of Columbus council can be
invaluable in mobilizing their members and the other men in the parishes. A layman could briefly talk about the
conference at the end of Mass. Other
parish groups can help with the promotion.
The women can be most valuable in encouraging their men
to attend.......husbands, sons, fathers, boy friends, etc. Certainly, they want them to be true men of
God. This is really part of the new
evangelization and every Catholic shares in that mission Christ gave us. Perhaps, the parish could help the men who
cannot afford the cost.
Donations Needed & Ads
Invited. It is very expensive to put
on a Conference of this magnitude and bring the top speakers of the
country. At the same time, the Steering
Committee is doing its best to keep the Conference affordable for each
participant during these difficult economic times. Thus we are asking for donations from
businesses, parish organizations, the Knights of Columbus, and
individuals. Ads in the program are also
available. Please send any check to
Steve Ismael as shown above. Businesses also have an opportunity to place ads
in the program brochure.
Often the enthusiasm
generated at a men's conference is contagious and
there is a spillover into parish life since the men 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 in in this
Year of Faith......to fire up the apathetic Catholic who doesn't do much beyond
attending Sunday Mass, i.e., the minimalist; to touch the drifting Catholic and
the fallen away through the publicity and inviting them to attend.
More
information is available from your pastor, Steve Ishmael above, or “Paul
Sebastian” <pauls@rio.edu> at 740-245-9404. The latter will provide the address to the
Men's Conference blog, which has a wealth of promotional materials (possible
bulletin and pulpit announcements, a possible bulletin insert, promotional
ideas at the parish level, crucial role of the parish representative, possible
talk by one of the men after Mass, etc.), interesting articles, and other
information. After the Conference
through the rest of the year, articles will be added to help the men keep in
good spiritual shape and continue in their quest of becoming true men of God.
Although
registrations will be accepted at the door, please register as soon as
possible. That would make planning much
easier and would minimize waiting at the door.
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.
· * 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
in this Year of Faith as you do your part in evangelizing, establishing the
kingdom, winning the spiritual-culture war against secularism, and putting
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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