AMDG
I sent the following introduction and press release to the secular newspapers within a 100 mile radius of Caldwell, our Men's Conference site. Thus I included Gallipolis, Athens, Marietta, Parkersburg-WV, Zanesville, Cambridge, St. Clairsville, Wheeling, Steubenville, and as very long shots Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. In addition I sent it to the diocesan newspapers of Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Parma (Byzantine), Pittsburgh, and Wheeling-Charleston WV and Steubenville.
Essentially, I sent the press release by e-mail tall at once to the entire list. My philosophy was that the e-mail addresses were easy to able to obtain by googling the internet and the press release could be sent out all at once. If only one or two of the 19 newspaper pick up the release and print at least part of it, the effort is worthwhile. Even if the reader does not attend the Conference, at least s/he receives the message behind the Conference. Two years ago the Gallipolis Daily Tribune printed the entire article.
March 8, 2013
As the person responsible for
publicity on the Steering Committee for the Steubenville Diocesan Men’s Day of
Renewal, I am submitting for your consideration the following article for your News,
Events, or Religion sections. The Men's
Conference described in the article submission below is open to men of all
faiths and it's good for the people of different denominations to know what
other churches are doing. For those who
do not attend, the article also gives a taste of the speaker's message, which
challenges the men to be true men as God intended. Too many really don't know what true manhood
is.
Feel free to edit and condense
it as you see fit. If space is lacking,
please at least consider the second paragraph for your Events section or Church
Calendar.
Thank you for your
consideration and God bless.
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. Set the men on fire and we
renew the parish, the diocese and ultimately the Country, thus transforming
Society.
That’s what the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville is
trying to accomplish in sponsoring a Men’s Conference on Saturday March 16 from
9 am to 3 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell (off of I-77 Exit 25). The theme is: “Embrace the Faith”
with St. Joseph as the
patron. The distance may be great, but
Lent involves sacrifice and the quest for holiness. That gives a pilgrimage flavor especially if the
men car pool. During the middle ages,
pilgrims would travel for days by foot or horseback.
In the
past the men have returned spiritually refreshed, reinvigorated, and
enthusiastic since the participants are moved by the beauty and
power of the faith. Non-Catholics are also welcome. This year the Conference is open to teens so this can also be a father & son event. There will be opportunities for Eucharistic
Adoration & a Lenten Confession. The
new appointed Bishop Jeffrey Montforton will preside at the Mass.
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 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, last year’s
speaker, the children love Mom, but tend to follow Dad.
The main speaker, Fr. Larry 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 (youtube.com).
He
often appears on EWTN, hosts his own national radio show, “Changed Forever” on
Relevant Radio at 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 TheReasonForOurHope.org) by educating others
about Jesus Christ and giving insights on true manhood.
There’s
more information on the diocesan website, diosteub.org and the Conference Blog,
“Becoming a True Man of God” at diosteubmen.blogspot.com which will be
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.
It should be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and
spiritual invigoration. But most of all, the organizers
believe 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.
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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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