AMDG
The 2014
Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal will be held at St. Mary’s Church in
St. Clairsville, Ohio on Saturday March 22 from 9 am to 3 pm. At 8:30 am before the official start of the
Conference, there will be a half hour of prayer with rosary. The program features the dynamic and
entertaining speaker, Dr. Ray Guarendi, who will challenge the men to be the
true spiritual leaders of their families now or in the future. A preview is available by clicking on
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dr.%20Ray%20Guarendi&sm=3. 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 Conference will close with a
Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament.
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| Dr. Ray Guarendi |
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 “Get Connected: Let Christ be Your Light” 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%. But Danny Abramowicz, our 2012 speaker and former all-pro wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, succinctly pinpointed a great crisis in the Church and Society in general: “The men have dropped the ball”. 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. THE CHURCH MUST REACH THE MEN!
Dr. Ray (Guarendi), a prominent Catholic layman, is the featured speaker to complement the Mass presided by Bishop Monforton and the Penance Service. Dr. Ray is a popular and entertaining speaker, appearing at conferences around the country to both secular and Catholic audiences. Having extensive experience as a clinical psychologist, specializing in counseling families, parents, and children (for school districts, Head Start programs, mental health centers, substance abuse programs, inpatient psychiatric centers, juvenile courts, etc.), Dr. Ray is most qualified to speak on the topic: “Becoming better connected with your wife and kids with Christ as a beacon of light for the family to follow now and in the future”.
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| Dr. Ray Guarendi and his family, most of whom are adopted |
As a father of 10, a
clinical psychologist, consultant, author, a dynamic public speaker with over
2000 presentations throughout the country, and national syndicated radio and
television host, Dr. Ray specializes in families. Having a unique gift of blending deep
insights, practical wisdom, and wit, he will help the men to become better
husbands and fathers in resolving problems and fulfilling their
responsibilities as the spiritual leaders of their families now and in the future.
His radio show― “The
Doctor Is In” ― can be heard weekdays on EWTN Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Sirius
satellite radio, channel 160, and local Catholic radio stations. Dr. Ray also hosts his own national television
show on EWTN, “Living Right With Dr. Ray.”
You can also listen or watch live online at ewtn.com. His
many books include: “You’re A Better Parent Than
You Think!” (Prentice-Hall, 1985) 25th
printing; “Back To The Family” (Random House, 1990); “Raising Kids Right” (Catholic Answers, 2001); “Discipline That Lasts A
Lifetime” (Servant Books, 2003); “Good
Discipline, Great Teens” (Servant Books, 2007); “Adoption:
Choosing It; Living It; Loving It” (Servant
Books, 2008); “Raising Good Kids: Back to Family Basics” (Our Sunday Visitor, 2011); “Marriage:
Small Steps, Big Rewards” (Servant Books, 2011). Furthermore, Dr. Ray writes extensively in
national family magazines and newspapers.
It should be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration. The last four 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 as a tradition in our diocese, thus fulfilling a great need.
One or two good men are urgently needed in each parish as representatives 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, Chuck Schneider at (740)782-1877, (740)338-9091, or cjschn1964@yahoo.com. Men may register individually or the parish representative may collect the registration forms with payment and send them to Roger Huck; %Men’s Day of Renewal, P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715. 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.
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. Please send any donation to Roger Huck as shown above. Businesses also may place ads in the program brochure by calling Roger Huck at (740)984-2234 by February 15.
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 part of the new evangelization......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, Chuck Schneider 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.
Please submit your registration as soon as
possible. Registration will be accepted at the door, however, doing so in
advance makes our planning more efficient and also helps to minimize waiting at
the conference entrance.
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 more 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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