2014 DIOCESAN MEN'S DAY
OF RENEWAL SATURDAY MARCH 22
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 Diocese is trying
to accomplish with the Men's Day of Renewal.
The Catholic Diocese of
Steubenville is sponsoring this Men’s Conference on Saturday March 22 from 9 am
to 3 pm at St. Mary Church in St. Clairsville (off of I-70 Exit 215). The theme is: “Get Connected: Let Christ be Your Light” 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.
During the middle ages, pilgrims would travel for days by foot or
horseback.
Our men will travel together and have great fellowship on the
way. In the past the men have returned spiritually
refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.
Expect the same this year. See
how the participants are moved by the beauty and power of
the faith. Non-Catholics are also welcome. The Conference is open to teens so this can also
be a father and son event. There will be opportunities for Eucharistic
Adoration & a Lenten Confession.
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 2013 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, our 2012 speaker, the children love Mom, but tend to follow Dad.
Dr. Ray (Guarendi), a prominent Catholic layman, is the featured
speaker to complement the Mass presided by Bishop Montforton 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”.
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. He is the author of many books which are
shown on his website, www.drray.com. They include: “You’re A Better Parent Than You Think!” (Prentice-Hall, 1985) in
its 25th printing, “Back To The
Family”, “Marriage: Small Steps,
Big Rewards”, etc.
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, 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 a greater closeness to God and eternity
which life on earth is all about.
Although
one may register at the door, please register with your parish representative (phone), as soon as possible. That would make planning (food,
transportation, etc.) easier and 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
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.
******************************************************************************************
USE THE SPACE BELOW FOR PAGES 2 & 5 OF THE ENCLOSED TRIFOLD
BROCHURE,
(i.e., the pages with the speaker photos & descriptions. Since the registration form is attached to the
poster,
page 5 may be
used instead for this space. They may
be reproduced either in color or black & white.)
CHANGE THE 3rd &
LAST PARAGRAPHS ABOVE ACCORDING TO YOUR PARISH OR KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL
SITUATION. In other words you may
adapt this as you see fit according to your parish situation. Simply copy and paste from Blog #66 of the
Conference Blog at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com.
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