MEN’S DAY OF RENEWAL MARCH
7: LENTEN SACRIFICE & OPPORTUNITY
If the mother takes the
spiritual lead in the family, the probability that the children will remain
faithful to the Church as adults is about 40%.
If the father takes the spiritual lead, that probability doubles to 80%. This is crucial because we are losing our
youth. As Danny Abramowicz of “Crossing
the Goal” on EWTN likes to point out, “The children love Mom, but tend to
follow Dad.” Thus the participants in
the Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal on Saturday March 7 at
St. Bernard’s Church in Beverly (9 am to 4 pm) on Route
339 are challenged to become true men of God........dynamic Catholic leaders
who will change the world, beginning with their families, their parishes, their
communities, and the marketplace through their jobs.
Therefore, Dr. Allen Hunt, a
partner of Matthew Kelly at the Dynamic Catholic Institute (www.dynamiccatholic.com),
will talk on “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”…….. prayer,
study, generosity, and evangelization in the morning session. His afternoon talk will focus on his journey
to the true faith and how God revolutionizes our lives with His real presence
in the Eucharist and its remarkable power for each of us. A former pastor of a mega-church of 15,000
people, he will share his journey to find the truth and discover the beauty and
splendor of the Catholic Church. Cradle
Catholics will obtain a deeper appreciation of the Church.
In 1992 Dr. Hunt presented a series of talks
to a group of Dominican sisters at the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in North
Guilford, Connecticut. The nuns decided
as a prayer project to pray for his conversion.
It took them 15 years. Since
discovering the truth, he went through 15 years of struggle to make the final
decision to leave his mega-church and make a complete change of life and
convert to Catholicism. This act of
courage and integrity meant being ostracized by colleagues and friends and
losing his prestigious position. Recent
converts, those in RCIA, and others who have discovered the truth, but are struggling
with the decision to enter the Church can identify with him.
Allen Hunt is also a best-selling author of “Confessions
of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic
Church”; “Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody”; and “Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help
You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself”. They can be obtained from his website at www.DynamicCatholic.com.
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. This
is crucial to the Church, now and in the future. It is also critical for
nurturing vocations. The theme of the
conference is “This Old House: Ever Dynamic, Ever New” with St. Joseph, model
of a true man of God, as its patron.
It involves sacrificing most of a Saturday with some travel, but Lent is all about 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 leave in the parish van at 7:30 am and
have great fellowship on the way. See
how the participants are moved by the beauty and power of
the faith. The
experience of seeing so many men enthusiastically participating and lifting up
their voices in song is uplifting. There
will be opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration & a Lenten Confession. The Conference is open to teens so this can also
be a father and son event, a shared experience. Non-Catholics are also welcome. In the past the men have returned spiritually
refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.
Expect the same this year.
There’s
more information on the diocesan website, www.diosteub.org
and the Conference Blog, “Becoming a True Man of God” at diosteubmen.blogspot.com
which is also 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. The
Men's Day of Renewal is growing into an annual event in our diocese, thus
fulfilling a great need.
Although
one may register at the door, please register with Paul Sebastian (245-9404),
as soon as possible. That would make
planning (food, transportation, etc.) easier & minimize waiting at the
door. Sign up is in back of the church.
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 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.
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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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USE THE SPACE BELOW FOR THE LOWER 2/3 OF THE ONE PAGE 8 ½
x 14 BROCHURE,
(i.e., paste the part with the speaker photos & descriptions of
Bishop Montforton and Allen Hunt, the schedule for the day, and the
registration form. They may be
reproduced either in color or black & white.)
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