Essentially,
I sent the press release by e-mail all at once to the entire list. My
philosophy was that the e-mail addresses were easy 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. In 2011 and 2013 the Gallipolis Daily Tribune
printed the entire article.
It was picked up by at least the Steubenville Herald Star. Go to https://www.heraldstaronline.com/news/community/2016/02/steubenville-diocesan-men-s-day-of-renewal-scheduled-for-saturday/
AMDG
February 22, 2016
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 become
better spiritual leaders in the home, the parish, the community, and on the job. Too many men are relegating that
responsibility to their wives.
Feel free to edit and condense it as you see fit. If space is lacking, please at least consider
the short announcement at the end for your Events section or Church Calendar. You may contact me at 740-245-9404. A photo of the main speaker, Matthew Leonard,
is attached.
Thank you for your consideration and God bless.
PRESS
RELEASE
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 will be
held on Saturday February 27 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in
Caldwell off or exit 25 of I-77. The men 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.
To complement the Mass presided by
Bishop Monforton and Reconciliation Service the featured speaker is Matthew
Leonard. Father of five young children,
he proclaims the power of prayer as an unusually dynamic and captivating speaker
to audiences all over the U. S. and abroad.
He will first speak on the art of being a true Catholic,
while giving the men an appreciation of the faith and helping them to become
effective witnesses in our secular society.
Later in the day he will show that prayer works; prayer is power and will
help the men to learn how to pray more effectively and grow in holiness. “Lord,
teach us how to pray”. Most people
really don’t know how to pray. Matthew
Leonard, an expert on the subject, will give pointers.
Often appearing on radio and television, he has written two books and a
number of articles on these subjects. Matthew
Leonard discovered the coherence, the beauty and the splendor of the Catholic
faith in 1998. After obtaining a
Master’s Degree in Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, he became
a real estate development executive in Chicago and later a Theology instructor
at Ave Maria University in Florida.
Currently he is the Executive Director of the St. Paul Center for
Biblical Theology in Steubenville.
This
background puts Matthew Leonard in an excellent position to speak on the theme
of this year’s Steubenville Diocese Men’s Conference, “RISE UP OH MEN OF GOD” with St. Joseph as its
patron. That is through the power of
prayer rise up to be the spiritual leaders of their families, to do their part
in renewing their parishes, and to make a difference for Christ by applying the
social teachings of the Church to their professions. Matthew Leonard is the author of “Louder
Than Words – the Art of Living as a Catholic” and “Prayer Works – Getting a Grip on
Catholic Spirituality”.
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 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.
The men will 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 a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration and optional 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. Registration will be taken at the door.
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. One may also contact paulrsebastian@yahoo.com
or call 740-245-9404
It should be a great day
of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual reinvigoration. But most of all, the organizers expect 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. The Men's Day of Renewal is growing into an
annual event in the Diocese of Steubenville, thus fulfilling a great need.
AS A SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE EVENTS
SECTION OR CHURCH CALENDAR
The Steubenville
Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal on The Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal will be held
on Saturday February 27 from 9 am to 3:30 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in
Caldwell off of Exit 25 of I-77. Matthew
Leonard will first speak on the art of being a true Catholic,
while giving the men an appreciation of the faith and helping them to become
effective witnesses in our secular society.
Later in the day he will show that prayer works; prayer is power. “Lord, teach us how to pray”. Most men don’t know how to pray. Matthew Leonard, an expert on the subject
will give pointers.
