AMDG
MEN’S DAY OF RENEWAL FEBRUARY
27: 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 February 27
at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell (9 am to 3:30 pm) off of
Exit 25 on I-77 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 Penance 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”. We really don’t know how to pray. Matthew Leonard will give us pointers.
Often appearing on radio
and television, he has written two books and a number of articles on these subjects. After serving in Latin America as an
Evangelical missionary, Matthew Leonard discovered the truth of the Catholic faith in 1998, claiming that
converting was the “greatest thing I ever did”.
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 is also critical for
nurturing vocations. 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 6:30 am and
have great fellowship on the way. They 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 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.
*****************************************************************************************************************
St.
Joseph, model of a true man of God, pray for us & the success of the Men's
Conference.
(i.e., paste the part with the speaker photos & descriptions of
Bishop Monforton and Matthew Leonard as well as the registration form. They may be reproduced either in color or
black & white.)
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