AMDG
I sent the following
introduction and press release to the Catholic newspapers within a 200 mile or 3
hour radius of Caldwell, OH, our Men's Conference site. Thus I included the diocesan newspapers of
Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Parma (Byzantine), Pittsburgh, Wheeling-Charleston
WV, and Steubenville Ohio. Any press
release should be sent a month prior to the Conference because Catholic
newspapers are published only once a week or every other week. Thus deadlines are easily missed.
The addresses were easy to obtain by googling
the internet. I sent the press release by e-mail all at once to the entire
list. My philosophy was that the e-mail addresses one or two of the 9 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.
A blurb was published in the Community of God's Love Bulletin at https://coglove.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019.0217WEB.pdf
“Youngstown Catholic
Exponent” <exponent@youngstowndiocese.org>,
“Cleveland Catholic
Universe Bulletin Editor – Carol Kovach”
<ckovach@dioceseofcleveland.org>,
“Cincinnati Catholic
Telegraph” <cteditorial@catholiccincinnati.org>,
“Columbus Catholic Times Editor Doug Bean” <dbean@columbuscatholic.org>,
“? Columbus Catholic Times News Editor” <dgarick@columbuscatholic.org>,
“Pittsburgh Catholic News Editor”
<pzezza@pittsburghcatholic.org>,
“Parma Byzantine Eparchy Horizons Editor - Laura
Ieraci” <viscom@parma.org>,
“Pittsburgh Eparchy Byzantine Catholic World”
<archpitt@aol.com>, <bcw@archpitt.org>,
“West Virginia Catholic Spirit Director of Public
Information & Marketing Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston - Tina High”
<thigh@dwc.org>, “Colleen Rowan – Editor” <crowan@dwc.org>, <tbishop@dwc.org>,
March 18, 2019
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 press release. For those who do not attend, the press release
also gives a taste of the speaker's message, which challenges the men to recognize
that inevitable suffering can be very productive and can help us to become
saints.
Feel
free to edit and condense it as you see fit.
If space is lacking, please at least consider the short announcement below
for your Events section or Church Calendar.
You may contact me at 740-245-9404.
Photos of the main speaker, Mark
Nehrbas, are attached as well as the Conference brochure and other information.
Thank
you for your consideration and God bless.
PRESS RELEASE
 |
| Mark Nehrbas, the main speaker. |
Sooner or later every person will have to suffer. That’s the human condition. Will we be able to confront it when it’s our turn? At this year’s Men’s Conference at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell on March 23 (9 am to 4 pm) we have Mark Nehrbas, who has given talks all over the country and will speak from his own personal experience. He has fought a six year battle against an aggressive form of stomach cancer. He went to Lourdes and was healed! Nehrbas will give his testimony of what he went through. He will give tips on how to cope with suffering when our time comes. He will show how suffering can make us saints. By uniting our cross with the Lord’s cross and offering it up to God as a dynamic prayer for our intentions, suffering can be very productive. It will be a great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual invigoration. Fathers are encouraged to bring their teen aged sons for a shared experience.
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.”
This demonstrates the
importance of the Diocesan Men’s
Day of Renewal to be held on Saturday March 23 from 9 am to 4 pm at St.
Stephen’s Church in Caldwell off of 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 Holy
Hour, the Penance Service, and Mass presided by Bishop Monforton, the featured
speaker is Mark Nehrbas. As director of
Christian Outreach at the Franciscan University of Steubenville for 13 years,
he directed and developed the Summer Conferences to national prominence, now
attracting 50,000 participants each year in Steubenville and at different
branches. A dynamic speaker, he has
given talks at conferences all over the country.
The
morning talk, “Victory of the Cross in My
Battle With Cancer” will
be his personal testimony of what he went through since 2012, a six year
journey…….the anxiety, the fear, the pain, and the frustration over two
separate bouts of an aggressive form of stomach cancer……two major surgeries,
countless days with painful chemo, repeated doses of radiation. Through all
this, his prayer life became more intense; his faith and trust in God
deepened. Mark Nehrbas tried every path
except one. Providentially and
unexpectantly, a generous friend, a Knight of Malta, offered to sponsor him and
his wife, Carol for a pilgrimage to the great Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in
France. Before leaving in May of last
year, his doctor indicated that his cancer had come back and would have to
resume aggressive treatments after the pilgrimage. At the time Nehrbas was unaware that his
tumor marker count shot up to over 300.
He was reexamined upon his return and the tumor count was normal with no
trace of cancer! The Muslim doctor was
baffled! Mark knew that it’s a miracle!
In
the afternoon talk, “Victory
Over Suffering: Lessons Learned From the Cross”. Mark Nehrbas will explore the mystery of
suffering, why God permits it, how he confronted it, how he grew from it, the
lessons he learned, how it can be very productive, and how it can make you a
saint. The most important of all is that
sooner or later every one of us will have to suffer. We can choose to be miserable or we can
choose to unite our suffering with the cross and offer it all up as a dynamic
prayer for the conversion of sinners as Mary requested at Fatima, for our
Church in deep crisis, for the souls in Purgatory, for the world, and for our
loved ones. Such Redemptive Suffering by
many people can ultimately save the world.
The theme is “The
Cross as a Source of Strength and Path to Ultimate Victory Over All Adversity”
with St. Joseph, model of a true man of
God, as the Conference’s patron. Through the power of faith men must rise up to be the
spiritual leaders of their families, to do their part in renewing their
parishes, be servant leaders in the community, and to make a difference for
Christ by applying the social teachings of the Church to their
professions. 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.
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is to focus on the spiritual development of the men. 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.
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. There’s also a recent article on another
blog, “A Little Bit for God and His People” at paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com (#217). One may also contact paulrsebastian@yahoo.com
or call 740-245-9404. Attached are the
Conference brochure and photos.
A great day of enjoyable fellowship and spiritual reinvigoration
is expected. But most of all, the organizers hope 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.
AS A
SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE EVENTS SECTION OR CHURCH CALENDAR
Diocesan
Men's Day of Renewal Saturday, March 23 from 9 am – 4 pm at St. Stephen’s Church in Caldwell (off of Exit
28 on I-77 a half hour north of Marietta). The theme is “The
Cross as a Source of Strength and Path to Ultimate Victory Over All Adversity”. The
main speaker is Mark Nehrbas, former director of Franciscan University
conferences and noted speaker himself, will give a testimony regarding his
victorious six year battle with stomach cancer and miraculous healing at
Lourdes. More important, he will teach us the lessons he learned
from his suffering, how to confront it, and how it can you a saint when it’s
your turn to suffer as part of the human condition.
 |
| Mark & Carol Nehrbas at Lourdes where he was healed. |
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