AMDG
I'm directing this e-mail primarily to the
grand knights and district deputies, asking them to mobilize their men to
attend the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal. However, I have sent a copy of
this to many others, some of whom may now be grand knights, as well as former
grand knights and other knights who can also promote the Men's Conference,
simply by talking it up or by acting as a parish representative. This letter is
also an invitation for all knights to attend.
February 21, 2020
Worthy Grand Knight:
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 we're trying to accomplish with the
Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal and it very much coincides with the mission of the Knights of
Columbus.......the spiritual formation of our men and to strengthen
families. However, marketing is crucial to
the success of the Men’s Conference and that's where the Knights of Columbus
can follow their tradition in being there when help is badly needed.
In the spirit of service of the Knights of Columbus, a
couple of other 4th Degree Knights and I are on the Steering
Committee and we'd like to ask for your help in two big ways.
Number
one and the most important.......as the Grand Knight, please help us to
promote the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal.
You and the leaders of your council would be invaluable in helping us to
mobilize the men of your Council and the parish to attend the Men's
Conference. It will be on Saturday
March 7 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, 506
Fourth St. in Marietta off of Route 7 or Exit 1 on I-77. One on one personal selling is
ideal. Word of mouth by those who have
gone previously would be the best form of advertising. The help of the district deputies in their
contacts with their grand knights and councils would be indispensable. Attached is our conference brochure.
The goal of the Men's Day of Renewal is to focus on the spiritual
development of the participants. The
includes helping the men to take the right path before having to face the four
last things.......Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell. 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 is “The Challenge of Being Catholic” with St. Joseph, model of a true man of God,
as the Conference’s patron whose intercession we count upon for its success. Dr.
Scott Hahn is Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the
Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. A former Presbyterian pastor, Scott entered
the Catholic Church in 1986 after a long struggle with the truth. He is internationally known through his many
books and talks.
The Conference will open with both talks of our
main speaker, Dr. Scott Hahn since he will be on his way to Rome for a lecture
series at the Angelicum Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. In his first talk, Scott will draw on
Church's teaching and his own experience to show how ordinary Catholics can
effectively share their faith, and so fulfill the New Evangelization. Every one of us, as Catholics, is called not
only to keep the faith, but also to share it with others. This talk will help
Catholic laymen to reach friends, co-workers, and family members, especially
those who are non-practicing or have drifted away from the Church. He will also
address the question, why and how can we remain faithful Catholics -- in the
face of clerical corruption and the scandals we have witnessed?
In his second talk, Dr. Hahn will speak on how
to strengthen our marriages and our family life, both of which are in
crisis. Drawing from Scripture, and
forty years of experience as a husband and a father. Scott will offer some practical tips on how
to make your home a domestic church --which St. Pope John Paul II advocated--
particularly with the help of the Holy Family.
He will also share some valuable lessons learned from his own struggles,
drawing from his most recent book, The First Society: The Sacrament of
Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order. In fact the Knights of Columbus Supreme has
begun a national program, “Building the Domestic Church and Strengthening the
Parish.
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. The men may bring their teen
age sons, godsons, relatives, and friends.
Thus the Conference can also be a father and son event, a shared
experience. After all, the Kof C is all about
family. Non-Catholics are also welcome. In the past the men have returned spiritually
refreshed, reinvigorated, and enthusiastic.
For the first time boys 18 years old and younger will be admitted
free of charge.
It involves sacrificing most of a Saturday
with some travel, but Lent is all about sacrifice and the quest for
holiness. Organizing the men to go
together in a van pool or even a bus for a two or three hour trip would be
great fellowship and give it a pilgrimage flavor, especially if there's a
rosary and discussion about the day's events along the way. During the middle ages, pilgrims would travel
for days by foot or horseback. Traveling
together is a great opportunity as well.
It can solidify the parish and the Council as the men get to know each
other better, especially if the pastor accompanies them. We will need confessors.
Another option is to stay at a motel in
Marietta and make a retreat out of it.
The Basilica is one of the most beautiful churches in the world and is
ideal for prayer and reflection. There
will be Eucharistic Adoration all day Friday until 7 pm in the Chapel of the
English Martyrs to the right of the main altar.
Stations of the Cross will follow.
The men may bring their families to stay overnight at a motel and
explore Marietta during the Conference.
Go to https://mariettaohio.org/
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, which life on earth is all
about. The annual Men's Day of Renewal
fulfills a great need.
Often the enthusiasm generated at a men's
conference is contagious since the men see fellow participants moved by the
beauty and power of the faith.
Non-Catholics are also welcome.
This is all a part of the New Evangelization......to fire up the
apathetic Catholic who doesn't do much beyond attending Sunday Mass, the
minimalist; to touch the drifting Catholic and the fallen away through the
publicity and inviting them to attend.
It's also an opportunity for your KofC Council because you'll have a captive audience
for up to four hours each way and that's great for recruiting. Another option is to stay at the Microtel
behind the Sunoco Gas Station off of the I-77 exit and make a retreat out of
it. Less than two miles from the St.
Stephen’s Church which has a parish program of Stations of the Cross (Mass at
Immaculate Conception Church nearby) on Friday at 7 pm preceded and followed by
Eucharistic Adoration. Wives could come
along and spend the day in Marietta, shopping and sightseeing. Pittsburgh is two hours away.
The
diocesan website at www.diosteub.org will
have a link to the brochure and Additional Information (for now it has the
Register article and photos of last year’s conference). Hover over the "ABOUT" Menu at the
top of the home page. Then hover on "Men's Ministry" and click
on "Men's Day of Renewal". The link to our brochure and
"Additional Information" are on the bottom left under
documents. More direct is https://diosteub.org/mens-day-of-renewal. 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. Attached are the
conference brochure and other resources.
Also
very important is a little financial help from your Council, whatever you
can afford, in underwriting the Conference so that we can charge the men an
affordable price. My Council 3335
Gallipolis has given $100 each year since 2010.
It costs over $5000 to put this on and we need a reserve for next year
to bring in the best speakers.
A leader or two in the council could do
some one-on-one personal selling, organize a van pool, and register the men,
both in the council and in the local parish.
Filling out the attached registration form in advance and giving it with
payment of $25 to a representative would speed things up at the door. A sign-up sheet would also be helpful. This would also facilitate follow up on the
undecided and for organizing a car or van pool.
A few days before the event, send a count to “Roger Huck”
<huck4816@roadrunner.com>. If
sufficient time, please send the registration form to Roger Huck; %Men’s Day of
Renewal, P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715. That would help our planning and save time
at the door. Non-Catholics are also
welcome.
Even if you are no longer the grand knight of your council,
please forward this e-mail to the current grand knight and/or bring this letter to the attention of the membership at your
next council meeting. If your next
meeting is after the Conference date, please do what you can with the promotion
by word of mouth or forward this e-mail to all the members of your council and
quickly mobilize the men by phone to go together in a car or van pool. Such a collaboration with the local diocese
could be an example for other councils all over the country. I copied many others in hope that they may be
able to help.
The
Knights have been invaluable in the past and we need your help again. Thank you so much for your past promotional
and financial help and for anything you can do this year. The paid ads of different KofC councils in
our program booklet are a big help. I
apologize for not sending you this material sooner, but there’s still time to
send at least a few men to the Conference.
For the men who are drifting spiritually or are not faithful to the
Sunday Mass obligation, this is evangelization at its best.......something that
every Catholic is called to do. God
bless.
*********************************************************************
St. Joseph, model of a true man of
God, pray for us and for the success of the Men's Conference.
*********************************************************************************
A STARTING POINT FOR A SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT
Diocesan Men's Day of
Renewal Saturday, March 7 from 9 am – 4 pm at the Basilica
of St. Mary of the Assumption in Marietta. The theme is “The Challenge of Being Catholic”. The main speaker is Scott
Hahn, internationally known speaker and author.
Scott Hahn, internationally known speaker and author, will give tips on
how each man can participate in the New Evangelization and how to make his home
a Domestic Church as proposed by St. Pope John Paul II. In fact the Knights of Columbus Supreme has
begun a national program, “Building the Domestic Church and Strengthening the
Parish. The registration fee is $25, but
for the first time boys 18 years old and under are admitted free of
charge. Contact Name of Parish Representative (phone no. & e-mail) (e.g., John
Doe (245-9404 or jdoe@gmail.com) to register.
Enjoy the fellowship by going in the van, which leaves at 6:30 am from
the Parish Hall.
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