Catholic Men’s Conference at FUS
This past weekend, I attended a men’s conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. I’d like to share a few thoughts from the weekend and a few challenges that correspond.
First off, we are all sinners. No matter how long you’ve been involved in your faith, or how many ministry ‘things’ you attend, or the number of men you’ve spoken to at conferences or how old you are… we all have room to grow. Keep working on getting better! It’s a daily thing, not just a 60 minute thing on Sundays.
Secondly, the vast majority of the Catholic population doesn’t live for Christ. They live for themselves. We all must turn away from sin and have a conversion. On Friday night of the conference, the evening’s speaker spoke of how St. Paul wrote about baptism. The imagery that St. Paul used showed that the waters of baptism are not waters of life (as most believe), but actually waters of death. These waters of death kill off the old self and require us to be born anew in Christ Jesus. The coming out of the waters requires us to live differently. This different way of life is radically different from what the world tells us life is all about. The reward of this life is not of this world, but of life eternal with God in Heaven.
Lastly, I want to convey the incredible need for additional men’s ministry programs around the country. We need to have a men’s ministry program everywhere and need to reach out to more men. No one man can do it all. So, if you are in an area that doesn’t have anything for men, then get started! I can get you the resources needed to start small faith formation groups, or to start a men’s conference, or do to weekend retreats, or whatever it may be that you’re looking for. The important element here… if there’s a need, then step up and fill the gap.
TrueMan up!
I attended the June 4-6 Men’s Conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville with my son and found it well organized and very fulfilling…….dynamic speakers, small seminars according to interest, Confession, adoration twice, Mass each day, great fellowship during the sessions, at meals, and at the dorms where we stayed. Over 150 men from as far away as Texas and Missouri participated; with better promotion and publicity, they would have gotten more to attend. You can get more details about this and other conferences at http://www.franciscanconferences.com.
Most of the men were already on fire, but the Conference served to develop leaders and equip them to go back into the trenches and the front lines where the action really is…….the parish and the surrounding communities. They pushed the great importance of men’s groups at the parish level. I’ll send more info on them and also on organizing men’s conferences. The Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Greater Cincinnati; PO Box 42488; Cincinnati, OH 45242 gives a lot of info on men’s conferences and men’s groups at the parish level (see their website, http://www.thecall.org). The King’s Men give more information on their web site, http://www.kingsmen.org. At our conference Danny Abramowicz in conversation emphasized the great importance of following up the Men’s Conference with men’s groups in the parish.
Danny Abramowicz made a big hit at the Franciscan University Men’s Conference and so did Reid Carpenter.