Thousands expected for
fourth annual men's conference
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 24, 2006
Detroit In the Gospel, thousands of men were fed on mountainsides as they followed Jesus to hear the truth of God's kingdom.
In Detroit on March 25, the same thing will happen thousands of men from the Detroit area and beyond will come to break bread together and rededicate their lives to following the Savior.
Men's conference
What: Put Out into the Deep IV, the fourth annual Catholic Conference for Men.
When: 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25.
Where: Calihan Hall, University of Detroit Mercy, 4001 W. McNichols Road in Detroit.
Cost: $40 in advance; $50 at the door.
For information: Call (734) 459-9558 or visit www.mensfellowship.com | This time, it will happen at Calihan Hall on the campus of University of Detroit Mercy during the fourth annual Catholic Conference for Men, "Put Out Into the Deep IV."
"It's time for us to speak Jesus, to share Jesus' name together, to share the treasure we have," says Peter Herbeck, vice president and director of Missions for Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor, who will be speaking at the conference. "That's, first of all, the heart of the Christian life. What gathers us together is not just a bunch of ideas or moral disciplines what gathers us together is a person."
Since its inception, Put Out into the Deep has encouraged vocations, prompted men to follow Christ more seriously in their lives and sparked the growth of men's fellowships in parishes across the archdiocese.
This year's theme "What Legacy Will I Leave?" will be how men can build a legacy by becoming Christ-bearers in their families and in society.
In addition to Herbeck, speakers include Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of St. Anastasia Parish in Troy, who helped create the conference and each year gives its opening remarks; Deacon Alex Jones, whose powerful conversion to the Catholic Church after 25 years as a Pentecostal/evangelical minister brought many others closer to God; and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., who will address how the sanctity of life should be guarded by law, science and society.
Cardinal Adam Maida will celebrate Mass at 2:30 p.m. to conclude the conference.
Herbeck says that, to build a legacy as a Christian man, the man must first understand those things that hold him back.
"My talk is geared toward a call to courage to stand up, to leave a legacy of willingness to stand for the truth and what's right, for the Gospel" he says, "The first step is finding the truth about myself in the faith and the truth of God
One of the reasons we don't stand is that many of us are compromised."
Christ has touched many men through the conference particularly through what has followed past Put Out Into the Deep conferences. Perhaps the most powerful impact the conference has had on the archdiocese has been its role in establishing men's fellowship groups in Detroit-area parishes.
"The men's conference excites a lot of men," says David Farmer, a parishioner at St. John Neumann in Canton who helps establish men's groups at archdiocesan parishes. "People catch a vision for male spirituality, the power of men worshiping, and they say, 'What do I do now? I don't want it to be a flash in the pan.'
"The key at that point is to get together with other like-minded men and form a small group of guys who can share this vision and help each other grow as Christian and Catholic men."
Through his work the past couple of years helping to set up men's ministries, Farmer has come across story after story about men whose lives have been changed through opening up to other concerned Christian men.
"The real fruit of the men's conference isn't really measured in the number of attendees," Farmer says. "It's really measured with authentic conversion, what happens on an individual basis with these guys.
"Guys are dealing with serious issues, issues that are hard to talk about like same sex attraction, being on the bubble at work, teenager kids who are suffering from serious depression."
The purpose of gathering as men is to harness the power of Christ in each man and to bring the Lord's wisdom into those parts of life that are rife with sin or frustration.
Last year's men's conference was the largest yet, having drawn about 3,000 men.
Paco Gavrilidies, director of the office for evangelization in the Archdiocese of Detroit, says he hopes Christ will draw another large gathering through the conference this year.
"I'm very encouraged by a number of things," says Gavrilidies, whose office organizes the conference. "We did a survey last year, and many men expressed willingness to promote the conference. Close to 80 percent of parishes (in the Archdiocese of Detroit) are covered as far as promotion."
He added that 20 single men approached the table for priestly vocations at the last conference, and dozens more sought information on joining the permanent deaconate.
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