Courage in the family
Father, son to share discipleship message
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 9, 2007
Gregg McIntosh | The Michigan Catholic
Former Chrysler Corp. Chairman and CEO John J. Riccardo and his son, Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of St. Anastasia Parish in Troy, both will be speaking at the Put Out Into The Deep conference for Catholic men March 24. The father son duo will speak on the topic of following Christ with moral courage. | Troy — John J. Riccardo saw it all before in the 1970s. He was chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler Corp. when it went down: red ink, massive losses, layoffs, depressing headlines, and a sense that the company — and the way of life for a quarter million employees — were going down the drain.
But when Riccardo stands in front of thousands of men this month he'll challenge them to relegate worries about their company, in relation to their walks with Christ, to a particular part of the automobile's anatomy: the back seat.
"My priorities were very simple," said Riccardo of his years atop the auto giant, which now is a struggling portion of the DaimlerChrysler Corp. in Auburn Hills. "I had the priority of God first, family second and company third."
Riccardo is one of several men speaking at Put Out Into The Deep, the Catholic conference for men held annually at University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall. The March 24 conference, themed "Courageous Companions of Christ," is meant to help men connect more personally with Christ and charge them anew with the bold responsibility of bringing Him into their hearts, families, jobs, and every aspect of their lives.
A driving force behind the conference, now in its fifth year, is one of the crowning accomplishments of Riccardo's life — his son, Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of St. Anastasia Parish.
Christian normality
The senior Riccardo, the son of an Italian laborer who immigrated to New York, began his journey in the workforce as a young factory worker and wound up a corporate czar. He married Thelma 56 years ago and raised five children. Fr. Riccardo was the youngest.
Through his life he's known that true success is gauged only through the eyes of the Creator and Savior.
"It is worth keeping your priorities, because God is always faithful," he says. "Even though it's difficult at the time and you don't always know where it's going to end up, you've got to stay with it."
As a youngster, his son, Fr. Riccardo, recalls walking into the basement in their Birmingham home. His father, riding his exercise bike, would always be reading the news. Not the Wall Street Journal or Automotive News, but the Good News.
"He used to read the Office of Readings and the Scriptures," Fr. Riccardo says. "He still does."
Growing up in the Riccardo household, talking to God was no different than family members talking to one another. That's just the way it was.
When young John Riccardo had his friends over to play basketball, there was dad. And when they went inside to join the family for dinner, the older Riccardo led them in prayer — not a rote "Bless us, oh Lord," but an actual conversation with the Father.
"It was a really normal presentation of what it means to be a Godly man," Fr. Riccardo says of his father. "It was obvious growing up that it was just a reflection of what was inside of him. There was no abrupt shift — 'now I'm going to put on my faith mask.' It was the same guy who told me I threw a lousy pitch who was also telling me I should be praying."
Like father…
Both Riccardos are quick to point out that talking openly to and about God should be a normal part of the family.
"It's not like it was just us," John Riccardo, Sr., says.
Fr. Riccardo himself continued his conversation with God while, like his father, he finished a degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and entered the corporate world. The images of his father praying were with him as he later heard God's calling for him to become a priest.
"As much as I admire (Pope) John Paul II and as much as he is one of my heroes, my dad is my hero," Fr. Riccardo says.
While to metro Detroit, the older Riccardo was the executive with 230,000 employees on his shoulders — sometimes a corporate legend, sometimes a scapegoat — at home he was a model of respect toward his wife, and an open and honest father who wanted his children to know God.
"The best way for a young man to become strong, virile, courageous, loving, compassionate — all the things that a real man is — is to have it modeled for him by his dad," Fr. Riccardo says.
Wanted: Courageous men
And in this society, it takes a certain strength to let Christ shine through.
"We tend to not put courage and our faith together often enough in our modern age," Fr. Riccardo says. "Obviously it takes no small amount of courage to truly be a Christian."
Another thing that takes courage, he adds, is the need for fellowship.
"In order to be courageous, I need brothers," he says. "We need examples of courage. We need guys to be in the midst of whatever it is we're going through together. Men need men.
"A lot of guys are afraid that it's going to be over sentimental, that we're all going to hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya' and who knows what's going to happen," Fr. Riccardo adds. "They're just normal guys. They just happen to know that the only thing that can satisfy them is God."
And for normal guys who want to hear from the man who ran a huge and oft-beleaguered automaker by talking to the King of the Universe every morning?
"There was a lot in (those years) that's worth sharing, because things happened where it was like God was talking to me, He was leading me or helping me," John Riccardo, Sr., says. "But if they want to hear that, tell them to come to the men's conference."
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Put Out Into The Deep V
What is it? A day of worship, Mass, fellowship and dynamic speakers to help and reinvigorate men in their daily walk with Christ.
The theme: Courageous Companions in Christ.
Who's speaking? Saginaw Bishop Robert Carlson; Ralph Martin, author and director of graduate programs in the new evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit; John Riccardo, former chairman and CEO of Chrysler Corp. ; Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of St. Anastasia Parish, Troy; and others.
When: Doors open at 7 a.m., conference 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24.
Where: Calihan Hall, University of Detroit Mercy, 4001 W. McNichols Road, Detroit.
Cost: $40 in advance; $50 at the door; $25 students.
For information: (734) 459-9558 or visit www.mensfellowship.com. |
Related Links:
Men's Fellowship
5th Annual Conference for Men
Youth Breakout Session
Conference Tickets Online
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