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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Men's conference delivers 'powerful messages'

by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published April 18, 2008

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Attendees of the sixth annual Put Out Into the Deep Catholic Conference for Men bestow a blessing on young men before the latter attend a breakout session during the event. About 3,000 men were on hand at University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall for the men's conference April 12.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic A stadium filled with men listen as Cardinal Adam Maida introduces speaker Michael Timmis at the annual men's conference.

Detroit — God has called men to stand together, find strength in one another, fight back the forces of evil, and spread the powerful word of salvation to all who they encounter each day.

And according to attendees, the sixth annual Put Out Into the Deep men's conference last weekend gave thousands of men renewed motivation to do just that.

"It's very inspiring to see so many Catholic men on fire for the Lord and willing to come out — as I'm willing to come out here — on a Saturday to re-devote ourselves to the Lord," said 26-year-old Damon Garcia of Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor. "And to listen to the speakers. The messages that they give to us are very powerful and reawaken in us a love for the Lord and for the people who are in our lives."

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Fr. John Riccardo tells conference attendees to live in Christ and not be hamstrung by their past sins.

About 3,000 men turned out for the conference, hosted at University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall. For eight hours, the men heard spiritual talks, worshipped the Lord in song, witnessed a performance on the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, and attended Mass celebrated by Cardinal Adam Maida. Hundreds also availed themselves of the sacrament of penance; dozens of priests from the archdiocese were on hand to hear confessions.

As is the case each year, men were encouraged throughout the conference to join with each other on a regular basis in small faith-sharing groups. Since Put Out Into the Deep was started, dozens of new men's fellowship groups have been founded in parishes across the local Church.

The theme of this year's conference, "Brothers in Christ Standing Together" hit home with many of the attendees. "I'm here for the fellowship of our Catholic faith," said Jibram Manna, 47, a parishioner at Prince of Peace Parish in West Bloomfield Township who was attending the conference for a second straight year. "I believe the Catholic Church needs to do this with men and women to promote our Church and further help us grow. I think we're in danger of becoming stagnant if we don't do things like this."

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Cardinal Adam Maida elevates the chalice during the liturgy of the Eucharist at the men's conference Mass.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Catholic evangelist Richard Lane, son of the late Detroit Lion's star Dick "Night Train" Lane, tells men's conference attendees that they need to be willing to give everything for God.

Zachary Konopka, a 25-year-old seminarian for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions who's studying in Detroit, said it's a rare occasion men take to walk together in faith.

"It's one of the only opportunities where men will take an active role in really trying to create communion with one another," said Konopka, also attending the conference for the second time. "There are opportunities in your parish to do that — but nothing on such a large scale."

Attendees heard from Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth Township and co-founder of the event; Richard Lane, one of a small number of black Catholic evangelists in the United States and also son of former Detroit Lion Dick "Night Train" Lane; Kenneth Henderson, founder of the True Knights, an apostolate aimed at helping men overcome pornography addictions; and Michael Timmis, a national advocate for men's fellowship, prison ministry, and one of the driving forces behind the founding of Put Out Into the Deep. Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Flores gave the homily during the Mass.

Among what attendees heard:

• Fr. Riccardo encouraged men to leave their sinful pasts behind — no matter how bad they might have been — to become a much-needed Christian voice in their families and in society.

"Once we decide to follow Jesus as Lord, we need to make a break with our past," he said. "Especially for men, there's a constant temptation to define ourselves for what's in our past.… We're failing to walk in the freedom and the grace that Jesus has for us."

• Lane told of his uncommon journey into the Catholic faith during a military career, and his even more unlikely vocation of becoming a national evangelist. He encouraged the gathering to appreciate their communion in the Eucharist and bring their fellow men to Christ.
  
  "We are brothers in Christ," Lane said. "When you see a fallen brother on the battlefield, you pick him up and say, 'Come with me, brother, to see Jesus.' …This is who we are, brothers. And we draw our strength from Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist."
   
• Henderson told men they are the "headquarters" of their families — and that Satan, knowing this, means to attack their faith with impurity on television and on the Internet in order to destroy the family.
  
  "Satan knows our weaknesses," he said. "He knows how we're wired. We're wired visually."
  
  It breaks the hearts of their wives, he added, pointing out that the Blessed Mother at Fatima said men were "falling into hell like snowflakes" because of sins of the flesh.
   
• Michael Timmis drew a distinction between being a "practicing" Catholic who simply shows up for Mass, and a true Christian who puts all his resources, thoughts and efforts into building God's Church on earth.

He also drew an enthusiastic reaction when he told men to stand together and not be divided within the Church by labels, or based on what they do or do not agree with in Church teachings.

"I am nether a conservative or a liberal Catholic," he said, to loud applause. "I am a Roman Catholic, period." Young men at the conference also heard from Fr. Timothy Whalen, chancellor of the Orchard Lake Schools, who spoke about their relationships with God and with others.

Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Attendees of the annual Catholic Conference for Men listen to a keynote address during the conference.

Thomas Winne, 15, of Holy Cross Parish in Marine City was one of the attendees of the breakout session.

"It's a great spiritual time," he said. "There are just a lot of different messages and a lot of conversations. And having reconciliation is really nice, too."

After the speakers, actor Leonardo Defilippis put on a performance of the life of St. Maximilian, a 20th century saint who gave his life to save the life of a fellow prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. The day concluded with Mass.