Robust men’s conference seeks movement beyond

The director of the archdiocese’s Marriage and Family Life Office knew the daylong gathering not only had to be non-threatening – “men don’t necessarily like to share their feelings in a group setting” – but also practical, with specific recommendations outlining what they could do after the one-day conference to bring about real change in their lives.
    

Showing men they can live out their Catholic faith as part of their everyday lives is a major goal of the archdiocesan Men’s Conference entitled “Mission Possible,” March 7 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 105 Bonnabel Blvd., Metairie.
 

Register online here.

Strength in numbers
    

“I think many men make faith and prayer and the spiritual life seem like that’s something only special or holy people or women do,” Dawson said. “We want them to hear what it actually does look like for normal guys to take advantage of this. They need to see that normal guys can take steps for spiritual growth. So many men feel like they don’t know where to start. The idea is that this is possible.”
    

The idea for a major men’s conference grew out of the experience of other conferences that have been held for men over the last two decades. There were more than a dozen Men’s Mornings of Spirituality, usually offered during Lent, Dawson said.
    

While those conferences drew large crowds, one of the shortcomings, the organizers felt, was the lack of follow-up after the event. This year’s conference, which has had wide support among parishes across the archdiocese, will attempt to provide men with opportunities to meet with each other in small groups on an ongoing basis.

Long-term focus
    

“The big focus is the need for men to have something to get moving on for a long-term change of behavior – meaning the stuff they’ve always wanted to do,” Dawson said.

“It’s reassuring as men to see other men like us willing to do something different. So, if you’ve been wanting to pray more but haven’t been able to, what’s keeping you from it? We also want to plug men into accountability and small-group formation. We don’t want the conference to be a one-off, but we want it to launch us into a year-round approach of taking advantage of companions and accountability.”
 

Noted speakers
    

The conference will have three major speakers:
    
Peter Herbeck, vice president and director of missions for Renewal Ministries, who for 30 years has done evangelization and Catholic renewal ministry in the U.S., Canada, Africa and Eastern Europe.

 

He is a co-host of the television programs, “The Choices We Face” and “Crossing the Goal,” and hosts the daily radio show “Fire on the Earth.”
“He’s a hard-hitting speaker and very ‘boots on the ground,’” Dawson said. “He’s a phenomenal speaker.”

    
Curtis Martin, founder and CEO of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Martin has a master’s degree in theology and wrote the best-selling book, “Made for More.”

 

He is the co-author of “The Real Story: Understanding the Big Picture of the Bible,” with Dr. Edward Sri, and “Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue,” with Dr. Tim Gray. He also co-hosted “Crossing the Goal.”
    

“His big mission is to try to help college students to see things differently and make some different decisions,” Dawson said. “With college students, that’s really tough to do. He talks about what it takes to get out of the rut.”
    

Joe Lombardi, the quarterbacks coach of the New Orleans Saints. Lombardi also has been an assistant coach of the Atlanta Falcons and coached at Mercyhurst College, Bucknell University, the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Dayton. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994. 
    

“Joe is well known for living out his Catholic faith and in making decisions for his personal life, his family and his coaching life,” Dawson said. “He has a demanding job that can lend itself to self-preservation and self-glorification. He can talk about what it is to have faith.”
    

The conference will include a panel discussion led by men who have been involved in small-faith groups, adoration, confession and Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond. 
    

For more information or to register for the conference, go to nolacatholicmen.com or call 861-6243. Fees are $45 for adults and $20 for students. Breakfast and lunch are included.
    

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].