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Catholic men urged to draw closer to God and his church
archived from: 2008-04-21
by: John Franko

Father Larry Richards got right to the point in issuing his challenge to the men before him.

“Be a man,” he said. “I’m sick and tired of spiritual wimps.”

Some 1,750 men received a strong message of what it means to be a man of faith during the third annual Gathering of Catholic Men on April 12 at Duquesne University’s A.J. Palumbo Center.

Presented by the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Pittsburgh, the gathering included eucharistic adoration, Benediction, inspirational speakers, uplifting music and a Mass celebrated by Bishop David Zubik.

“My brothers, who says the Spirit is not alive,” said Bishop Zubik as he was greeted by a thunderous ovation at the beginning of the all-day program.

The theme of the gathering was “Put Out into the Deep.” It focused on Christ’s challenge to the apostles to trust him enough to find things where they wouldn’t expect to find them.

“Let him penetrate more deeply into your heart and let him talk to you through the other men who are here today, even those who are not like you,” said Jeff Ludwikowski, co-executive director of CMF.

Ludwikowski urged the men to be open to each other, listen with each other and grow with each other.

The key, he noted, is for them to take their faith into their family, their parish, their workplace and their community. They must not be afraid to show their faith in the real world, in ways such as saying grace in restaurants, etc.

“You’ll have a better life, you’ll have a better family and you’ll have a better world,” he said.

A highlight of the gathering was the opportunity for the men to take part in the sacrament of penance, which was offered throughout the day. More than 50 priests joined Bishop Zubik, who spent some six hours hearing confessions.

“It’s time to come home,” Father Richards said, as he urged the men to take the opportunity. “You have nothing to be afraid of.”

A long line of penitents snaked into the upper level of the facility. Organizers estimated that as many as 1,400 men received the sacrament.

Father Richards, a Pittsburgh native, is a pastor in the Diocese of Erie. He also hosts a nightly radio show and is the founder and president of The Reason for Our Hope Foundation.

He asked the men whether they had brought more people to the devil through off-color jokes and gossip, or to Christ by their example.

“Go and make disciples is his command,” he said. “It’s not a suggestion, it’s a command.”

The greatest sin, he told them, is the lack of a prayer life. Being a good person alone doesn’t make a good Christian. Jesus lives his life through us and we cannot die for him if we do not have a prayer life.

Father Richards asked the men to promise to give at least five minutes a day to prayer. He said a failure to do so is a sign of great weakness on their part.

He spoke of attending a college football game and witnessing men cheering their hearts out. The same men mumbled their responses, however, when it came to attending Mass later that evening.

“Prayer can change the world,” he said. “The reason the world is in chains is because we don’t pray.”

He urged them to read Scripture daily, to listen to it and respond.

Father Richards advocated the “I am third” mantra. Serving Christ first and others second. In doing so, he asked the men to commit to at least one unabashed act of love each day.

“When people look into your eyes they better see Jesus,” he said. “They better not see us.”

He also asked that before going to bed that night they should sit down and write a letter to their kids to tell them how much they loved them. They should also do the same for their parents and their wives.

“If you can’t tell your wife you love her, then you’re not a man,” he said.

Chris Byers attended the gathering with his father, Deacon Stephen Byers of St. Bonaventure in Glenshaw.

Chris noted that the message of the program flipped society’s notion of what it means to be a man. He spoke of the importance of putting others first and becoming a servant for Christ.

“If you’re open to that and living to live your life in that way you can truly become the man that we’re called to be,” he said.

Chris good-naturedly told his father that he would be expecting his letter.

Deacon Byers said as a parent, telling your children that you love them is one of the most powerful and important things a man can do, no matter how old they are.

“You should be expecting a letter,” he said to his son.

Deacon Alex Jones of the Archdiocese of Detroit described his journey from a Pentecostal/evangelical minister to the Catholic faith.

He pointed out that he was searching for a church that reflected the kingdom of God, and he was attracted by the Eucharist and the words of the apostolic fathers. He also noted that only the Catholic Church can trace its roots back to Christ.

“It’s the one, holy, Catholic, apostolic church,” he shouted as the audience rose to its feet.

Deacon Jones said he had to embrace the truth and that, as a man of prayer, he could not come face to face with the truth and walk away.

Some 54 members of his previous congregations, including 14 members of his family, joined him when he entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2001.

Robert Rogers, a speaker and songwriter, told the men that they had a “sleeping giant” of spirituality within them.

In relating how he had witnessed jubilant Penguins fans leaving Mellon Arena the previous evening, he said how nice it would be if men could be as excited about their relationship with Christ.

“He wants you to be excited about him, just like those fans leaving the arena after the win over Ottawa last night,” he said.

Rogers told the men that if they follow God they can live a life of no regrets. Even if they make mistakes, he said, they can still live a life of second chances.

He urged them to receive the Eucharist each time as if it could be their last. It should mean that much to them.

He implored the men to become slaves to Christ, pointing out that it takes courage to give up control.

Rogers also asked that they recommit to a prayer life and to their family.

Many families see women take the spiritual lead, he said, because men are often lazy in their faith.

“Let them see you on your knees,” he said. “Be the leader of your family.”

Rogers urged them to study the lives of the saints, to memorize Scripture, read the “United States Catholic Catechism for Adults” and come to know God personally.

He poignantly told them that he knows the value of having a personal relationship with God.

In 2003, he was traveling along the Kansas turnpike with his wife and four children when their van was caught in a flash flood. He was the lone survivor.

Rogers spoke of having it all, then seemingly losing everything. But he still had a life because he had God.

“Thank God he will never leave or forsake us,” he said. “Thank God I took the time to get to know him.”

Rogers told the men that they can surrender to Christ or surrender to chaos. A true measure of a man, he said, is his measure of surrender.

Peter Herbeck, an international speaker and EWTN program host, described sin as a terminal illness, a life apart from God.

He said men are attracted to it and look for things in the wrong places, such as pornography.

Herbeck noted that God calls us to be holy and that men must be holy in order to see God.

“Jesus is the antidote, brothers,” he said.

He advocated frequent reception of the Eucharist and reconciliation. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he said, they can become new men and experience lives of freedom.

Dave Katich of All Saints in Etna said the talks were inspirational and thought-provoking.

“The speakers are fantastic,” he said during a break in the schedule. “They really relate well to everybody. Each one has a personal attachment to what I needed to hear.”

Don Krawiec of St. Louise de Marillac in Upper St. Clair said he was encouraged to take his faith back into the community.

“You see all these people here and you understand that you’re not alone,” he said. “It’s not just a personal thing. You are a church community and it’s important that you act that way.”

For Tom Krulikowski of St. Louise de Marillac, the message was simple.

“Learn your faith and live your faith,” he said. “That’s the courageous and right thing to do — to live your faith.”

In his homily, Bishop Zubik recognized his brother priests who heard confessions. He said it was a sign of God’s forgiveness, compassion, mercy and undying love. The bishop spoke of being a “spiritual orphan” as a teen, but he said the witness of a priest showed him what being a shepherd truly means.

He asked the men to think of the image of the Good Shepherd that they had met that day, one who speaks boldly to those who close their ears to Jesus.

Bishop Zubik told them that they must hear the voice of the one who calls them and points them to the Father. He reminded them that none of us are destined to be an orphan.

“Each one of us is deeply loved,” he said.

The bishop noted how stupid we are to ignore God’s voice and his plan. He asked those in attendance to be men of prayer and put aside society’s impression of them being self-made individuals.

“We become who God calls us to be by listening to the voice, a voice that changes us, that charges us.”

Bishop Zubik said the conference challenged them to be visible signs of the Good Shepherd.

He acknowledged that the task can be daunting. As they left the protected, sympathetic company of the conference they would enter the jungle of the secular world.

The bishop asked them to grab onto his shepherd’s staff figuratively as they seek to do what the Good Shepherd does for us.

“Jesus has come to us today and Jesus will come to the world through us,” he said.

Don Shaw of St. Hilary in Washington said the bishop demonstrated his solidarity with the men from the outset when he carried the Blessed Sacrament during a eucharistic procession.

“That’s my sign that he is very committed to the men of the diocese,” he said.

Pat Molyneaux, co-executive director of CMF, said the gathering reflected Bishop Zubik’s opinion that we are in the midst of a new Pentecost.

“To see 1,750 men gathered to worship, to pray, to celebrate their faith and, most importantly, to take that faith into their parishes and into the community is truly a sign of that,” he said.

Today’s culture gives men a counterfeit image of what true manhood is, he noted. As part of the CMF apostolate, the mission is to reprogram the minds of men based on what God has revealed about their manhood through his church and through the Scriptures.

“This apostolate is more than an event that gathers men each year for a day,” he said. “It’s an integrated apostolate of conversion, formation and mobilization.”

The apostolate is unique, Molyneaux said, in that it provides follow-up formation opportunities for men. And after they are formed, they are encouraged to launch into their parishes and communities.

Ed Corbett, facilitator of the CMF program at St. Benedict the Abbot in Peters Township, told the men of the impact it has had on his faith life.

“Because of CMF I am a better husband, a better father and a better Catholic man,” he said.

As he closed his remarks to the men, Bishop Zubik told them that if they all went out into the world and proclaimed Jesus, the world could become the place God intended it to be.

“Well, now is our chance,” he said.

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