The morning began with Eucharistic adoration. Reconciliation was available during the lunch break. Inspirational music by Matt Fafrak was sprinkled in throughout the day. Add to the mix three motivational speakers, and it was another successful Catholic Men’s Conference.
Nearly 500 men gathered for a day of faith and fellowship to attend the 19th annual Catholic Men’s Conference on March 23 at the Holiday Inn in Independence. The main conference themes were how have we encountered God in our life, how to be open to that encounter and how can we help others to encounter God.
Jon Leonetti, Iowa Catholic Radio host and author, was the first to speak. His topic was the power of the cross and how to pray for intercessions from saints. Leonetti provided historical backgrounds for some of the saints.
Pete Burak is the director of a Catholic outreach seeking to form young adults into intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. He talked to the group about how to evangelize to others where they are.
Tying it all together was Bishop Nelson Perez with his address. His topic was “Bring Christ and be Christ to Those Around You.”
“How can we ‘be Christ’ so that we can ‘bring Christ?’” the bishop asked. He said too many times we as Catholics look sad and gloomy – “like we just left a funeral. Who would want to follow us when we don’t look happy? Come and follow me and be miserable?” He said there always will be a lot of voices to try to bring people down, suggesting that they look at history. “At this time 2,000 years ago, they were trying to kill the Messiah,” he said. “There’s no room for pessimism. We need to follow the message Pope Francis gives us in his apostolic exhortation, ‘The Joy of the Gospel.’” In that work, the pope tells people to be hopeful and be joyful.
“This is the message that we need to sell to others,” the bishop said. He then gave attendees an exercise, asking them to recall a person who brought Christ to them and who was Christ for them.
“What did they say, what did they do and what did it bring about for you?” he asked. Attendees then were told to discuss their thoughts at their tables. A few minutes later, he shared more thoughts about the “Joy of the Gospel” and the Gospel readings. “Those are the messages we tell people,” he said, reminding all that the Gospel messages are those of encounters with Christ. Encounters so powerful, he said, that people were willing to lose their lives. Citing Moses and Abraham as examples, Bishop Perez reminded those in attendance that they, too, need to be open to encounter. God found Moses and Abraham and they were open to receiving him, the bishop added.
Bishop Perez also referred to another term Pope Francis uses -- “the fragrance of Christ” -- and how we can bring it to others.
“We create an environment around us every time we enter a room. That’s our fragrance. We all have one,” he said. “The question is, which are you -- good news or bad? If you want to bring Christ to others, remember who brought him to you.”
The conference concluded with Mass celebrated by Bishop Perez. In his homily, the bishop reminded everyone that God is a God of second chances with Lent signifying this as it is a time for transformation. In Old English, the word Lent means spring and in the spring, farmers begin to churn their land, remove old dirt, clean and plant new seed. We do the same with ourselves during the season of Lent.
“God is a God of second chances because of the value we have in God’s eyes. If that doesn’t bring us joy, I don’t know what will,” he said.
Next year’s conference will be on March 21, 2020. Learn more at cmfneo.com.
