Approximately 150 young men of high school age and their fathers, grandfathers or other male mentors gathered at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls on Jan. 29 for the third daylong Young Catholic Men’s Conference.
Event organizers said YCMC is an initiative to encourage and strengthen men in their Catholic life and how to live it in today’s culture. With the cooperation of religious, the event was produced by a group of committed lay Catholics who recognize the challenges of Christian manhood.
Throughout the day, participants heard from a cadre of speakers, including Bishop Edward Malesic. Conference topics included sports, science, dating, managing stress, spiritual growth, culture and dignity. There also was time for Mass and confession, as well as gym time. There were two tracks: one for the teens and one for their adult mentors.
Opening the day was keynote speaker Father Larry Richards, whose topic was “Be a Man – Becoming the Man God Created you to be.” Ordained for service to the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, he is the founder and president of The Reason for our Hope Foundation, an author, speaker, host of the EWTN internet radio show “The Reason for Our Hope” and makes frequent appearances on EWTN. Father Richards is pastor of St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community in Erie and founder of the Divine Mercy Encounter retreat program for the Diocese of Erie.
Bishop Malesic addressed both the teens and mentors, offering seven “missions” or, as he called it, “homework,” to focus on after leaving the conference.
The bishop noted that seven is a prominent number in Catholicism. It’s the number of sacraments, spiritual works of mercy and gifts of the Holy Spirit. His seven “missions” are:
Remember who you are and whose you are. Because of baptism, they are beloved sons of the Father, in whom he takes great delight, the bishop said. “You belong to him. He will never fail you. First task: Remember that.”
Pray and fast. He encouraged the group to attend Mass or pray a rosary. “Always have a rosary in your pocket. It is a strong defense against evil,” he said. “Our relationship with Jesus has to be your first relationship, our first love.” But in order to have that relationship, it may mean sacrificing – or fasting – from certain things, perhaps Netflix, social media, some foods, constant background noise or whatever else gets in the way of a relationship with God/
Study. He reminded them that some of the brightest minds of Western civilization were saints, including St. Basil, St. Athanasius, St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Theresa of Avila and Edith Stein, also known as St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. He mentioned other prominent Catholic thinkers and scientists, telling the group it is “part of your calling as a baptized Christian to know your faith, to understand your faith. So, study your Bible, your catechism, read good books, watch good videos and never stop learning about your Catholic faith, which is true, good and beautiful.” The bishop also urged them to avoid people who have nothing good to say about the Church, its bishops or teaching.
Honor women. “In a particular way, because of who Mary is as the new Eve, as the Immaculate Conception, and because of who we are as men, we need to honor Mary and ask her to help us to honor all women and love and respect them as Jesus did,” the bishop said. “We need to love women as Christ loved his Church.” Also, they are called to marriage, he said they should ensure it is within the Church and as the Church teaches.
Love and serve the poor. The two most prominent images of Jesus are in the cradle and on the cross, the bishop said. God comes to us as a helpless baby in the cradle and as a dying man on the cross – both images of powerlessness. In the Eucharist, he comes to us in the most humble way, in bread and wine. In addition, the bishop said Jesus might hide himself in the poor. “If you claim to have a good prayer life, you’ll know it is genuine by the way in which you serve others,” he said, urging them to pray for the poor, but noting that must lead to doing something for them, also.
Love your enemies. “To love is to will the good of the other for the sake of the other. So, we should want what is best for our enemies,” Bishop Malesic said. “And we should pray for them Prayer softens the heart.” He said the world is angry, but it can become less angry by loving our enemies, as Jesus commands. ”The world teaches us to hate. Jesus teaches us to love. Love even your enemies.”
Pray about your vocation. The bishop said our first call as Christians is to be holy, a call or vocation received at baptism. However, as we grow, Jesus calls us to a more specific way of discipleship. “I’m asking you to seriously consider not so much your plan for yourself, but to really open your heart and mind to whatever it is that God wants of you,” he said, noting the Church needs good Catholic men, husbands, fathers and priests. “Jesus has a plan for each of you in this room. It may not be what you think it is, but his plan is better than anything you could think up on your own.” There may be some suffering by following God’s plan, but ultimately, he said it would bring happiness and holiness.
The bishop suggested going to Mass with great reverence and speaking to Jesus from the heart, asking him what he wants of each of them. “He’ll answer when he’s ready.”
Other speakers for the breakout sessions included Father Jacob Bearer, administrator of St. Lucy Parish in Middlefield; Father Ryan Mann, administrator, St. Basil the Great Parish in Brecksville; Father Mike McCandless, diocesan vocation director; Luke Brown, a licensed professional counselor, founder of Sacred Heart Counseling and adjunct professor at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe; Tommy Dome, youth minister at St/ Basil Parish; Marty Dybicz, a retired high school theology teacher, author and speaker; Erin Hogan, youth minister at St. Basil Parish; Jim Hogan, a teacher at St. Helen Parish in Newbury and an author; Paul Koopman, youth minister at St. John Neumann Parish in Strongsville; Dean Robinson, Catholic relationship manager for Ohio Catholic Federal Credit Union, former youth minister and director of religious education and a speaker; Drew Vilinsky, founder of the St. Ignatius Sports and Arts Chaplaincy Program, theology teacher and hockey coach; and Cameron Bick and Peter Ogden, missionaries with The Culture Project.
There also were vendor booths featuring resource material and information from local Catholic radio stations and Catholic organizations.
For more information on YCMC, click here.