Catholic Men’s Fellowship to host conference

Staff report

LOUISVILLE

The Catholic Men’s Fellowship of the Diocese of Youngstown will have its fourth-annual men’s conference, “Rise Up, O Men of God: Carry Christ to the World,” from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 2121 Reno Drive, NE, off U.S. Route 62.

Bishop George V. Murry is the conference’s honorary chairman; he will be the main celebrant at the concluding Mass at 4 p.m.

Presenters will be:

Hector Molina, lay Catholic speaker and apologist with more than 20 years in professional pastoral ministry and leadership, on “Biblical Wisdom for Husbands and Fathers,” “The Ultimate Fighter: Overcoming Temptation” and “Why be Catholic? The Case for Catholicism.”

The Rev. James Brent, a member of the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, will present “Love, Sex and Angelic Warfare.” This talk discusses the nature of chastity and temptation in our times.

The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Mickler of the Society of St. Paul will present “Be a Man, Not a Playboy” and demonstrate how the ancient wisdom of the Church can teach a man to be a man regardless of his state in life — single, married, widower or consecrated religious.

There also will be six breakout sessions offered during the lunch hours.

During the first lunch period, Deacon Tim DeFrange will present a talk on prison ministry; Deacon Mike Stabilla, truth about annulments; and Dr. Richard Mattiussi, male spirituality.

During the second lunch period, the Rev. Nick Shori from the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Evangelization will speak on evangelization; the Rev. John Keehner, pastor St. Christine Church in Youngstown, will present a talk of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body; and Fran Kimes, a member of St. Dominic Church in Youngstown, will share ideas for creating and/or maintaining men’s fellowship groups.

There will be special sessions for students in grades nine through 12. The Young Men’s Leadership Conference will feature Jim Hogan, theology teacher at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, with “Is God Real?” and “Defending Your Faith.”

The Sacrament of Reconciliation also will be available. Spouses and family members may attend the closing Mass.

Advance tickets are $35 and $15 for students. The ticket includes coffee and doughnuts during registration, lunch, parking and snacks. After Sunday, ticket prices will be $40 for adults and $20, students.

For information or to register online, go to www.cmfdoy.org.