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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Conference to give men ‘fresh perspective,’ speaker says

Men need a reason, an opportunity, to get together to discover how their faith matters in their everyday life, according to leading Catholic author Matthew Kelly.

Just such an opportunity is available to men in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Saturday, March 31, at the 2012 Archdiocesan Men’s Con­ference.

Kelly will be one of the keynoter speakers at the half-day conference, to be held at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Archbishop John Nienstedt, Father Bill Baer and radio host Dave Lee are also on the agenda for the conference that’s titled “Rise Up, O Men of God.”

Men of high school age and older are invited. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with time for eucharistic adoration, confession and the rosary before the archbishop presides at Mass at 8 a.m. Breakfast follows, then the presentations, with the conference ending by noon.

Why men should attend

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The Catholic Spirit interviewed Kelly via email to get a sense from him about the benefit of taking part in a morning of prayer, worship and presentations on spirituality, and the need for this type of event.

If you’re talking with other men, what might be a reason or two or three that you’d encourage them to take a Saturday morning and attend the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference?

We all need to step back from who we are, where we are, and what we are doing from time to time and reassess the direction of our lives. An event like this is a perfect opportunity to do that. But I also think it is important and powerful for men to speak to other men about growing spiritually.

What do you hope men walk away with from the men’s conference?

I hope men walk away reinvigorated about their lives and about their spirituality. It’s amazing how an event like this can give you a fresh perspective and fill you with a sense that great things are possible.

The prevailing wisdom is that women are more likely than men to both attend church and get involved in things religious or spiritual. Do you think that’s true? What is it about men and spirituality that — if they are just as spiritual as women — society perhaps doesn’t see that in them?

It is impossible to refute the statistics — and there are plenty of them — that support what you are saying.

I think more important is to ask the question: Why is this true? I think a big answer to that question is events like this and men’s small groups.

Men need opportunities to gather with other men to explore and discuss spiritual growth.

I don’t think men are any less spiritual than woman. I do think men need unique opportunities to discover how the faith applies uniquely to the life of a man in the modern world.

Although walk-ins are welcome, registration is encouraged.
Register online at http://bit.ly/z5sDSR. Cost is $15.

For more information, call (651) 291-4488 or email mfl@archspm.org.

 


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