Men of God
by Fr. Roger J. Landry - February 25, 2005
Last March, I saw one of the real signs of the "new springtime" in the Church to which Pope John Paul II frequently refers.
It was the annual Catholic Men's Conference for the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey. I had been invited to give a talk on what it means to be a real Christian man according to the thought of Pope John Paul II. There were over one thousand men in attendance, ranging in age from boys who had just received their driving permits to feisty nonagenarians. Sitting humbly in the front row, a brother among the large band of brothers in Christ, was the gregarious Bishop of Trenton, John M. Smith.
The purpose of the conference was to help men, of all ages and backgrounds, in their vocations as Catholic men. Most of the speakers were laymen who gave inspirational witness to Christ in their ordinary lives as fathers and employees, but there was also the extraordinary witness of a pro-life Congressmen and devout NFL all-pro lineman. Between the conferences, the men prayed together and — yes, it's true! — sang together, with great enthusiasm. I'll never forget the exhilaration of the moment when five generations of men hushed in silence and dropped as one to their knees to adore Christ Jesus as he entered in a monstrance. I also remember the many priests who came on a busy Lenten Saturday to hear the confessions of long lines of men.
I had never been to anything like it. As I was heading back home, I prayed to God that one day we would be able to do something similar here in Massachusetts, so that the men of our commonwealth would be able to experience the same fruits. But I never anticipated that God would answer my prayer so quickly!
On March 19, at B.C. High's McNeice Pavilion, the first Boston Catholic Men's Conference will be held. (Men of our diocese may register at bostoncatholicmen.org). The lay organizers, among whom is my identical twin, have recruited a top-notch array of Catholic speakers who have put their faith into action, sometimes at great personal cost.
I wrote last week about Jim Caviezel, the inspiring actor who played Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. He will be joined by Tom Monaghan, the billionaire founder of Domino's Pizza. In addition to founding Legatus, a movement to assist Catholic businessmen better live their faith, Monaghan has been acting on his resolution to die penniless by pouring most of his fortune into founding and financing a faithful Catholic college and law school in Michigan and a university in Florida. Jim Towey, the former pro-bono legal counsel to Blessed Mother Teresa and now Director of President Bush's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives will speak on putting our faith into action. Several other speakers round out the cast — fathers of large families who manage successful careers, well-known priests, and religious brothers. Archbishop Sean O'Malley has enthusiastically supported the conference and will celebrate the closing Mass.
The conference will take place on the feast of St. Joseph, who taught Jesus how to be a man of God according to his human nature. It will conclude with the Mass of Anticipation for Palm Sunday, in which the men present will have a chance to make their discipleship concrete, by choosing Christ over the shouts of our contemporaries who continue to choose Barabbas in various modern disguises.
Some critics in the secular media have asked, "Why the need for a conference only for men?" The simple answer is that in our culture, men who seek to be good, faithful men often do not receive much solid support and look to events like these to supply it. When was the last time Hollywood portrayed a man who frequented Church or prayed at home? The image of manhood depicted is often one who serially marries and divorces, seems more lost than wise, and— if he does not behave like a brute — is frequently supine and soft.
Men who want to be men of God are banding together to pray and support each other as they try to imitate Christ in their lives as husbands and fathers, sons and brothers, employees and students, friends and athletes. They know that real love always implies responsibility and are striving to be faithful to their covenant with God and to their promises to their families and others. In contrast with many social and academic elites who try to impose an androgynous ideology, they realize that the renewal of Church and society requires that men and women live with joy and rectitude the complementary vocations they received from God in the beginning. They are committed to do their part with God's help. This conference is part of that turnaround.
Springtime nears.
Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.
