BCMC Program - Boston Catholic Men's and Women's …



4th Annual

Boston Catholic Men’s Conference

[pic]

Put Out Into the Deep

April 19, 2008

Boston College – Conte Form

| |[pic] | |[pic] | |

| |Part of the celebration of the | |Taking part during the historic journey | |

| |200th Anniversary of the | |of Pope Benedict XVI | |

| |Archdiocese of Boston | |to the United States | |

Schedule

|7:00 am |Doors open for check-in and visits with Exhibitors/Adoration/Confession |

| |(Please pick up your lunch ticket at Registration) |

|8:00 |Music Program & Videos begin in Main Hall (Conte Forum) |

|8:30 |Tarek Saab |

| |The Battle of the Ordinary |

|9:30 |Father Peter Grover, OMV |

| |What Christ meant when he said “Put Out Into the Deep” |

|10:15 |Christ Our Hope: Homily of Pope Benedict XVI to Catholics in Washington D.C. |

| |Taped message, followed by insights for Catholic men by Father Roger J. Landry |

|11:00 |Mid-Day Break Options |

| |Confession (Power Gym - main level of Conte) |

| |Adoration (Shea Room – Second Floor (Stairs on Concourse on Beacon St. Side) |

| |Visit Exhibitors (in Rec Plex across from Conte) |

| |[At 12:10] Break out Sessions (Yawkey Center - adjacent to Conte, opposite RecPlex) |

| |Bringing Catholics Back to the Faith – Tom Peterson (Catholics Come Home) |

| |Starting & Growing Men’s Groups – Andreas Widmer & Brotherhood of Hope |

|1:00 |Bishop Robert Hennessey |

| |Put Out Into the Deep: As a Priest in the Missions |

|1:45 |Catholics of the Year Awards |

|2:00 |Dr. Peter Kreeft |

| |How to Win the Culture Wars |

|3:00 |Jack Shaughnessy |

| |Ultimate Faith & Trust in God |

|4:00 |MASS – Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap (Celebrant & Homilist) |

|5:30 |Conference Ends – Last chance to visit with Exhibitors |

|7:00 |Facility closes |

Welcome

April 19, 2008

Dear Brothers in Christ –

To Put Out Into the Deep for Christ requires trust in the Lord. As we know from our life experiences, that isn’t always easy. All the speakers that you will hear from today at our 4th Boston Catholic Men’s Conference will share accounts of how they trusted in the Lord and he blessed them and helped them bless others.

This Conference is special because it comes just 11 days after the 200th Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Boston (April 8, 2008). Together, all of us here today, celebrate the legacy of faith that was handed on to us and that we are called to hand on to others. As Martin Doman will sing in “You Are Our Legacy”, the Conference theme song, we acknowledge that Christ himself is the central part of that Legacy.

This Conference also comes in the middle of Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic visit to the United States. That visit presented many logistical issues for this Conference, but together with Cardinal Sean, we decided it was fitting to have the Conferences this year during the visit so that we could pray for its success. We also thought that it would provide an opportunity to integrate the Holy Father’s first major address in Washington into our program.

Please take a chance today to look around you and soak in the experience of being surrounded by over thousands of other Catholic men! It is a true blessing to see so many brothers in faith. We encourage you to reach out and meet some new men today.

Pulling off a Conference like this takes a lot of support. We would like to thank:

• President Leahy and all those at Boston College that worked very hard to make this event a success. What a blessing it has been to work with such highly talented and committed people!

• All of you here today that invited a friend, brother or relative

• Our 100+ event day volunteers

• All of our 200+ parish captains who worked tirelessly to spread the word locally

• All the 140+ priests of the Archdiocese and surrounding Dioceses who are here for Confession

• Our speakers for their commitment to being here with all of us!

• George Martell () for providing event photography & marketing

• Father Reed and the team from CatholicTV for all their help with promoting the Conference

• Antonio Enrique and the staff from

• Deacon Pat Guarini and the team of Mass MCs for helping with the closing liturgy

• The many benefactors that stepped up this year to keep this Conference going.

• Holy Cross Family Ministries in Easton and Decolores Bookstore for their generosity

• The Knights of Columbus for their ongoing help and support for men’s ministry

• Father Philip Merdinger, Bro. Rahl Bunsa and the Brotherhood of Hope for all their prayer & help

• Father Mike Harrington and the Archdiocesan Vocation Office for their help facilitating Adoration.

• ParishComm for their help with these program booklets and the Adoration prayer guides.

• The Women’s Conference Organizing Team for everything they did to make this men’s conf. successful

• Cardinal Seán O’Malley and the staff of the Cardinal’s Office for all their help.

The Boston Catholic Men’s Conference Organizing Team

Bob Allard, Bob George, Mike Hippert, Brian Kennedy, Joe Kolb, Scot Landry, Phil Lohnes, George Martell,

John Spadaccini, Jo Tango, Tim Van Damm, Andreas Widmer, George Willett & Karl Wirth

Guide For Confession

|[pic] |“To those who have been far away from the sacrament of reconciliation and forgiving love, I make this appeal: Come back to|

| |this source of grace; do not be afraid! Christ himself is waiting for you. He will heal you, and you will be at peace with|

| |God!” |

| | |

| |- Pope John Paul II |

| | |

| |The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God like the Prodigal Son and of |

| |acknowledging our sins with true sorrow before his representative, the priest. |

Before Confession

• Try to recognize sin in our lives – Modern society has lost a sense of sin. As a Catholic follower of Christ, I must make an effort to recognize sin in my daily actions, words and omissions. The Gospels show how important is the forgiveness of our sins. Lives of saints prove that the person who grows in holiness has a stronger sense of sin, sorrow for sins, and a need for the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.

• Make an examination of Conscience – What sins have I committed since my last confession? A good confession is one in which I confess all the mortal sins I am aware of and their frequency. A short examination could follow the ten commandments along these lines:

o Do I give God time every day in prayer?

o Have I used God's name in vain: lightly or carelessly?

o Have I tried to observe Sunday as a family day and a day of rest?

o Do I honor and obey my parents? Have I neglected my duties to my spouse and children?

o Have I engaged, in any way, in sins against human life? Have I been angry or resentful?

o Have I stolen what is not mine? Do I waste time at work, school, and home?

o Have I lied? Have I gossiped? Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?

o Have I consented to impure thoughts and actions?

o Do I envy the families or possessions of others? Are material possessions the purpose of my life?

During Confession

• Remember that the priest can help you – If you need assistance – especially if you have been away for some time – simply ask the priest and he will help you by "walking" you through the steps to make a good confession.

• A helpful way to begin is: “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been ... since my last confession. These are my sins.”

• Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. If you are not sure about the degree of seriousness of something you confess, just ask the priest to help you.

• After the confession of sins, the priest will give you a penance, and then absolve you of your sins. Try to perform your penance soon. The priest may also ask you to say a short act-of-contrition.

• An act of contrition: “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.”

• At the End of Confession – Listen to words of absolution, the sacramental forgiveness of the Church through the ordained priest. As you listen to the words of forgiveness you may make the sign of the cross with the priest.

• After Confession – Reflect on God’s infinite mercy. Imagine God embracing you with the big hug that the Joyful Father did in the parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley

|[pic] |Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley was appointed Archbishop of Boston July 1, 2003 and installed as Archbishop on July 30, 2003.  He |

| |was nominated a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on February 22, 2006 and elevated in a Consistory on March 24, 2006.  |

| | |

| |He was born June 29, 1944, in Lakewood, Ohio. He attended St. Fidelis Seminary, Butler, Pennsylvania, and Capuchin College and the |

| |Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. He holds an advanced degree in religious education, and speaks Spanish, |

| |Portuguese, French, Italian, and German. |

| | |

| |He was professed as a member of the St. Augustine province of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, July 14, 1968, and was ordained |

| |to the priesthood on August 29, 1970. |

He was director of the Apostolate for the Spanish Speaking in the Archdiocese of Washington for 14 years when he was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in 1984. He became Bishop of St. Thomas on October 16, 1985. He was then appointed by Pope John Paul II as Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, June 16, 1992, and served there until September 2002. Pope John Paul II later appointed him Bishop of Palm Beach, September 3, 2002, where he served until July 2003 until being appointed our Archbishop.  

He became the first “blogging” Cardinal in September 2006 when he launched .

Bishop Robert F. Hennessey

|[pic] |On October 12th 2006, Cardinal Sean announced that he was elevating two popular and well-respected pastors to the episcopacy, Father|

| |John Dooher from Dedham and Father Robert Hennessey from East Boston. |

| | |

| |Parishioners from their parishes and priests who knew them from throughout the Archdiocese were thrilled. It had been about 15 |

| |years since a priest that had served primarily in parish ministry had been named an auxiliary bishop. |

| | |

| |Bishop Hennessey was born and raised in South Boston. He attended Boston Latin School and Saint John’s Seminary, being ordained to |

| |the priesthood on the 20th of May, 1978. |

|After ordination, he was assigned to parish ministry in Gloucester, Plymouth and Needham. Then he served as a member of the St. James Society, serving in the |

|South American country of Bolivia for 8 years. |

| |

|On his return to Boston, he was assigned to the largest parish population-wise in the Archdiocese, Most Holy Redeemer Parish in East Boston, where he kept his |

|Spanish skills sharp ministering to immigrants from many Central and South American countries. To many, he was considered the “hardest working priest in the |

|Archdiocese.” |

| |

|On December 12th 2007, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americans, he was ordained to the Auxiliary Bishop of Boston for the Central Region |

|(all of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and Winthrop). |

Jack Shaughnessy, Sr.

|[pic] |Jack Shaughnessy, Sr. was raised in Quincy, graduated from Boston College High School and Tufts University and then entered the |

| |Navy. After his tour, Jack returned to Boston to work to grow Shaughnessy & Ahern, Co., a large crane & rigging company. Jack’s |

| |success at Shaughnessy & Ahern has made him a Boston business legend. |

| | |

| |Jack and his wife Mary were married for 52 years. He is extremely proud of his 7 children and 17 grandchildren. His beloved wife |

| |Mary passed to the Lord one month ago - March 19, 2008. |

| | |

| |As part of our Bicentennial celebrations, Jack will share his reflections on the Church over the past several decades and his hopes |

| |for the future. He will also touch us by his faith and how God reached out to him through the Book of Job. |

Tarek Saab

|[pic] |Reality TV star Tarek Saab, a New Bedford native and devout Catholic, comes to Boston to discuss the challenges that confront young |

| |(and not so young) men after they graduate college and engage the working world. Issues of money, success, friendship, faith, |

| |graduate school, courtship, family, etc. suddenly become pressing as a young man matures personally and professionally. The |

| |transition is often a point of reckoning for men today, and has profound implications for the paths their lives take. Tarek Saab has|

| |faced these challenges in a unique and very public setting. As a contestant on the Donald Trump reality series “The Apprentice”, |

| |Tarek’s career and life path evolved in front of twenty million viewers. |

Tarek is a New Bedford native who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from St. Anselm’s College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Catholic University of America. Before appearing on “The Apprentice”, Tarek worked at Texas Instruments and played rugby for the Dallas Harlequins for the USA Super League. He is a founder of Lionheart Apparel and the author of “Gut Check: Confronting Love, Work & Manhood in Your Twenties”. He and his wife are expecting their first child in June. Sites:, ,

Father Peter Grover, OMV

|[pic] |Father Peter Grover, OMV is the director of Saint Clement’s Eucharistic Shrine in Boston which has one of the largest young adult|

| |Masses in New England. In addition, Father Peter serves as the vocation director of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and teaches |

| |Sacred Scripture and Greek at local seminaries. He is a popular homilist – his podcasts are available at |

| |. |

Professor Peter Kreeft

|[pic] |Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and noted Roman Catholic apologist and philosopher. He is a |

| |regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over |

| |45 books including Fundamentals of the Faith, Everything you Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven, and Back to Virtue. An expert |

| |commentator on the writings and message of C.S. Lewis, Dr. Kreeft has a clear, entertaining, and literary style that makes him |

| |easy to understand and a pleasure to read. We believe him to be among the best contemporary Catholic authors. |

| | |

Father Roger Landry

|[pic] |Father Roger J. Landry was born in Lowell, MA and attended public schools. After receiving a biology degree from Harvard College, |

| |Fr. Landry studied for the priesthood in Maryland, Toronto, and for several years in Rome. He was ordained a Catholic priest of the |

| |Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts by Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap. on June 26, 1999. |

| |After his priestly ordination, Father returned to Rome to complete graduate work in Moral Theology and Bioethics at the John Paul II|

| |Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome. |

He 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. He speaks widely on the thought of Pope John Paul II and on controversial and often misunderstood issues in Catholicism, especially in the realm of bioethics and the convergence of Catholic teaching and popular culture. He also has preached retreats in various states and leads pilgrimages regularly to Rome. For more information on Father Landry, please see or .

Martin Doman

|[pic] |Martin has been working as a Catholic musician, liturgical music minister, songwriter and worship leader for the past 15 years. He|

| |has released several recordings of Catholic praise and worship and led music for many conferences and retreats. Wrote 2008 Boston|

| |Catholic Conference Bicentennial Themesong: You Are Our Legacy and 2007 Boston Catholic Men’s Conference Theme Saint Patrick’s |

| |Breastplate. Since 2004, Martin has been the Coordinator of Laudatio ministry for the Diocese of Harrisburg. Laudatio was formed|

| |out of a desire that Martin had to bring renewal to the Church through the power of music and the Eucharist. Martin is married |

| |and he and his wife Charlene have six children. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. For more info on |

| |Martin’s albums, please see . |

Tom Peterson

|[pic] |Tom Peterson is the President & Founder, Catholics Come . For 25 years, Tom Peterson built his career as an award-winning, |

| |national corporate advertising executive, winning the praise of nearly 100 clients. Tom founded and served as President of three |

| |advertising agencies, one of which he started as a junior in college. Tom launched numerous secular campaigns during his career. |

| |One particular campaign invested $90,000 into regional media, and yielded $1.3 million dollars in revenue in only 30 days, |

| |shattering all former direct response records. But Tom’s life would radically change forever, after receiving an incredible and |

| |transforming Spiritual calling in 1997, while on a married men’s retreat from his church. Soon afterward, he founded |

| and , educational non-profit media apostolates dedicated to Catholic principles. With the vision to combine his innovative |

|professional media background with Catholic virtues, Peterson dedicated himself to producing and airing powerful national-quality Catholic television and radio |

|commercials worldwide. Since his conversion calling, Tom has presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, been featured on EWTN, filmed the Holy|

|Father at the Vatican, and has spoken at hundred of conferences, churches, and ministry events. An authority on consumer behavior and marketing strategy, Peterson|

|directs Catholics Come Home with a refined knowledge of media’s power to shape people’s decision making and the culture at large. |

|Tom and Tricia, his wife of 22 years, and their three daughters live in the Atlanta suburbs, where they are active members of their parish. |

|Thank You to Our Priests! |

|We are blessed by so many wonderful priests here today, in the Archdiocese of Boston and in surrounding |[pic] |

|dioceses. Despite their hectic weekend schedules, so many priests are here with us today because they want | |

|to show their support for us men and because they want to help us celebrate the Sacraments – particularly the| |

|Sacrament of Reconciliation. | |

| | |

|Please take a moment today, search out one of these fine priests, and thank him. | |

|Guidelines for Reception of Holy Communion |

| |

|Eucharist for Catholics: Catholics fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when they receive Holy Communion in fulfillment of Christ’s command to eat|

|His Body and drink His blood. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, Communicants should not be conscious of grave sin, have fasted for an hour, |

|and seek to live in charity and love with their neighbors. Persons conscious of grave sin must first be reconciled with God and the church through the Sacrament |

|of Penance. A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all. |

| |

|For other Christians: We welcome to this celebration of the Eucharist those Christians who are not fully united with us. It is a consequence of the sad divisions |

|in Christianity that we cannot extend to them a general invitation to receive Communion. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is an action of the celebrating |

|community signifying a oneness in faith, life and worship of the community. Reception of the Eucharist by Christians not fully united with us would imply a |

|oneness which does not yet exist, and for which we must all pray. |

Mass: Fifth Sunday of Easter

|Note: The Collection During Mass |

| |

|We request your financial help. Tickets only account for about 70% of the revenue we need to fund the Conferences. We ask you for your generous contribution to |

|this collection so that we can balance our books. Anything left over will go to producing the 2009 Conferences. We greatly appreciate your support. Thank you. |

First Reading – A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:1-7)

As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

The Word of the Lord, Thanks Be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19) - Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

• Exult, you just, in the LORD; praise from the upright is fitting. Give thanks to the LORD on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.

• Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

• See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.

Second Reading – A Reading from the First Book of Peter (1 Pt 2:4-9)

Beloved: Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame. Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.

You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Gospel – A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Saint John (Jn 14:1-12)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.”

Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, (I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” The Gospel of the Lord, Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Leadership Team’s Top 10

If you’re looking for ideas on how to help deepen your faith during the year, go no further: We asked our organizing team and here is our top 10 list of things they do to deepen their faith during the year (Outlined in no particular order.)

1. Daily Mass/ Eucharist. The Sacrament of Eucharist is so important and nourishing in our lives. Pray about making the commitment to receive Jesus as often as possible in the Eucharist. Once this commitment has been made, the life changing experience is immense. The days you are not able to receive Him, you find yourself longing for Him all the more.

2. Men’s Group. Every one of our team belongs to a men’s group. It’s the foundation of the Boston Catholic Men’s Conference. If you are looking for an opportunity to deepen your faith with fellow catholic men from your parish, consider joining a men’s group. Information about how to join or start a men’s group can be found at our website

3. Daily Devotional: There are many websites and booklets that publish the daily readings and the liturgy of the hours. The readings, along with the spiritual reflections that often accompany them, help draw you closer to God, as you go about your busy day.

4. Reconciliation. Make a commitment to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis. It is a beautiful way to experience the Love and Mercy of God, our Father, and will certainly draw you closer to Him.

5. Adoration. Praying in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament is a beautiful way to become intimate with our Loving Father. Even though it may be hard to do sometimes, if you try to sit and listen for the voice of God, you will hear Him.

6. Listening to spiritual music and readings. Many of us use our time in the car to listen to spiritual music and books on tape. It is a great way to “carve out” some time to do something that nurtures one’s faith.

7. Retreats. Going on a weekend retreat is a great way to re-focus, reflect and be reminded of where you have been and where you are going in your walk with Jesus. A group retreat is another way where you can share in small groups on a more focused faith related subject, in an effort to deepen your relationship with Jesus. There are many wonderful retreat places around the archdiocese offering day and weekend retreats. If you don’t know where to start, check out the Cursillo Movement or the Diocesan Office of Spiritual Development Worship_SpiritualLife/HomePage.html .

8. Rosary. We find that praying the rosary alone or with a friend is one of the best ways to draw closer to Jesus, through his Blessed Mother. Try to add just one rosary to your week, and experience the difference it can make in your life.

9. Spiritual Direction. We all receive great blessings from having a spiritual director. In spiritual direction, the trained spiritual director and directee come together to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the true spiritual director. As spiritual director helps point out some of the general teachings of the Bible and the Church that apply to your situation as well as being a helper to discern how the Holy Spirit may be leading in particular in your life with the idea of giving objective input into your relationship with God, and a help to find Biblical and Catholic solutions to challenges or problems you face in your spiritual life, personal life and relationships with people.

10. Quiet Prayer. Make a commitment to find at least five minutes a day to sit quietly and pray. It can be early in the morning, before you go to sleep, or some time in between. What matters is that you set aside some time for silence, to listen for the voice of God speaking to you. Prayer is not only asking, it is also listening.

Interested in joining a Men’s Group?

Please fill out this form and give to an Organizer. We’ll help you find a local group.

Name: ________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________ City: _________________________________________

Email: ________________________________________ Parish: ________________________________________

Also, a list of Men’s Groups can be found on our website at

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