Nearly 200 gather for annual Maine Catholic Men's Conference
The St. John's Community Center in Brunswick came to life on Saturday, March 7, as over 180 men gathered for the annual Maine Catholic Men's Conference. Another 15 others participated remotely at the Rev. John Harris Hall in Presque Isle, marking the first opportunity in Northern Maine.
This year's these was "Jesus Christ, the Model of True Masculinity," and keynote speaker Fr. Sebastian White, O.P., addressed the crowd with humble yet direct words. His first talk of the day examined the concepts of free will, true happiness, during which he noted that freedom is not simply the choice to do good things or bad things. It is instead the ability to be our most authentic selves. He described true freedom as the way a pianist, after spending years practicing and learning musical theory, can simply play any music they want.
This talk also addressed the wound of original sin, and the commission God gave to Adam. Fr. White explained that although Eve bears guilt for eating the forbidden fruit, the ultimate responsibility falls on Adam because he failed to protect Eve from the serpent. Fr. White applied this idea to men today saying, "the headship of the husband brings upon him the ultimate responsibility for what happens in his household, right? Headship does not mean, 'I choose the menu for the week, you do all the chores, and I sit in the recliner and watch sports.' I don't think that's in any letter of St. Paul. But there's a kind of responsibility, a care, a custody, sacrifice and service."
After the first talk, the men gathered in the nearby church for a Holy Hour led by the Knights of Columbus. Lines quickly formed for confession and remained steady through the whole Holy Hour. After, the Knights of Columbus served lunch, and the men had an opportunity to socialize and discuss what they'd heard so far.
Bishop Ruggieri kicked off the second half of the conference with words of thanks for the organizers and for all the men attending. He noted that he was comforted to see so many men taking an active role in their faith.
Deacon Frank Daggett followed with a presentation describing the various ministries run by Catholic Charities Maine. He cited several stories of single mothers seeking help after their boyfriends abandoned them. Deacon Daggett said he believes the term "Boy"-friend is especially appropriate for those men, as no true man would abandon his family.
Fr. Erin Donlon led the group in a brief stretch break before giving a talk about how the attendees can support vocations in the diocese. He emphasized the need for fathers to support their sons' vocations and encourage them to become priests. Fr. Donlon remarked on a lack of masculine support during his path to priesthood, saying, "I can't even number how many wonderful ladies that were in the back of the church that were praying their rosaries, and they come up to me after, and they'd go 'Oh, you make a great priest.' But I can't even number... one man, apart from the priests, but even that was few, who said 'You'd make a great priest.'"
Fr. Donlon urged the men to pray for vocations in their own families, saying, "Gentlemen, the call for vocations, not just to priesthood, but true masculine fatherhood, begin with you telling someone that 'you'd make a great father, you'd make a great priest.' But ultimately, telling them, 'You'll make a great saint. Let's work on that.'"
Fr. White rounded out the talks with a final keynote focused on following Jesus' example of masculinity. A central theme of Fr. White's talk was the importance of Christ-like friendship. "Christ tells his disciples the deepest truths. He shares with the disciples. He shares the sorrow. He shares his joy. He shares the secrets of salvation of His Heavenly Father, the mysteries of salvation with the disciples. He spent time with them... He asks them to participate with Him in His work. He helps them in their troubles. He shows mercy to them. He's there for them."
"A friend is someone who knows you, someone you don't have to perform or pretend to be with," Fr. White added. "A friend is someone you know you can rely on and turn to. You want to be that guy for others, and you need to have those guys for you."
Friendship and family support for Fr. White was clearly evident at the conference. Fr. White, who was raised in Waterville, shared the day with his father and several other men from his home parish. After the conference, Fr. White mentioned he was honored to have been invited. He said, "Anything I can do to participate in the Catholic life of the diocese in Maine is really an honor for me."
Mike Fisher, a member of Corpus Christi Parish in Waterville, came to the conference for the first time to hear Fr. White's talks. "If there's somebody that has never done one of these and is kind of on the fence, I would encourage them to go." Fisher said.
John Potvin added that he enjoys the conferences because they remind him of the youth retreats he used to attend. "It's almost the way that I feel fueled up and spiritually renewed," Potvin said. "As an adult, these are fewer and further between. So, it's been enjoyable."
