Spring Catholic Men's Conferences, GB March 5, MKE March 12

Green Bay Men's Conference - March 5
Website: gbmensconference.com

Jim VandeHey – Outdoorsman for All Seasons
Fr. Peter Mitchell – Father for All Seasons
Antonio Soave – CEO for All Seasons
Mike McCarthy – Coach for All Seasons

Getting the head coach of the Green Bay Packers is fantastic.  What a good man to take some of his preciously short off season to come to an event like this.  I hope the attendance is good.  Perhaps coach would also consider making a trip to Men of Christ in Milwaukee in the future.  You may remember Men of Christ had Joe Lombardi (Vince's grandson and Latin Mass goer) a few years ago.

I think I am going to attend this one, I have yet to register. 

Men of Christ - Milwaukee - March 12
Website: menofchrist.net/conferences/2016-mens-conference/

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme
Bishop of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Obeying Christ’s command to use the Rosary as a weapon against Boko Haram and all evil.

Jeff Cavins
Understanding and expressing Catholic theological truths in a practical way.

Fr. Richard Simon
The Last Four Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell.

A nice looking upgrade to the Men of Christ website.  A solid lineup.  Jeff Cavins is fantastic.  Very timely to have Bishop Doeme.  An article from last year:
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram

I reached out and I think that Madison is not hosting a Men's Conference this spring.

A couple others:
Arch. St. Paul Minneapolis - Feb 27th
Diocese of Winona, MN - April 2
Faith for the Journey | The Iowa Catholic Men's Conference | Des Moines - March 5

New Arch. Minn. St. Paul initiative aims to make Catholic men ‘watchmen’

For years, Chad Crow has attended the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ annual conference for men. And the father of four, who is a parishioner at Transfiguration in Oakdale, said that he and other men who attend the conference typically get a lot out of it.

The difficulty, he said, is that they didn’t find a lot of support for men’s spirituality once they left the conference center and returned to their homes, jobs and parishes.

“It’s like we were all dressed up but had nowhere to go,” he said, noting that while there were many programs that effectively catered to women’s spiritual needs, it was difficult to find suitable equivalents for men.

But Crow and other Catholic men in the archdiocese can expect that to change in the near future as the archdiocese prepares to launch a bold new approach to ministry for adult men.

It’s called the Catholic Watchmen movement, and it aims to equip men to live their faith deeply, lead their families and carry out the new evangelization in an increasingly secular world.

continue at The Catholic Spirit

HT Ray

I have to admit, the best part of the sports weekend was actually this

88 year old Bud Grant, former Vikings coach, trots out to do the coin toss in a polo shirt despite -5/-25 temps!

Photo

Bud Grant as a young man. #GoVikes #SEAvsMIN pic.twitter.com/wo11WBFvxW

— beretta3000 (@beretta3000) January 10, 2016

TCG: Real Men Love Babies

Do real men love babies? Everything about these pooping, screaming, totally helpless little people—the babies, that is—challenges a man’s feral instincts and refined sensibilities. Yet, whether we like it or not, babies put to rest the frenzied individualism, the restless search for purpose, and the demand for instant ego gratification so predictable among the male sex. Fatherhood is an invitation to grow up faster than most of us want, and maybe this is a tiny clue as to why for men babies are so scary.

Men in the heat of passion, like animals, are usually oblivious to the natural link between sex and babies. But when a child is conceived the curtain is pulled back, if only for a moment, and a man very well might find himself asking: Why did I want to have sex in the first place?

Your wife tells you the big news. It’s the kind of discovery that makes grandmothers, aunts, and mother-in-laws giddy with excitement. But for you it raises even bigger concerns, too, changes that could reshape your whole life. The intersection of babies and masculine identity is about as beautiful and thorny as a rose bush—but who gives a flying goose about rose bushes? Life as you know it is about to end.

Why do men turn to sex—of all things, sex!—to sate our longing for adventure, wholeness, possibility, completion, and immortality? What does it mean that men are sexual beings, different from women? Why are men generally more active and aggressive and eager, and women more passive and receptive and resistant? And why are babies so scary?

continue at The Catholic Gentleman

Wisconsin groups featured in Catholic World Report: The Emerging Catholic Men’s Movement

Men of Christ Conference - Milwaukee

Flanked by candle-bearing acolytes, the priest held the monstrance aloft and processed through the aisles of the massive Milwaukee Theatre. More than 2,500 men were on their knees in adoration as the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ passed before them, bedecked in gold. The solemn Eucharistic procession was the culmination of the ninth annual Men of Christ conference: a day of prayer, speakers, reflection, and Mass. In the halls outside the theater, the line for confession was 200 deep much of the day, even with more than 75 priests hearing confessions. Men waited an hour or more to confess their sins and be forgiven. For some, it was their first confession in years, even decades.

On a Saturday when the highly ranked Wisconsin Badgers were playing tournament basketball on television, a small city of Catholic men instead* gathered in downtown Milwaukee to get closer to Christ. From ages 8 to 90, they filled the sprawling, ornate theater for more than eight hours of Catholic enrichment. The chorus of deep, resonant voices seemed to lift the roof during the Lord’s Prayer. Extended applause greeted Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki when he announced his support for concealed carry — then pulled out a Rosary as his weapon of choice. It seemed every man in the audience had one.

What’s going on here? The leaders of this emergent movement say the goal of events like this is nothing less than complete restoration of the Catholic man. Think “band of brothers” over pockets of loners; would be-martyrs instead of has-been quitters. Virtue and service over vice, sin, and addiction. Every Catholic Caspar Milquetoast is being called to emulate Don John of Austria, who with the Holy League saved Christendom from the Ottoman Turks. Yesterday’s average Joe is being remolded as priest, prophet, and king—a bold and self-sacrificing leader in the model of Jesus and St. Joseph. The call has gone out: real Catholic men wanted. Rosary-praying, faith-defending spiritual warriors. Education and training will be provided.

“Men need support and friendship of other Catholic men,” said Steve Ray, Catholic author, apologist, and creator of the Footprints of God documentary series. “We’re in a war, and men are starting to realize it. Life is getting tougher. We can no longer consider ourselves part of the flow of American culture.” Ray, who has spoken at the Men of Christ conference, said the timing is right for men to reclaim their Catholic faith and be prepared to defend it.

continue at Catholic World Report

* My bad....

Cardinal Burke on the Catholic “Man-crisis” and what to do about it

Recently, I had the great honor to have an audience with His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke to discuss the state of Catholic men in the United States.

Here is the full transcript:

Matthew James Christoff of the New Emangelization Project: Your Eminence, we are delighted and blessed to be here with you. Today, we are here to talk about the state of Catholic men in the United States and how we might draw more men into the New Evangelization. Maybe to start, how would Your Eminence describe the state of men in the Catholic Church today?

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke: I think there has been a great confusion with regard to the specific vocation of men in marriage and of men in general in the Church during the past 50 years or so. It’s due to a number of factors, but the radical feminism which has assaulted the Church and society since the 1960s has left men very marginalized.

Unfortunately, the radical feminist movement strongly influenced the Church, leading the Church to constantly address women’s issues at the expense of addressing critical issues important to men; the importance of the father, whether in the union of marriage or not; the importance of a father to children; the importance of fatherhood for priests; the critical impact of a manly character; the emphasis on the particular gifts that God gives to men for the good of the whole society.

- See more at: http://www.newemangelization.com/uncategorized/cardinal-raymond-leo-burke-on-the-catholic-man-crisis-and-what-to-do-about-it/#sthash.MQedeSpX.dpuf

HT LC

A good interview....  That's kind of random.  Maybe I should do an interview.

1916 Military Rosary Inspires New Combat Rosary

Men’s faith formation has been a pet project of mine for the last half of my 26 years as a priest. Among many things, I ‘ve wanted us men to rediscover the treasury of Catholic devotions. If men are going to be the spiritual leaders of their own domestic church, we simply must explore these time-tested and Church approved jewels of our Catholic life.

As I poured myself into this endeavor, I was struck by how effeminate many of the sacramentals tended to be. It’s no wonder men are inclined to see these devotions as “what women do.” In particular, most of the rosaries looked like women’s jewelry. I began to scour the internet to find something truly masculine in a rosary. Sure, there were the classic black or brown bead rosaries, but they still seemed weak to me.

One day I happened upon a very intriguing rosary among some of the collectors’ websites. It was tough. It was strong. It had a kind of gravitas to it. This was truly a man’s rosary. As I read the description, it turned out I was looking at an original World War I military rosary. As described, it was commissioned and procured by, believe it or not, the U.S. government and issued by the military, upon request, to soldiers serving in World War I. Some of these rosaries were also seen in WWII. All of these rosaries were made around 1916. Awesome!!

continue at 1Peter5 

Words From a Father to His Daughter (From the Makeup Aisle)

A good post for Valentines Day
via Creative Minority Report: This Father Just DESTROYED Society’s Definition Of Beauty. This Is Perfect.

Dr. Kelly Flanagan, a licensed clinical psychologist and happy father of three, keeps a fantastic blog, full of wonderful opinions and personal advice. He has made a habit out of writing letters to his young daughter, to help teach her about the world. But not only his daughter could benefit from reading his wise words.

Check out what he had to say about the make-up and fashion industry. They are great words to live by.

Dear Little One,

As I write this, I’m sitting in the makeup aisle of our local Target store. A friend recently texted me from a different makeup aisle and told me it felt like one of the most oppressive places in the world. I wanted to find out what he meant. 

And now that I’m sitting here, I’m beginning to agree with him. Words have power, and the words on display in this aisle have a deep power. Words and phrases like:

Affordably gorgeous,
Infallible,
Flawless finish,
Brilliant strength,
Liquid power,
Go nude,
Age defying,
Instant age rewind,
Choose your dream,
Nearly naked, and
Natural beauty.

When you have a daughter you start to realize she’s just as strong as everyone else in the house—a force to be reckoned with, a soul on fire with the same life and gifts and passions as any man. But sitting in this store aisle, you also begin to realize most people won’t see her that way. They’ll see her as a pretty face and a body to enjoy. And they’ll tell her she has to look a certain way to have any worth or influence.

But words do have power and maybe, just maybe, the words of a father can begin to compete with the words of the world. Maybe a father’s words can deliver his daughter through this gauntlet of institutionalized shame and into a deep, unshakeable sense of her own worthiness and beauty.
A father’s words aren’t different words, but they are words with a radically different meaning:

continue at ViralNova

Must.Read.

What Catholic Men Look Like

Buenos Aires, December 2nd, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Extremely disturbing video footage from Argentina shows a mob of feminists at a recent protest attacking and sexually molesting a group of Rosary-praying Catholic men who were peacefully protecting the cathedral in the city of San Juan from threats of vandalism.

The women, many of them topless, spray-painted the men’s crotches and faces and swastikas on their chests and foreheads, using markers to paint their faces with Hitler-like moustaches. They also performed obscene sexual acts in front of them and pushed their breasts onto their faces, all the while shouting “get your rosaries out of our ovaries.” (Note: Some of the most graphic content has been removed from the video. Uncensored footage is available here. Viewer discretion strongly advised.)

.Watch it.


continue at LifeSite

Cream City Catholic on the exodus of men from the Church

This article, appearing in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, discusses various efforts being made by Milwaukee-area churches (Catholic and non-Catholic) to attract men back to the pews. The concern is that men are, for some mysterious reason, checking out from liturgy or other Christian services. Some of the more, um, interesting solutions and ideas involve church-into-man-cave transformations, or a North Woods-inspired sanctuary or “gathering space”. Is that all it takes? Will a sacred space that more resembles a Cabela’s store than a church reverse the exodus of men from our local churches? I have my doubts.

According to a statistic presented in the article, the male/female discrepancy is especially felt in the Catholic Church, where 64% of parish life is comprised of women.
So why are the guys MIA?

This is another one of those instances within our local Church where you have a lot of people who subscribe to the conventional wisdom scratching their heads and asking “Why? Why? Why?” when the answer is not particularly elusive. This really isn’t a surprise to me, or to many others.

continue at Cream City Catholic

Photo and a great article from Rorate Caeli: The Devirilization of the Liturgy

Catholic marksmanship event "Aiming for Christ" Nov 9th in Milford Hills

The "aiming for Christ" part is the spiritual part... not the marksmanship part. :)

Come join other men for this first time event of fellowship, spirituality and marksmanship.

Event Ticket Price Includes:
• Mass
• Safety & Instruction Sessions
• Shooting Events
• Lunch
• Fellowship

Shooting Events Includes:
• Sporting clays
• Rifle range
• Pistol range
• 5-stand flurry
• Specialty gun experience

Event Ticket Price:
• Early Bird Pricing - $39/person (now - Oct. 11)
• $45/person (after after Oct. 11)

* Guns are available for rental. Shooters can bring their own guns and ammunition except for the specialty gun experience.

details at aimingforchrist.org

I'm thinking about it.  I'm taking my wife to her first Packer game on the 10th, maybe swing by on the way...  I am so out of practice it's pathetic.  

40 Days for Life starts today!

Featured at the last Knights of Divine Mercy meeting.


For life!

Also check out Why we hold 40 Days for Life in Wausau

Catholic Gentleman: Masculinity and the Liturgy

Today, I want to broach a controversial topic, knowing full well that I may cause a ruckus. I want to talk about masculinity and the liturgy. (Fair warning: This is going to be long.)

I will start with a few caveats. First, I do not believe the liturgy should ever be a controversial issue. It shouldn’t be a matter of politics, factions, personal preference, or cultural fads. But sadly, many have made the liturgy their personal plaything, making these conversations all but impossible to avoid.

Second, all of the following opinions are just that—opinions. I am an uneducated layman. I am not a theologian or a liturgical scholar. If you want an in depth treatment of the liturgy, read Pope Benedict’s “Spirit of the Liturgy.” That said, I am a man, and I want to share my personal observations on why I believe the liturgy is now less masculine.

Finally, in the interest of full disclosure, I attend the Latin mass. I am not a sedevacantist, nor do I believe the Novus Ordo mass is somehow invalid, making those who attend it from choice or necessity inferior Catholics. I love Pope Francis, I love our priests, and I love the Catholic Church. All right, onto the issues.

I want to begin by sharing a few of my experiences as a convert. On the final stages of my road to Rome, I spent a good deal of time with high church Anglo-Catholics, regularly attending liturgies at a seminary and church near my home. These Anglicans took the liturgy seriously, and their services were conducted reverently and beautifully.

What I expected.

In fact, their services looked so Catholic that experiencing them led me to study further exactly why Anglicans weren’t Catholic anymore. The rest of the story is beyond the scope of this post, but the point is, I came into Catholicism with an experience of very reverent and dignified liturgy, kneeling to receive communion, and an atmosphere of sacredness.

Eventually, after months of studying Catholic teaching, I worked up the courage to attend a Catholic mass. I had no idea what a mass looked like, but at the very least, I expected it to be more beautiful and reverent than the Anglican liturgy. After all, the Catholics had the body, blood, soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, while Anglicans did not have the real thing.

continue at The Catholic Gentleman

Guzman: The Father Who is There

Recently, at the park with my wife and son, I witnessed one of the saddest sights I’ve seen in a long time. A little boy, about five or six, was there with his dad. Normally, this would be a wonderful thing, but the tragedy was, they weren’t spending time with each other. The dad was engrossed in his phone — ignoring his child.

No matter what he tried, this little boy could not get his father’s attention. He jumped up and down yelling, “Dad! Dad! Look at me!” He climbed up the jungle gym, went down the slide, raced in circles, all the while hoping that he might win the affectionate glance, the loving interaction, of his father. But the dad wouldn’t even look up from his phone. He would respond with a distracted grunt, if that.

Finally, depressed and dejected, the little boy sat in a swing by himself. He didn’t swing, he just sat there. His joy and enthusiasm had been extinguished by the inattention of his father, whose attention he very obviously craved. No doubt, his childish heart was grieved and wounded by his relative unimportance compared to a cell phone.

continue at Truth and Charity

More than 1,600 men gather for Arch. Minn/St. Paul mens conference

The men listen to Archbishop Nienstedt talk about what it takes to be a good dad. He said the priorities in life should be God first, then wife and children, and then one’s job.

continue at The Catholic Spirit

Photos from the Madison men's retreat

I'm restless.  I need busy work.  Here are some photos from the Madison men's retreat. 

It was dark Friday night, not many pictures turned out.  I took a 2 a.m. adoration shift... in the dark...  the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 

Fr. Z giving an examination of conscience

I regret having no photos of sung Morning Prayer and Benediction.  It was phenomenal.  I'm just a guy who shows up with a camera which makes people nervous I think, and I always for get to ask beforehand. 

Fr. Z's Saturday morning talk was outstanding, alas no audio was recorded

Raymond de Souza was excellent as always

Opportunity for Q/A and our own Mr. Ben Yanke workin the mic like a boss!

Me and a great group of guys from Wisconsin Rapids

I was told if I make the trip to Wisconsin Rapids for a visit, there would be homebrew.  Sold! 

The conference was very good.  Fr. Zuhlsdorf was excellent and gave excellent reflections on The Year of Faith and thoughts from one Cardinal Ratzinger.  Also Raymond de Souza, fantastic, and such a wide breadth of knowledge.  His talks were apologetic, but he is so energetic and has such great stories it would be hard for even nominal Catholics to get bored.  The setup was very good; the Bishop O'Connor Center has an excellent setup.  Besides the hmm.. somewhat ugly chapel(really not terrible but kind of goofy) with its Rainbow Jesus and whatnot - it was still a very good setup with chapel and room and board and cafeteria all in the same spot.  I always thought if Jesus was riding anything it should be a unicorn or maybe a dinosaur, but I guess riding a rainbow is the next best thing.  Just having some fun here! 

Anywho, probably 100-130 people maybe.  Ben Yanke talked me into getting one of those St. Edmund Campion Missals.  Raymond de Souza and I talked about Hostage to the Devil(the only Malachi Martin book I recommend).    Fr. Z saluted me(I'm not sure if he even knew who I was, LOL). The closing Mass was almost totally chanted, which was nice(no ad orientem though, boo).   I like the chanting, but I still have mixed feeling about a chanted Canon.  It seems like a silent or at least a lower voice would be more in the Latin tradition.  But I could be swayed perhaps.  I didn't have a chance to stay and talk with Aristotle, but a few minutes would never suffice.  Oh, and Msgr. Jim Bartylla had an excellent homily.  Actually I'm hoping to recount one of the stories he shared once I get a chance. 

Okay one last thought, during Confession I get started and the priest interrupts me and just says "Jesus loves you.  ..... you know that right?"  You may think this sounds sappy but this is precisely what I needed to hear.  If all of this work is not done in charity and for Love, then it is pointless.  So my answer which I didn't actually say was "I had forgotten." 

The rest are here on Flickr

St. Paul Cathedral draws 1,800 men for Matthew Kelly/Men's conference

As I walked around the Cathedral of St. Paul at the annual archdiocesan men’s conference on Saturday, it was hard to ignore the large crowd of men gathered in the pews. In fact, I did not spot one empty spot, much less one empty pew. From front to back, from side to side, the Cathedral was jam packed.

I believe we can thank Father Bill Baer for that. He is doing a marvelous job as the chaplain of the new men’s apostolate, and the numbers show his success. He announced that 1,800 men came, which was 200 more than organizers had planned for.

A guy I went to grade school with, Kelly Scott of St. Charles Borromeo, came in after it started with his son, Luke. They looked high and low for a spot to sit, and apparently didn’t find one, as I saw them standing later on

The big draw this year was featured speaker Matthew Kelly.

continue at Catholic Hotdish

Men of Christ in Milwaukee this Saturday

There's still time to register, even Saturday morning. It starts with a Traditional Latin Mass at 7 am. I'm hoping to make it early but I'm driving in from Holy Hill. Tomorrow I'll be out of the "office" all day with my camera in Milwaukee. Looking forward to that. Having a meeting with the mayor Tom Barrett to discuss succession of Milwaukee and proclaiming Archduke Rudolf of Austria King of Milwaukee. I'm afraid the only thing Barrett will be ready to profess is his love for Planned Parenthood.

Oh and I guess fantastically Virginia and I are meeting up at Mo's Irish Pub in Wauwatosa Friday evening.  We will be conspiring against "the man."  I'm hoping my window doesn't fall out of my car like last year.  If you are a fanatic, come join the fun.

Upcoming area men's conferences

Madison - God Strong
Date: March 2-3
Location:  Bishop O'Connor Center, Madison
Speakers: Doug Berry, Bishop Morlino
Details here

Milwaukee - Men of Christ
Date: March 3
Location: Milwaukee Theater, Milwaukee
Speakers: Dale Ahlquist, Steve Ray, Hector Molina, Mark Houck
Details here

Green Bay - Esto Vir
Date: March 10
Location: St. Pius X Parish, Appleton
Speakers: Fr. Larry Richards, Allen Keys, Fr. Rocky Hoffman
Details here

Minneapolis - Rise Up, Oh Men of God
Date: March 31
Location: Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul
Speakers: Matthew Kelly
Details here

Dubuque - Catholic Men's Fellowship
Date: March 31
Location: Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids
Speakers: Fr. Larry Richards
Details here


I went to Men of Christ last year in Milwaukee and I'm going again this year.  The Milwaukee Theater is a great venue and the speaker lineup looks great yet again.  The people who run this do a really good job.  I'm hoping to come a day earlier, stop at Holy Hill, the Basilica, and maybe a few other stops if there is time.  If anyone else is interested in carpooling from La Crosse, let me know.  So far there are two of us.  Maybe go down to the Safe House for a few drinks?  Okay, maybe somewhere else then..

The other conferences do look good as well.  Nice to see Minneapolis bring in Matthew Kelly this year.  I'm not sure if I could make it up for that one as well, but I think it would be worth the trip.

I didn't make a list for the ladies.  If you know of women's conferences, pass them on and I will post them.

AOM: The Importance of Roughhousing With Your Kids

Roughhousing. Horseplay. Wrastling. Whatever you call it, it’s one of the best things about being a dad. I love chasing my one-year-old son, Gus, around the house or pretending that the living room is a lucha libre ring and wrestling with him. No matter how stressed out I’m feeling, hearing one of his big, belly laughs erupt as I swing him around like a monkey makes all my cares go away.

Gus-Dad Throwdown

Unfortunately, in recent years, horseplay has gotten a bad rap. Parents, concerned about safety and preventing ADHD, limit the amount of rambunctious play their kids take part in. At least 40% of US school districts have eliminated or are considering eliminating recess, because  teachers need more time to cram kids’ heads full of information for standardized tests, because they’re afraid of children getting hurt and the school being held liable, and even because play can apparently encourage violent behavior; according to a principal that banned recess at her elementary school in Cheyenne, a game of tag “progresses easily into slapping and hitting and pushing instead of just touching.”

But recent research has shown that roughhousing serves an evolutionary purpose and actually provides a myriad of benefits for our progeny.  In their book The Art of Roughhousing, Anthony DeBenedet and Larry Cohen highlight a few of these benefits and the research behind them. Instead of teaching kids to be violent and impulsive, DeBenedet and Cohen boldly claim that roughhousing “makes kids smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likable, ethical, physically fit, and joyful.” In short, roughhousing makes your kid awesome.

Below, we highlight six benefits of roughhousing with your children. The next time your wife gets on to you for riling up the kids, you can tell her: “I’m helping our children develop into healthy, functioning adults, dear!”…right before performing a baby suplex on your daughter.

continue at Art of Manliness