Oct 29, 2011 / 11:11 am
Before the start of the fourth annual Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, held Oct. 22 at St. Dominic Church, Ron Gerlip of Westfield, Mass., said he hoped it would enlighten him and strengthen him in his faith. Eight hours later, he said, “It’s like what all the speakers said: If you walk away with something, your day has been fulfilled. I walk away today with a deeper faith, a chance to go to reconciliation, an attempt to be a better person for Christ.”
Expectations and reactions of other men were similar. Joe Murphy of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Gales Ferry, Conn. said he went “for the experience of fellowship and to enrich my life.” Charlie Nostrand of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown said, “I want to get recharged going into the winter months. ... It’s nice to get a booster shot of spirituality and faith.” And conference veteran Richard Feil of St. John Parish in Old Saybrook said, “There are always so many booths of information where you can pick up so much other information besides the talks. You don’t doze off in here. It’s spectacular.”
Joe Premus, conference director, told the more than 400 men that a Pew Research poll found, “When a child comes to faith in Jesus, there’s a 20 percent chance that his or her family will follow. When a woman comes to faith in Jesus, there’s a 28 percent chance that her family will follow. But when a man comes to faith in Jesus, there’s a 93 percent chance that his family will follow.”
Father John Gatzak, director of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Office of Radio and Television and emcee of the conference, said the theme of this year’s gathering was “Know Him. Love Him. Serve Him.” He said he was recently stopped for speeding, and the officer told him, “All right, Father, I’m giving you a warning: Slow down.”