WORCESTER – A 6-year-old lit a fire, then ran away from home. His brother learned something about their father – and their heavenly father – that day.
Another father learned about holiness from standing in line at Disney World.
These were among stories speakers shared at the 23rd annual Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, held Saturday at the DCU Center.
The conference drew more than 800 participants from at least five dioceses and 85 vendors at 50 tables, said Todd D. Jarvis, one of the organizers.
Paul St. Jean, of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hopkinton, expressed appreciation for how the conference shows Catholics they are not alone, given the numbers that attend.
Not all were Catholic. Charles Rock, enthusiastic about “loving Jesus” for a year, said he and his family started going to church last April. They attend Lifesong Church in Worcester, and are “open minded,” he said; his wife texted him while he was at the conference, asking, “Are we going to be converting to Catholicism?”
He missed a family outing for the conference, which he said was to better himself, and through that, his family and people at work.
The day included Mass with Bishop McManus, eucharistic adoration, talks, music, praying of the rosary and the opportunity to go to confession.
Jacob Milligan, 19, from Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish in Newton, raved about the conference – the speakers, the food and the vendors, with whom he had great conversations, were amazing, he said.
Not everyone was so enthralled.
“It’s boring,” was 12-year-old Frederick Martel’s take on the conference. But he said he enjoyed the humor of Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, one of the speakers.
“I like it,” Frederick’s buddy Joseph Godfrey, also 12, said of the conference. “I think more kids should do it. Hopefully, they will listen.” The two said they go to Good Shepherd Parish at St. Anne Church in Berlin, New Hampshire.
Bishop McManus and Father José A. Rodríguez, a planning committee member, gave recognition to former conference organizer Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, pastor of Christ the King Parish, who gave this year’s talk about confession.
Other speakers had different local connections. Michael Nicholson worked at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury before his present position as principal of Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood. James Wahlberg, who shared his story of redemption, once lived in a Worcester foster home. And Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, who gave two talks, used space in the diocesan Communications Office while here to record some of his regular broadcasts.
To illustrate points, speakers told about their families. Msgr. Sullivan shared a “Prodigal Son” story, in which he was the older brother.
When he was 9, his brother Pete, then 6, and a friend, set fire to a field near their home in New York. Their mother sent Pete to his room. Pete ran away, and young Tom had to help search for him instead of playing with friends.
Finally, Pete returned.
“Boy, is he going to get it,” thought Tom. “Boy, does he deserve it.”
But their father picked Pete up and said, “How about a bowl of ice cream?”
“I learned a lot about my father that day,” Msgr. Sullivan said. “Much more importantly, I learned a lot about God that day.” God welcomes sinners home and says, “Let’s feast.”
Msgr. Sullivan recalled a woman saying, “I’d become Catholic if the Church would give up confession.” But he said G.K. Chesterton said he became a Catholic because only in the Church could he truly know he was forgiven; Catholics speak their sins and hear the words of absolution.
Although people confess past sins, with this sacrament they should think about all the good things they can do in the future, Msgr. Sullivan said.
Holy moments
“Being a father, being a husband, is the context in which I encounter ordinary holiness,” Mr. Nicholson said in his talk. People equate holiness with being morally excellent, and sometimes that seems unattainable, he said.
He quoted Father Mike Schmitz, popular for his podcasts The Bible in a Year and The Catechism in a Year, as saying, “Holy moments are ordinary moments reconsidered.”
Mr. Nicholson maintained that any moment can be a holy moment when we recognize and ask the following: “God is present. Are we? God is active. Can I be still? This moment is God’s. Can I let go?”
He illustrated being present by recounting how he enjoyed the standing-in-line time at Disney World – because his family was spending time together.
Speaking of being still, he said it’s not that God isn’t speaking, but that we haven’t created the space to listen.
Mr. Nicholson also called for letting go of harmful things and of limits we place on God. He said Mary Magdalene sought her crucified friend at his tomb, but Jesus wanted to show her something greater: the power of resurrection.
Belief in Christ’s resurrection is the heart of our Catholic Christian identity, Bishop McManus said at the conference Mass.
He said what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist is even more astounding than his raising of Lazarus, who died again, because the Eucharist pledges eternal life. The bishop said it was wonderful that worshippers could spend the day learning about their faith, and fitting to end with Mass.
Next year’s conference is April 5. Men willing to spread the word at their parishes can contact Shawn Shields at sshields@wmc.com.
Editor’s note: For DVDs, flash drives or audio CDs of the conference or individual talks, contact George Willett at willett1812@gmail.com.