Father Gaitley To Speak at Men's Conference

Father Michael Gaitley, a member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, will speak at the 15th Annual Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference, scheduled for March 21 at the DCU Center. The title of his talk is “Now is the Time for Mercy.”
He is the director of the Association of Marian Helpers, centered in Stockbridge, the home of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy.  He will speak just before the sacrament of penance is offered. His talk he will give a personal testimony of how he experienced God's mercy and the Blessed Mother's love during this time of mercy.
Father Gaitley is the author of the bestselling books,  “The Heart of Jesus,” “33 Days to Morning Glory,” and the new book “‘You Did it to Me’: A Practical Guide to Mercy in Action.”
“What a great group of speakers we have this year,” said Don Bruneau, a parishioner of Good Shepherd Parish in Linwood and a conference committee member since its beginning in 2001. Mr. Bruneau assisted the old New England Catholic Men's Conference in the late-1990s until the creation of the Worcester Catholic Men's Conference.
“Father Gaitley's talk will be exceptional,” he said. “There is always something great at our conference and I know that our participants will not be disappointed.”
Other speakers for the day include Dominick Albano (“That Savage Love”), the executive director of Arise Missions, a lay apostolate that seeks to renew parish life through evangelizing parish missions; Patrick Coffin (“Christianity is Not for Wimps”), the host of the EWTN radio broadcast, Catholic Answers Live; Allen Hunt (“One Out of Every Ten Adults is an ex-Catholic!”), the vice-president for strategy at The Dynamic Catholic Institute; and Ron Meyer (“Weakness to Strength”), a sensational athlete challenged by muscular dystrophy who is the founder of  Blessed2Play.
Many diocesan and religious priests will participate again this year by hearing confessions at mid-day. The sacrament of reconciliation has become a conference staple in its first 14 years.  Since so many participants go to confession, the committee hopes that more priests than ever will come.  “We can use as many priests as will come,” said Mr. Bruneau, “since so many of the men, nearly a thousand, go to confession.”
Bishop McManus will be the principal concelebrant and homilist for the Conference Mass at 4 p.m.
Through March 2, ticket prices for adult men are $45; then they increase to $60.  Ticket prices for students are $30 prior to the conference and at the door.  Tickets can be purchased online on the conference website at www.firstmensconf.org; by sending a check to Catholic Men’s Conference, 49 Elm St., Worcester, MA 01609; contacting parish contact persons; or by calling Julie Schroeder at 508-929-4345.
Mr. Bruneau added, “We are absolutely delighted to offer another outstanding conference this year. Thousands of men have been so loyal to the conference that we want to have an excellent array of speakers for it.  The men won’t be disappointed.”
“In addition to reaching out to men of all ages a special effort is being made to invite teens and young adults and there is a concerted effort in our parishes and Catholic high schools to attract students to the conference,” he said. “We want to continue to strengthen the conference by welcoming young men who are so important for the Church’s future.  Each year the conference gets a younger audience.”