Building a new foundation with ‘love and joy’
Hundreds of men from around North Carolina renewed their commitment to their faith at the 14th annual Catholic Men’s Conference of the Carolinas held Feb. 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of men from around North Carolina – and a few from out of state – renewed their commitment to their faith at the 14th annual Catholic Men’s Conference of the Carolinas held Feb. 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.
The conference featured a wide variety of speakers and, for the first time, a visit from Bishop Rafael Zarama of the Diocese of Raleigh who celebrated Mass and presented a homily focused on the need for love in the practice of the Catholic faith.
Bishop Zarama encouraged the men to participate in the liturgy and receive the Eucharist with joy “and not be like those lining up for a funeral.”
“We must let our love and joy be seen by those who do not know Christ or who have fallen asleep, and let them know we have something more than the world can give,” Bishop Zarama said in his homily.
Jason Murphy, Grand Knight for Knights of Columbus Council 770 in Charlotte, is one of the main organizers for the conference. He said the gathering’s main goal is to help men focus both on their faith and their responsibilities as Catholic men to promote the faith’s values at home, in church, in the workplace, and in the public sphere.
“The inactivity of good solid Catholic men over the past several years has been evident from the ground up,” Murphy said. “There are many men who have kind of ‘checked out’ and sat on the sidelines, and it has affected the family, the Church and our society. It’s time for more men, especially young ones, to re-engage in their faith and start becoming leaders for their families, the Church and the world around them.”
The conference drew men from around the Diocese of Charlotte as well as other parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and even visitors from Ohio.
Bishop Rafael Zarama of the Diocese of Raleigh blesses the congregation after celebrating Mass at the men's conference.Speakers included author, radio host and speaker Jesse Romero, who described the duties of Catholic men, and Daniel Vu, a former Marine who talked about his faith journey and struggles, and how God inspired him to lead men to Christ. Master of ceremonies was broadcaster Joseph Enders.
The conference also featured something a little different: a performance by Kentucky-based Catholic musician and rap artist E-Knock, who performed his songs “Real Men,” “Martyr’s Walk” and “I Would Die For This.”
Murphy said outreach to younger Catholic men, especially those in their 20s and 30s, was one of the big focuses of this year’s conference. He was pleased by the increased turnout from that demographic and said adding E-Knock to the bill was a further effort to appeal to the tastes of a younger audience.
“E-Knock was involved with young adult ministries for a long time and then had a calling to start evangelizing through music,” Murphy said. “His music is unique because it takes the Catholic messages and adds a more contemporary beat to it. His message was so solid, and by the end of his performance I saw not only the younger men but men in their 50s and 60s getting into his message. It’s all part of the effort to reach out to the younger men by doing something new, and at the end of the conference a lot of them thanked us for the outreach.”
Next year’s conference is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 25, 2025 and will feature a visit from Bishop Jacques Fabre-Jeune of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina.
Visit www.catholicmenofthecarolinas.org to learn more about the Catholic Men’s Conference.
— Christina Lee Knauss