Holy Rosary Parish to sponsor first men’s conference on March 17

By Sean Gallagher

The first Catholic Men’s Conference and Retreat sponsored by Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis will take place from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on March 17 at the Indianapolis South Deanery faith community.

It will feature speakers Father Vincent Lampert, pastor of St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg and archdiocesan exorcist; Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Father Michael Magiera, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Rockdale, Ill., and previous associate pastor and administrator of Holy Rosary; and Father Martin Rodriguez, associate pastor of St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis.

Titled “Christ: Authentic Manliness,” the conference will seek to help attendees learn more about their mission and duty as Catholic men.

(Related: Lenten speaker series on hiatus)

In addition to presentations by the speakers, the conference will also include question-and-answer periods with each speaker, group discussions and breaks for individual reflection and prayer.

Mass will be celebrated. Eucharistic adoration will take place, and the sacrament of penance will also be available.

Jerry Jacobs, Jr., a Holy Rosary parishioner and an organizer of the conference, said he hopes the event will help its participants improve their application of the Catholic faith in their everyday lives.

To that end, the conference’s speakers “will give the men three to 10 action steps that they can take once they get home to help further what they just learned.”

“This conference is a great start to give them their mission given from God, which is to protect, defend and serve,” Jacobs said. “I want them to say, ‘Once I came home, I started praying the rosary. I started going to adoration once a week. I started going to confession once a month.’ That’s what I want.”

In addition to the March 17 conference, Holy Rosary is also offering an optional event called “The Friday Night Five” on the evening before the conference for participants to prepare spiritually for it.

The event on March 16 will begin with Mass at 5:30 p.m. at Holy Rosary with check-in to follow. A dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. A panel discussion will begin at 7 p.m. that will feature the conference’s three speakers, Father C. Ryan McCarthy, Holy Rosary’s pastor, and Deacon Bradley Anderson, who ministers at St. Mary Parish in Greensburg.

A silent retreat will then take place from 8:30-11:30 p.m. that will feature exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the praying of the rosary and the availability of the sacrament of penance and spiritual direction.

Early registration is $50 per person and includes admission to “The Friday Night Five” and meals on March 16 and 17. The early registration deadline is March 3. The cost of advance registration after March 3 is $60. Registration on the day of the conference will cost $65. The cost for groups of 10 or more is $45 per person and requires registration by March 16.
 

(For more information on or to register for “Christ: Authentic Manliness” Catholic Men’s Conference and Retreat on March 17, visit holyrosaryconferences.org or call Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish at 317-636-4478.) †