Outstanding College Council Award – Council 8200

Congrats to the Knights of Columbus, Council 8200 at the United States Air Force Academy for being named the 2009-2010 Outstanding College Council!  This council is near and dear to me, as it is and has been my council since 2004.  Congrats, men!  I am a lucky man to be a part of this great council and apart of so many of the lives of the Knights in 8200.  For any Catholic men who are reading who might not be a Knight, I highly encourage you to join.  If your council is inactive or “deadlocked”, as we sometimes refer to it, then take the bull by the horns and start something.  Resurrect the council and get others excited to be Knights.  Pope John Paul II once said, “All Catholic men should be Knights.”  Take his advice, and my push, and get involved today.

Knights of Columbus is a fraternal, service organization and has the tenets of Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism.  Here is an article about the award-winning council.

“To be named Outstanding College Council is an exceptional distinction; and it requires exemplary achievement across the spectrum of program categories. College councils know that their challenge is to foster a culture of life on their campus and to strive, through their actions, to build a civilization of love.

This year’s winner demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, social justice and spiritual formation. An outstanding college council not only knows and accepts these challenges, but faces this task with a sense of dedication and determination that elevates the entire Order and promotes a new evangelization.

Last year, Brother Knights at Our Lady of the Skies Council 8200 at the United States Air Force Academy offered service to Mary’s Choice, a home and helping hand Program for young women that provides them opportunity to reflect and learn in a loving, structured home for the duration of their pregnancies with ongoing support. By cutting ten cords of firewood, they saved the facility thousands of dollars on heating expenses. The council also collected winter clothing for families assisted by Mary’s Choice.

To offer spiritual formation for Catholic men, the council organized several annual retreats, as well as bimonthly dinners featuring guest speakers on Catholic manhood and vocational discernment. Exemplifying the chivalry that marks true Catholic gentlemen, the council also hosted a dinner to honor the women of their community.

To affirm the bonds of fraternity, this council organized a wide of variety of social activities, including mountaineering expeditions, and held outdoor activities and sporting events. The council also sponsored a “Man Talk” freshman recruitment event that drew in a large number of prospective members.

These men embody Father McGivney’s founding vision for the Knights of Columbus. When a student’s young brother died suddenly, these brother Knights intervened personally to raise funds to pay for the cost of her airfare home and to assist her family with funeral costs.

In recognition of their exemplary accomplishments and service, Our Lady of the Skies Council 8200 at the United States Air Force Academy was named Outstanding College Council for the 2009-2010 academic year.”

Thoughts from the Men’s Conference

This past Saturday, March 20th, men’s conferences took place in numerous cities all around the country.  From comments, updates, posts and blogs that I’ve seen, it appears that most of the conferences were huge successes.  The same can be said for the men’s conference in Colorado Springs, emcee’d by my friend Sean Dalton.  The speakers (for the most part) did a pretty good job.  I’m sure that many of the men would be able to find something they would have done differently, but overall, I think it was a success.  Here’s a recap of some of my favorite parts from the conference.

Dennis Murphy, a local Licensed Professional Counselor and teacher at the local Catholic high school, gave an incredible talk on the differences between men and women.  What I liked about what he did was that he used scientific knowledge of the brain to explain the neurological, physical, emotional and spiritual differences.  There’s a clear difference between the genders, and in order for the next generation(s) of boys to become men, we must allow them (encourage them, assist them, enliven them) to embrace their masculinity.  There’s also a big role in leading them toward masculinity.  Instead of suppressing a boy’s innate desire to turn a stick into a sword, bat, gun or bazooka, we should encourage this… not so he can be violent (unless the situation warrants violence for the protection of the defenseless) but so that he can understand how to protect and defend, as God commanded Adam to do in the Garden of Eden.

Later in the day, Dr. Tim Gray gave an incredible talk on “being the first over the wall”, an ancient Roman soldier’s goal when charging an enemy fortress.  He encouraged the men in the audience to be men of action, to stop complaining and take the lead.  The Roman soldier who got over the wall first won a golden crown, for his heroism, abilities in war and his leadership.  We men have the same task, but our crown is in Heaven.  He also spoke about what St. Thomas Aquinas wrote as “effeminacy”, basically calling out every and any man in the place who chooses comfort and pleasure over doing what is right.  He lumped himself in that group, on occasion, but at the same time showed that we are all growing and changing, learning from our mistakes, and that we should be striving to put comfort and pleasure behind what we ought to do.

Other speakers included Bill & Billy Moyer, a powerful father-son duo that emphasized the power of forgiveness, leadership and goal setting.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear their entire talk, although what I did hear was very good.  Check them out at their website by clicking HERE.  We also heard from Curtis Martin, founder and President of FOCUS.  His talk was short and to the point, and great, I might add.  Curtis encouraged all the men to “get up off our fat butts” and do something.  He spoke of how there’s crisis everywhere and how the crisis will only stop when someone steps up and does something about it.  He told a story of how at the end of life, we all sit before the judgement seat and will have to answer for our actions in life.  What are we doing?  Is it worthy of Heaven?  Are we sitting around complaining, and not doing?  Are we waiting around for someone to lead us?  Are we making excuses?  His encouragement to get up after we fail was great for me to hear.  Sometimes, I think that this website, my speaking engagements, my graduate studies, my crazy 60 hours per week schedule at work and all the “other” stuff I do isn’t really worth it.  That sort of mentality comes straight from the evil deceiver.  We have to keep getting up and moving forward.

I want to congratulate the Diocese of Colorado Springs, especially Christian Meert and Rob Faughnan (two friends of mine) who were integral to the conference, for a job well done.

Man up!

RMCMC 2010 – One Day Away

The 2010 Rocky Mountain Catholic Men’s Conference is only one day away.  Saturday, March 20, 2010 proves to be an epic event and I encourage any local (Colorado) men to make it a priority.  There are plenty of seats available and you can pay at the door.  The event takes place at the Pikes Peak Center in downtown Colorado Springs… merely an hour’s drive from Denver from the north or Pueblo from the south.  Here’s why an event like this is important.

1. As men, we thrive off brotherhood.  Brotherhood may be considered, simply, when men spend time together, preferably doing manly things.  Imagine what boys growing up together do – then make it relevant to adulthood and things that actually matter… that’s what this conference (and hopefully all men’s conferences around the country) are about.  Together, as men of faith, we encourage one another to grow in holiness, Sacramental behavior, daily prayer, and hopefully, to be better men.
2. Men need encouragement.  Think of this like an over-sized team huddle, when your team is in a vital spot and really needs to score a touchdown, or that gigantic defensive stop to win the game.  The quarterback or defensive leader should be trying to pump his team up so they pull off the incredible play.  The encouragement from the speakers, vendors, priests and bishops and the other men in attendance can be just the thing that most of us need to get our act together and win in the game of life.
3. Men need to continue to grow in holiness.  No matter where a man is in his faith journey, he can be a better man.  Events like a men’s conference show us the path to holiness, especially if we’re open to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives.

I encourage all of us to think about at least one man that we know that needs an invitation to something like this, and then make the invitation.  If you’re a man who’s attending a men’s conference, just extend the invitation.  If you’re a woman who knows of a man who needs to attend an event like this, it would be best to have another man extend the invitation at your request.  An invitation isn’t pressure to go, it’s a simple way of showing encouragement and extending a friendly hand.  Don’t be weak in your invitation and don’t be a power-monger either.  Be genuine and see what happens… it can’t hurt to ask.  Maybe you don’t live in Colorado and can’t get to the Rocky Mountain Catholic Men’s Conference, that’s okay.  There’s an event like this somewhere near you, and if there isn’t, I want to know!  (I’ll work to get something there!)  A men’s conference may be the thing that encourages a man to change his life for Christ.

To see more info, click HERE to go to the conference website.

Man up!

RMCMC 2010 – Get There!

March 10, 2010, Colorado Springs, CO –

The Rocky Mountain Catholic Men’s Conference (RMCMC), taking place Saturday March 20, 2010 and hosted this year at the Pikes Peak Center in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the second year for the event.  Last year’s conference saw 750 men in attendance, with hopes for many more this year.  The lineup of speakers, including three bishops from Colorado, should do the trick in drawing a great crowd.  Speakers include Bishop Michael Sheridan (host bishop, Diocese of Colorado Springs, CO), Archbishop Charles Chaput (Archdiocese of Denver, CO) and Bishop Fernando Isern (Diocese of Pueblo, CO) as well as Steve Bollman, Bill and Billy Moyer, Dr. Tim Gray (President and my graduate studies professor at the Augustine Institute), Curtis Martin (President of FOCUS, and my former boss), Dennis Murphy and the renown bio-ethicist, Fr. Tad Pacholczyk.  The event will be emcee’d by Sean Dalton (a dear friend of mine) and music will be performed throughout the event by Shaun Garrison.

I highly encourage any men within driving distance (and those who can afford a plane ticket) to attend this event.  Cost of the conference is $45, including lunch.  Vendors (including myself for TrueManhood Men’s Ministry) will be present as well.  Get There!

For more info or to register, visit the conference website by clicking HERE.

Man up!