CATHOLIC MEN'S FELLOWSHIP

of Western New York

Past Conferences   2003 - 2009

 

            The Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Western New York, Inc. has successfully sponsored and conducted men’s conferences in each of the last seven    years. The first conference was held at the Hamburg Agri-Center Annex, then five conferences were held at the WNY Event Centre in Clarence, NY. Each of these day long conferences was timed to occur in the Lenten season. This year’s Conference will be held at the same site as last year on March 20, 2010 at Cardinal O’Hara High School, 39 O’Hara Road, Tonawanda, NY. 

 

            The Conferences have been very well received by a progressively larger audience each year. They have featured a range of speakers including well known figures from the sports world such as Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bill, Joe DeLamielleure, NBA great Ed McCauley, former Notre Dame Coach Gerry Faust and former NFL player and coach, Danny Abramowitz. They have also provided inspirational and affirming talks from clergy from across the country such as Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, Fr. Larry Richards, Fr. John Catoir, Fr. John Mergenhagen, Fr. Bruce Nieli, Fr. Richard McAlear and Fr. Philip Merdinger. In addition, our own diocesan priests, including Msgr. Dino Lorenzetti, Msgr. Angelo Caligiuri, Fr. Leon Biernat, Fr. Jim Vacco and Fr. Joe Gatto have provided a local and spiritually insightful flavor to our conferences. Finally, we have been privileged to attract nationally – known speakers who have provided us with the lessons from their own Spiritual journeys, including Bill and Billy Moyer, Robert Rogers, Maurice Blumberg, Steve Ruda, Jim Towey, Christopher Lowney and Dobie Moser. 

 

            By sharing their own experiences and spiritual journeys each of these men brought to our men in attendance a sense of affirmation, inspiration and spirituality that was widely viewed as something new and unique to our Catholic life here in Western New York. The universal comment by the attendees was that the Conference was the most spiritually uplifting event they had ever encountered. It inspired many of our men to form and join parish men’s groups, become more involved in their own parishes and be a better husband, father, son, brother or friend. It was viewed by most as a means to refocus themselves on their individual spiritual journey, wherever they are on that path. 

 

            The Conferences have given Men’s Spirituality a new place in our diocese and a means for assuring that the men of our diocese become spirit – filled servant leaders at home, at work, in the community and in their parishes.

 

 

The 7th Annual Men's Conference
    ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
     Living as Catholic Men in a Changing World
     Saturday, March 28, 2009

     Cardinal O'Hara High School 

     39 O'Hara Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150

                      

 ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
“Living as Catholic Men in a Changing World”

 OVERVIEW: 

This year’s Conference is a great opportunity to hear our superb guest speakers, to renew your commitment to God’s plan for your life, to enjoy fellowship and sharing with men from across the Diocese and to celebrate men’s spirituality. Our new location and schedule changes are in response to your suggestions and we hope that they make the conference easier to attend for more men and a more fulfilling experience for all, whether it’s your first time or you are a regular attendee. 
 

 CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:

JOE DELAMIELLEURE

was drafted in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He played eight seasons for the Bills, was a six time Pro Bowl selection, is on the All-Decade Team for the seventies and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe will speak about his own personal journey of faith and tell us what it takes to be a spiritual “All Pro” in today’s world.

ARCHBISHOP DONALD W. WUERL, S.T.D.

was installed in June 2006 as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Ordained a priest in his home town of Pittsburgh in 1966, he became the Bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese in 1988 where he served for 18 years. Many will know his writings, particularly his work on the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults. Archbishop Wuerl is well known in the Buffalo Diocese and will speak to us about the importance of forgiveness and the sacrament of Reconciliation. 

BILL MOYER

is the newly installed Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men. Bill comes to his new role from Waco, Texas where he was a leading member of the Central Texas Fellowship of Catholic Men. Bill worked for 23 years in the private sector, serving as President of four companies and founder of two more. Bill’s vocation and avocation focused on leadership, management, motivation, growth and education. Bill will speak about the National Fellowship and its role in men’s evangelization. 


                    Schedule of Events

                        8:00 am                     Doors Open/Registration

                        8:45 am                     Welcome

                        9:00 am                     Joe DeLamielleure

                      10:00 am                     Coffee

                      10:30 am                     Archbishop Wuerl

                      11:30 am                     Lunch, Reconciliation, Rosary, Prayer

                                                          & Fellowship

                        1:00 pm                     Bill Moyer

                       2: 00 pm                     Mass

 

 

(music by Norm Paolini and the male Voices of Mercy)


 


 






 

 

 

 


 

  • The 6th Annual Men's Conference
              LIVING BOLDLY-Godly Men in a Secular World

 

          Saturday, March 1, 2008

          11163 Main Street  Clarence, NY 14031

           

          CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES OF “LIVING BOLDLY”

 

             The theme for this year’s Catholic Men’s Conference is “Living Boldly – Godly Men in a Secular World” Each of this year’s speakers has lived that theme and stands in our presence as a Godly man, mentor and teacher and “heroic leader.”

 

             Guided by the Holy Spirit and fired by the love of Jesus Christ each of our speakers, two priests and a former Jesuit seminarian found success in their chosen fields early in life. After seven years as a Jesuit seminarian and teacher, Chris Lowney then nearly penniless and with not much more than the clothes on his back went to work for Wall Street giant, J.P. Morgan. Lowney soon became one of Morgan’s brightest and went on to become a Managing Director while still in his 30’s. He was posted around the world managing J. P. Morgan offices in Asia and Europe and credits much of his success to the disciplines he learned while a Jesuit.

 

            Fr. Richard McAlear was ordained in 1970 and only six short years later he founded a healing ministry that continues to this day. Fr. McAlear spends about half of his year at Ave Maria University mentoring and teaching, but for the rest of the year he travels world-wide meeting the demands for his healing masses, reconciliation services and speaking engagements. Fr McAlear remains as active in the pursuit of his ministry as he was over 30 years ago when it was founded.

 

            Fr. Bruce Nieli was ordained in 1973 and has evangelized all over the U.S. including the Archdiocese of New York, Texas, Tennessee and elsewhere. In 1994, only 21 years after his ordination, he was selected to be the Director of Evangelization for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He continues to evangelize and inspire with his words and works and recently ministered at Ground Zero in NYC and to displaced Catholics at the Houston Astrodome in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

 

             What is extraordinary about each of these men is his commitment to his principles, his focus, inspired by the Spirit, on his ministry and his ability to sustain those attributes over a lifetime, not yielding to the pressures of notoriety or resting on the successes achieved early in his career.

 

             The 2008 Catholic Men’s Conference is a great opportunity to see and hear these men witness to their beliefs and share their own challenges and stories of success. They are, each differently, Disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Schedule of Events

  8:00 am - 10:15am     Doors Open/Registration

 

  9:00 am                       Mass with the Bishop

 

  9:45 am                       Coffee

 

10:15 am                       Chris Lowney - HEROIC LEADERSHIP

 

11:15 am                       Fr. Richard McAlear - FORGIVENESS

 

12:15 am                       Affirmation of Priests

 

 NOON                          Lunch, Reconciliation, Rosary

 

  2: oo pm                      Fr. Bruce Nieli - GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES

 

  3:00 pm                       Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

 

  3:15 pm                       Closing

 

Music by St. Stephen's Men's Group

 

           

 

  • The 5th Annual Men's Conference
    Saturday March 24, 2007

    Take Some Time for God - "Changes and Challenges"
    Saturday, March, 24, 2007
    11163 Main Street
    Clarence, NY 14031

For the fifth year men gathered from all over Western New York to celebrate men's spirituality. Through prayer, listening, sharing, Reconciliation, and Eucharist, they renewed their faith and strengthened their resolve as Catholic men in our Diocese and parishes.

Living Fearlessly

H. James Towey is the President of St. Vincent College, a Benedictine College in Latrobe, PA. Prior to assuming that role in July of 2006, Jim worked for four years as the first Director of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives under President Bush. A lawyer by training, his most notable client was Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. He traveled extensively with Mother Teresa and also worked at her missions in Calcutta, Mexico and the United States. Jim. Towey knows personally the sacrifice and spirituality required to change with the times as we are confronted with both the large and small challenges of daily life.

Reconciliation & Conversion

Msgr. Angelo Caligiuri the pastor of Infant of Prague parish in Cheektowaga. He studied and worked in Rome during Vatican II. In Rome he earned a Ph.D. in Ethics and has since taught various courses on Christian ethics and philosophy. Msgr. Caligiuri has served in various leadership positions in the Diocese including Vicar for Religious and as the leader of the Northeast Erie vicariate. He continues a tradition of local priests providing inspiration to the men of the Diocese.

Journeys End, Journeys Begin

Fr. James Vacco OFM is a Franciscan priest on the faculty at St. Bonaventure University. A former parish priest and educator at Bishop Timon H.S., Fr. Vacco chairs or is a member of numerous committees, agencies and organizations in Cattaraugus County that provide support and services for the less fortunate in the area. Fr. Vacco provided a fresh perspective on how we will be challenged by the Diocesan Journey in Faith and Grace and how best we can employ our talents in our own parishes to help in that process.


 

            Photos From 2006 Catholic Men's Conference Meeting

Thank God for all your hard work. I'm so proud that we as Catholic men have taken this step in our walk with Christ. I hope you enjoy these photos.

Your brother in Christ,
Tom Franco
St. James
Jamestown, NY

  • The 2006 Catholic Men's Fellowship Conference
    Saturday March 25, 2006

    The 2006 Catholic Men's Fellowship Conference was held at the WNY Event Centre in Clarence, NY. Sons brought their fathers and grandfathers; grandfathers brought their sons and grandsons to this unique celebration of men's spirituality. The conference was a very direct program that affirmed us as Catholic men, gives us guidance and direction while recognizing the need and the responsibility to mentor future generations
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  • 3RD ANNUAL CATHOLIC MEN'S CONFERENCE
    Saturday February 26, 2005

    WHO: The Catholic Men's Fellowship of WNY
    WHAT: A celebration of Male Spirituality
    Speakers
    Reconciliation
    Mass with newly appointed Bishop Edward Kmiec
    Opportunity for discussion and prayer
    WHERE: WNY Event Centre, 1163 Main St., Clarence, NY 14031
    WHEN: Saturday, February 26, 2005
    COST: Men $25.00, Students $10.00

  • 2004 Catholic Men's Conference       
    Saturday, February 28, 2004 - the first Saturday of Lent.

 

  •  2003 Catholic Men's Conference       
    Saturday, February , 2003