memphis

Update on the Memphis Men’s Morning of Spirituality

By Tyler ⋅ February 21, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment ⋅

Last Saturday I attended the 3rd annual Memphis Men’s Morning of Spirituality at Immaculate Conception Catholic church. I wanted to give you guys a quick follow up about the event in case you missed it or you want to attend next year.

When I first arrived I was amazed at how many men were there. Before we went into the church for the event, we all grabbed some doughnuts and coffee downstairs in a large, informal meeting room. What surprised me the most were the number of older men in the crowd (say >60).

Old guys don’t have anything to confess do they? Old guys don’t have any sin right?

Old guys are supposed to have the hardest parts of their lives behind them. They are supposed to be settled in their ways and faithful to their religion.

There was a fair share of younger men in the crowd but not as many as I thought there would be. I will say that the church was PACKED with men. If they sold tickets, it would have been a sell-out crowd.

To check out the first part of this article and to learn more about the Fishers of Men group, click here.

I’m glad that I went. One of the speakers, Dave Sloan [God of Desire], was fantastic. He gave a very moving and emotional speech. I found myself tearing up on more than one occasion. It helps to hear about other men and their struggles with the same things you and I battle everyday.

The second speaker was also moving. John Martignoni [Bible Christian Society] talked about the history of the Catholic mass. He delivered his speech very well and he left you looking forward to confession and mass.

There were around 20 priests in attendance this year. I was hard finding spots for them to hear confessions. Some of them were just sitting in the hallways while others were in corners of a room. It seemed awkward at first, but when you saw how many men went to confession, it was very uplifting.

The mass was the last part of the event. Mass was given by Bishop Terry Steib and about 10 other priests. After listening to the speakers and being surrounded by other men, the mass was a great way to end the morning. Bishop Steib is a great speaker and he gave a very fitting homily.

If you missed the event this year, make plans to attend next year. I’ll post any details on next year’s event as soon as I find out.