The Catholic Men’s Conference of Western Kentucky will host their sixth annual conference at the RiverPark Center in downtown Owensboro on February 11, 2017.
The keynote speaker will be His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York.
In years past, the conference was held at St. Stephen Cathedral, but conference organizers expect a sell-out this year and selected a larger space.
Mike Sullivan, president of the board of directors for the men’s conference said, “We are very excited to have such a great group of speakers at this year’s conference. It is certainly an honor to have Cardinal Dolan. We hope that many of the men in our diocese take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to enrich their faith.”
The men’s conference formed in March of 2011 with the specific purpose of hosting a spiritual conference/retreat for the men in the Diocese of Owensboro.
William F. Medley, Bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro, said the conference has impacted many men over the few short years it has been operating.
“It is classic example of peer ministry; men recognizing that their own desire to know, love and serve God is shared by others and that we all help one another along the way,” said Bishop Medley.
Bishop Medley said it took several years to bring Cardinal Dolan to the Owensboro diocese due to his busy schedule.
“Cardinal Dolan is an extraordinarily generous man who recognizes that when the Pope named him to the College of Cardinals, his presence throughout the Church brings to dioceses like Owensboro an extraordinary connection to the Pope himself,” he added.
The Bishop went on to say, “He will bring us a message of encouragement and faith, all delivered with his remarkable wit.”
Men across the diocese and beyond are encouraged to purchase a ticket by visiting http://kycatholic.com and clicking on the “Tickets/Donations” tab. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for students.
Following are the conference speaker biographies:
Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Timothy Dolan is the oldest of five children born to Robert and Shirley Dolan in St. Louis in 1950. His education was at Holy Infant Grade School in Ballwin, Missouri; high school and college at the seminaries of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; theology at the North American College in Rome; and doctoral studies in Church history at The Catholic University of America.
Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1976, he served as parish priest for eight years, as secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio in DC, as a professor at Kenrick Seminary and St. Louis University, and as rector of the North American College in Rome.
In 2001, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of his home diocese by Pope St. John Paul II, who, a year later, made him archbishop of Milwaukee. Pope Benedict XVI transferred him to the Archdiocese of New York in 2009, and named him a Cardinal in 2012.
He has served as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and of Catholic Relief Services, and as the co-chair of the National Jewish-Catholic Dialogue. It was his honor as well to enter the conclave which elected Pope Francis in 2013.
Fr. Larry Richards
Fr. Larry has been a priest since 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania and currently serves as pastor of St. Joseph Parish/Bread of Life Community in Erie.
In 2004 he founded The Reason For Our Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to ‘spreading the Good News’ by educating others about Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith through CDs, DVDs and books. He is the author of “Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You to Be”, a #1 best seller for Ignatius Press, having sold over 100,000 copies. He also has a second book called “Surrender! The Life-Changing Power of Doing God’s Will” published by Our Sunday Visitor which has sold over 40,000 copies.
Fr. Larry released a Catholic Men’s Bible, (NABRE), with Our Sunday Visitor in 2014, and also a Scripture Devotional Calendar entitled “No Bible, No Breakfast! No Bible, No Bed!” He hosts the EWTN radio show called “The Reason For Our Hope”, and a live EWTN radio show called “Open Line.” Fr. Larry also hosts a radio show called “Changed Forever with Father Larry Richards” that can be heard nationwide on Relevant Radio.
Robert Rogers
Robert is the youngest of eight children, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied electrical engineering and piano music in college, and now resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana – where he is a Knight of Columbus, a Eucharistic Minister, and an active member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
Robert experienced a tragedy of Biblical proportions when he lost his precious wife and all four children in a flash flood in Kansas in 2003. Through his immediate trust in God, Robert has risen above adversity and shared his compelling message across the country and with ABC, CBS, CNN, EWTN, Focus on the Family, and numerous Catholic churches, schools, youth rallies, & men’s conferences.
An accomplished worship leader, pianist, songwriter, and author of “Into the Deep”, “7 Steps to No Regrets”, and “Rise Above”, Robert teaches others to Live a Life of No Regrets with his inspiring words and original songs at the piano.
Catholic Men’s Conference of Western Kentucky Mission Statement
Guided by the Holy Spirit, we reach-out to Catholic men with faith-enriching and life changing presentations to strengthen their faith, family and work lives.