Ed Roberts is keeping busy this summer preparing for the first Catholic Men of Delmarva conference, which is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Saint Mark’s High School.
The conference, billed as a one-day spiritual retreat, is starting to gain traction in the Diocese of Wilmington, said Roberts, who founded Catholic Men of Delmarva.
The diocese has been helping by sending out updates about the conference to each of its 57 parishes, including bulletin inserts.
“We’re very grateful for all of that,” Roberts said.
He and others from the organization will be heading to parishes in upcoming weeks to speak at Masses. Roberts said in late July that there were about 20 parish captains; the hope is to have a captain at each parish soon.
The conference has a theme of “Authentic Masculinity,” and the speakers and events are fairly well set. After an opening by Father James Gebhart, there will be five talks. Father Larry Swink, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and host of The Deepest Dive podcast, will deliver an address entitled “Purity: A Call to Wholeheartedness.”
Matthew Leonard, a Catholic evangelist and founder of the spiritual formation enterprise called Science of Sainthood, will address “The Art of Living as Catholic Men.” The third speaker from outside the diocese is Gary Zimak, whose talk is “Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust in Jesus in Life’s Stormy Times.” Zimak is an evangelist and author.
Father John Solomon, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, will speak about priestly vocations. He is the diocesan director of vocations. Deacon Phil Belt will address the permanent diaconate, which he oversees for the diocese.
Roberts said Catholic Men of Delmarva is working with the Knights of Columbus to develop a presentation on the Knights’ COR program. The Knights describe this as a “flexible framework of prayer, formation and fraternity that helps focus men on Jesus through Christ-centered brotherhood.” Roberts said that fits nicely with the objectives of the Catholic Men of Delmarva.
According to Roberts, the theme reflects the goal of the conference to produce men who are good husbands and fathers, “serving the Lord however we can to meet his will.”
“We want men to feel empowered to express their faith, not to shy away from letting people know that they’re Catholic and we work to do his will,” he said.
Roberts has attended numerous conferences similar to this one in other states, and he always noticed the number of fathers who attend with their sons. He hopes to see the same thing at Saint Mark’s.
“We’re encouraging dads to bring their sons and share the day,” he said.
He also said the wives of these men have an important role to play. Roberts recalled some wives approaching him after speaking at Masses in Maryland to tell him that their husbands would be attending.
“It’s a good kind of motivation for the guys,” he joked.
Roberts also hopes high school boys consider attending.
The day will close with Mass. Bishop Koenig is scheduled to preside.
Roberts said the organization is projecting attendance of about 350 men, but he believes they could surpass that.
More information is available at www.DelmarvaCatholic.org or by emailing Roberts at edw.roberts.28@gmail.com.
