Thursday, July 9, 2009

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Renewing their faith By STAFF WRITER ~ Nassau Guardian: The first Islands Catholic Men's Conference designed to promote a deeper understanding of the believer's dignity as Catholics created in the image and likeness of God, and to provide direction and resources to help transform themselves, their families and society will take place June 26-27 in Grand Bahama. The Knights of Columbus Council on Grand Bahama, in an ambitious effort to address the need for Catholic men throughout the Bahamas to "Renew their Faith," planned the conference under that theme and have invited Catholic men from around the country to be in attendance. The conference is designed to bring Catholic men together for an opportunity to nurture, renew or establish a relationship with Christ, to advance and grow in their Catholic faith, and to examine their lives as husbands, fathers and members of society. During the conference, Catholic men will be encouraged to feel that as men they can make a difference in today's society, and hope to provide ideas on how: * To bring men closer to Christ. * To strengthen families by strengthening husbands and fathers. * To inform men of all ages, including high school students, of the wonders and truth about the Catholic faith. * Obstacles serve to pull men away from a strong relationship with God and with their families. * To deal with the obstacles that a secular society sets in front of all of them. * Theological hope brings individuals the strength to be real men of faith in their beliefs. * To better prioritize the true meaning of their faith in every part of their lives, health, finance, and community, in light of their Catholic faith. * And to so share their faith and experiences through friendship, prayer, and fraternity. The conference opens on Friday at 7 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church with Mass, which will be followed by the first session when Father David Cooper will speak on "The Role of Men in the Church." On Saturday, all sessions will be held at Mary, Star of the Sea Auditorium 9 am - 5 pm, and will conclude with a mass followed by a dinner where Archbishop Patrick Pinder will be the guest speaker. Other conference speakers include Deacons Jeffrey L. Lloyd, Jeffrey Hollingsworth, and Nixon Lindor; Basil Christie, Leo Hepburn, Dr. George Charite, and Keith Roberts, Frs Reginald Demeritte, Remy David, and Monsignor J. Ambrose MacKinnon, who are expected to direct the men's thoughts and energy toward fostering a stronger relationship with God, family, and community on their way forward, and what it means to be transformed. A special forum for Catholic young men, up to age 20 will be held on Saturday afternoon and will be addressed by Keith Roberts of Nassau. Admission is free. Registration for the conference is $40 and includes lunch and dinner on the final day. Applications are available from all Catholic parishes or from the Knights of Columbus and the deadline to register is Sunday, June 21. Thursday, June 11, 2009