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February 28, 2019
For the second year, the marriage and family office of the Archdiocese of San Francisco will welcome fathers and sons to the Bay Area Catholic Men’s Conference, March 2, St. Bartholomew Parish. The 2018 event “was a great success and 2019 will be even better,” said office director Ed Hopfner in information promoting the event. Auxiliary Bishop Robert F. Christian, OP, will be principal celebrant and homilist of the day’s Mass.
More than 100 men attended the talks last year, Hopfner said, and hopes even more will attend this year.
The day will help those attending “to be better Catholics, better fathers and husbands, better leaders at home and in the parish,” Hopfner told Catholic San Francisco. “Men have both trials and opportunities that are different from those women face – this is an opportunity to learn how to better respond to them.”
Other than sports events, men are short on gathering together, Hopfner said. “This is a chance to be with other like-minded Catholic men: To learn, to grow in their faith, to be challenged and challenge others. If the enthusiasm we saw at the last conference is any indication, there is a great need for this kind of event.”
The younger participants also have a place at the talks, Hopfner said.
“Fathers are powerful role models, especially in the teen years, so it’s important for dads and sons to have time together, especially in a Catholic setting. As these young people are being formed as Catholic men, we want them to be around other Catholic men. This is a great opportunity for these younger fellows to think about how they want to live as Catholic men, especially in our challenging modern culture.”
Speakers include Ralph Desimone, a husband and father from Oakland who “with his wife Brigitte has presented retreats for married and engaged couples for 38 years, coached married couples and trained marriage preparation presenters for 20 years,” information about the day said.
Bay Area Catholic Men’s Conference, March 2, 2019, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m., $45 per person, St. Bartholomew Church, 600 Columbia Drive, San Mateo. Ed Hopfner, Hopfnere@sfarch.org, (415) 614-5680; SFBayMen.info.