After three long years, the men of our diocese will have the opportunity to gather again for a day of faith, fellowship and inspiration. 

“The Diocese of Lansing Men’s Conference will take place on March 16 at the George Gervin GameAbove Center at Eastern Michigan University,” says Craig Pohl, who is working to coordinate this year’s men’s gathering. “It’s a huge venue that can hold up to 3,000 people, which gives us high hopes for what’s possible this year.”

The day will include Mass with Bishop Boyea, dynamic speakers, opportunities to take part in the sacrament of reconciliation with priests from across the diocese, a massive exhibit space, and fellowship with other men of faith.

“We feel incredibly blessed and excited for the amazing speakers who will be attending,” Pohl says. “We’ve got Justin Fatica, who’s the head of an organization called Hard as Nails. Justin is a really inspiring speaker. He’s a bodybuilder, he has his own gym and helps other people get in shape spiritually and physically. He’ll be talking to us about being a man in our current society and giving a talk entitled ‘Drop-Kicking Mediocrity.’ Justin has impacted over two million people at over 1,500 live events and will surely give us the motivation we need to reach higher.”

The second major speaker highlighting this year’s event is Doug Barry, an internationally renowned speaker, from Life on the Rock (EWTN), Battle Ready Show (EWTN) and the US Grace Force Podcast. Doug has spent his life learning about spiritual warfare and helping lay men and women fight the good fight, both spiritually and physically. Doug will speak on being battle-ready and not fighting the good fight alone. 

Pohl says Barry’s selection plays into one of the event’s larger objectives: encouraging men to walk together. 

“Our hope is that after we gather thousands of men under the same roof for the same purpose, each of us will leave with a truer sense of who we are and what God is calling us to be,” he says. “Afterward, we’d love to see men making personal connections and forming small local groups to keep their energy alive all year long and grow together in prayer, friendship and evangelization.”

And it’s this energy that can deliver dramatic change, both to individual men and to our shared society.

“I think each of us is called to dig deeper, grow bolder,” Pohl says. “Society glamorizes a culture that is divergent from Christian principles. And it is very easy for men to get sucked into that because they’re exposed to it so much more than they are to the Christian message. There’s a stark and growing dichotomy between today’s culture and that of the Church.

“And that’s one of the purposes of this conference. We know that a lot of men don’t take the time to plan for combat against the unhealthy influences we face — the world, the flesh and the devil. But in the end, it’s about salvation. We want to get to heaven, so we need to conquer these three adversaries. And we can’t do it alone — we must come together as men.”