Important Notice for September 19, 2020
No doubt, it’s Divine Providence
We’re moving the conference to New Britain Stadium!
Prayers to Saint Joseph uncovered this opportunity!
- Outdoor venue with up to 1,500 capacity, in full compliance with Social Distancing precautions.
- Indoor bathrooms and handicap ramps
- Seating with cup holders rather than folding chairs
- Easy access off the highway right in the middle of Connecticut
- Plentiful parking
- Going onto the field to receive Eucharist!
- Adoration on the rooftop!
- NOW including lunch with the same ticket price.
We’re excited that Holy Land USA may be our location next year.
The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on humanity with the deaths and the lockdowns, and the many changes that social distancing and fears about the spread of the disease brought.
For people of faith, this crisis brought new ways of worshipping through social media as churches were closed down. For the men of the Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference Committee, it seemed as though the pandemic would dash all hopes of a gathering this year.
The theme, the focus, the goals, and a new date began to coalesce around those symbols and strengths that make Catholic men great, and with a lot of grace, this 13th conference, which is now scheduled for September 19th, 2020 (assuring warmer weather), has come together in ways none of the men of the committee could have dreamed of a year ago.
In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Saint Joseph being proclaimed the Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX on 8 December 1870, this year’s theme is SAINT JOSEPH: OUR PATRON. In addition, the Mass this year will be dedicated to the soon-to-be blessed Father Michael J. McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, who grew up in the shadow of Holy Land, the brainchild of another outstanding Catholic man, John Baptist Greco, who turned a piece of undesirable land into a place where believers could celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
The event will be doubly blessed because of the dedication of so many from the Knights of Columbus who are preparing the site and who represent what it means to be a man dedicated to the Catholic faith. And Father Jeffrey Romans, former priest-secretary for the Archbishop of Hartford and a former CCMC Committee member, will be the principal celebrant at the outdoor Mass.
The speakers for the event include: Father James Sullivan, the current conference chaplain, who will speak on the life of Father McGivney; David Craig, founder of Adoration for Vocations, Aaron Joseph, conference co-director, and founder of SAINT JOSEPH: OUT PATRON, a lay apostolate founded to promote Saint Joseph’s universal patronage; and Walter Finneran, who will be giving a testimony on The Brian O’Connell Homeless Project. These men will be tying together the theme of the day in a way that will drive home the overarching goal of every conference: to connect Catholic men to Christ and one another, and prompt each man to seek out a personal apostolate where he can serve the Kingdom of God and help other Catholic men to become the best of who they can be.
There will be all the familiar elements the men have come to expect from the conference: great speakers, Mass, Adoration, Confession, fellowship, and an uplifting message of encouragement for the men. This event will truly reach new levels for those who will participate.The CCMC Committee requests those who wish to attend to purchase their tickets before September 1st by going to www.ctcatholicmen.org. We hope to see you there!