The Great Pursuit.
LIVING YOUR
VOCATION
COURAGEOUSLY
11 March 2023
A hybrid conference in parishes nationwide
LIVING YOUR
Men are under attack. Masculinity is under attack. And the same goes for your family. In today’s world the attack is unrelenting: it’s happening in our schools and businesses, in the media and on social media. There’s isn’t a place to hide. So what do good men do? They band together as brothers to fight the good fight, which is exactly why you are here today. Men, you are part of the largest gathering of Catholic men in the country. But do not take comfort in that—rather take courage knowing that like-minded men like you are ready to go into the breach and crush the attack. Thank you for being strong Men of Christ.
Our Featured Speakers
Bart Schuchts is the founder of Church on Fire (churchonfire.live), has been associated with the John Paul II Healing Center since its inception, and has been in ministry for over 30 years. Bart grew up in a Catholic home yet drifted away while in college. Following a desperate plea to God while sitting in an NFL locker room, Bart had a powerful encounter with the Father’s love that Transformed his life forever. Today, Bart travels the country bringing thousands into an intimate and powerful encounter with the Father’s love that transforms lives and equips people to live more fully in Christ’s mission. His passion is to see the Church transformed and equipped to live into the fullness of Her 2000 year history. Bart and his bride Brooke are proud parents of four children.
Mike Sweeney is a five-time Major League Baseball All-Star first baseman and member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame after a 20-year professional baseball career. Today he works as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations/Leadership Development for the Kansas City Royals. He is also the founder of Catholic Baseball Camps and the San Diego Saints where he uses “the greatest game ever played to share the Greatest Story ever told.” Mike is a practicing Catholic and daily Communicant who speaks worldwide about his love for Jesus and His Holy Catholic Church. Mike and his wife Shara have been married for over 20 years and are blessed with 6 children.
Kevin O’Brien is the President of North America Publications and the CEO of Best Version Media. Kevin enjoyed a pro football career from 1993 to 1996 when he began searching for God. That led him everywhere—except the Catholic Church. But then, a powerful confession finally brought him home. Kevin has been married to Leslie for 23 years and are blessed with seven children. In 2006, Kevin co-founded Men of Christ, one of the largest Catholic men’s conferences, the Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance, an apostolate to unite all Catholic men’s ministries, and Virtue Sport, an apostolate that uses sports to build character in children. In response to growing disunity in 2020, he created Unite Our Nation to bring Christ into the streets through Eucharistic processions.
Fr. John Burns is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and author of the bestselling book Lift Up Your Heart: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with St. Francis de Sales. Ordained in 2010, he has served as an associate pastor and pastor in Milwaukee as well as an adjunct professor of moral theology at the Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. He completed a doctorate in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2019. His doctoral research focused on the theology of healing through forgiveness. Fr. Burns speaks at conferences, preaches missions, and directs retreats throughout the country. He works extensively with the Sisters of Life and St. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and has given retreats, conferences, and spiritual direction for the sisters in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Ordained a priest on May 14, 1975, the Most Reverend Jerome Edward Listecki was named the 11th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. In 2000 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Chicago and ordained a bishop in 2001. In 2002, Archbishop Listecki was named the episcopal vicar of the Vicariate 1 of the Archdiocese of Chicago. In addition, he is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserves. Archbishop Listecki began graduate studies in Canon Law and Moral Theology in 1979 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome. His Episcopal motto is “Life is Christ,” from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Phil 1:18-26).
Why You Should Attend
What’s holding you back from attending the conference? Listen to men like you who felt the same way, and how the conference changed their lives.
Prime Matters (primematters.com), the creator of this video, is an educational outreach of the University of Mary. Today the Church builds the Kingdom of God in an apostolic and a Christendom mode. The apostolic mode is the Men of Christ model.
Our 2023 keynote speaker—and MLB All-Star, Mike Sweeney—welcomes men to this year’s conference.