Genesis 4:9 Men’s Conference
by Jeff Kassab
“Be the man that God created you to be.”
– Fr. Larry Richards
The decline of authentic manhood has been on the rise in the past twenty years, and the two main reasons for this are the uprise in the counterculture and a decline in the belief that the one true man that we should follow is Jesus Christ. The world tells us men that we should act according to how our culture changes, yet Jesus tells us to do the exact opposite.
Men are consumed by popular culture and are looking for satisfaction in an unsatisfying world. They know that there is more to life than what they are doing. Since so many men are listening to current culture, we listened to Jesus and started the Genesis 4:9 men’s group.
Matthew James Christoff, founder of an apostolate called the New Emangelization, said between 11 million and 15 million adult men in the United States were raised Catholic only to leave the Church. Men are under-represented in the pews. About 60 percent of Catholic men are “casual Catholics” who might be at risk of leaving the faith, Christoff said.
According to Catholic World Report, three-quarters of Catholic men rarely go to confession. Just one-third go to Mass every week, and one-third don’t formally belong to a parish, Christoff said. Only half believe it is important to teach their Catholic faith to the next generation. Less than half have any kind of prayer life.
Genesis 4:9 has grown from 10 men to now over 400 active men in this ministry, meeting every other month with speakers and a variety of topics that challenge attendees both physically and spiritually. The meetings usually consist of a short talk followed by fellowship and food. It is essential that men connect with each other so they know that we all share the same struggles and don’t have to fight the battle alone. Just as “iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:16), this is what men need to battle the evil forces that attack from without.
When countries are in a war, they study their enemy to defeat them. The same goes for men. Once you know who the enemy is and you know his tactics, he can be easily defeated. We must reclaim our world, our culture, and most importantly, our families. This is only possible if the men in our community come together as one and reclaim our faith from the secular world.
As Genesis 4:9 grew, we saw the demand for more than what we were doing. Joe Stephen (one of the leaders of Genesis 4:9) felt like the Lord was calling to start something on a larger scale. He approached us and said that we should consider doing an annual men’s conference with strong Catholic speakers from all over the country. We prayed about it, and in 2018, we had our first yearly Genesis 4:9 men’s conference with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers and Justin Fatica. The conference drew over 275 men from all over the diocese. In 2019, we had Fr. Larry Richards and Fr. Mathias Thelen, and the conference attracted over 350 men.
This year’s conference is on October 16 at Mother of God Church. We have two guest speakers, Jessie Romero and Pete Burak, with Mass celebrated by Bishop Francis. We are expecting well over 400 men this year — it will be one that you don’t want to miss!
The wonderful thing about this group of men is that they range from ages 16 to 80 years old. We see fathers bringing their sons, brothers attending together, cousins and friends, all coming for one reason: to become better men for their families and the community. St. John Paul II said many times in his pontifical, “do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid of the man that God created you to be. We must step up and take charge of our families and lead them to Christ.
“The success of our community, our church, and our families are being threatened every day by men who are led by the world, while the strongest weapon in this fight for everything that matters, are men led by Christ,” said Pelar Esshaki, co-host of Catholic Avengers podcast.
“God has created men to be the leaders in their homes and families; it’s essential for all men to embrace their role as the spiritual leader in their family, to protect their family’s soul through prayer and commitment to God,” said Fr. Pierre Konja.
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, host of “Behold the Man” on EWTN, said Catholic men need to be challenged to embrace leadership roles. Faith-based Catholic men’s groups are starting to accomplish this sizable task.
Jeff Kassab is a devout Catholic who writes a blog titled, “The Journey to Heaven.” He holds a degree in Theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary and is currently pursuing a masters in Pastoral Theology. Genesis 4:9 can be found on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. More information is available on the ECRC website: https://www.ecrc.us/.