Jacksonville, Fla. – On Saturday, May 19, hundreds of men from around the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine will gather to take their faith to the “Next Level.” The doors will open for the biannual event at 7:15 a.m. with the conference beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. at the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel, 1515 Prudential Dr. in Jacksonville.
Serving as this year’s honorary chair is Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford.
Kicking off this year’s conference with the first talk is Jesse Romero, a Catholic lay evangelist, who is nationally acclaimed for his dynamic, upbeat Christ-centered preaching. A resident of California and a retired veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Romero was a three time World Police boxing champion and a two time U.S.A. Kickboxing champion. During his years as a Deputy Sheriff, Romero experienced the dark side of society everyday yet he also saw evidence of God’s work in some of the most unexpected places.
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers will give the second talk at the conference. He is the founder and director of Servant Enterprises, Inc., a Christian evangelization and apologetics organization. He is a popular speaker and has appeared in Envoy and The Domestic Church magazines, and on many national and international radio programs, including Catholic Answers Live, Catholic Connection, Kresta in the Afternoon, and the Drew Mariani Show to name a few. He is a regular contributor to the Relevant Radio Network and has been featured on the Eternal Word Television Network’s Life on the Rock and hosts the EWTN series, Behold the Man: Spirituality for Men, Made in His Image: Family Life Today and Christ the Servant: The Vocation of Deacons.
This year’s keynote presenter is Father Leo Patalinghug, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, professor of theology at Mount St. Mary’s University and Seminary, an internationally known conference speaker, popular TV and radio personality, the creator and host of the movement, “Grace Before Meals,” which inspires and strengthens family relationships around the dinner table.
His message combines universal spiritual insights with the dynamic of personal interaction shared around the dinner table. Although he is a priest, his unique background as a former martial arts championship title holder and choreographer for an award winning breakdancing group has provided him unique experiences and insights that has caught the attention and acclamation of diverse audiences on PBS, ABC, CBS and also the Food Network, in which Father Leo defeated a world famous chef in a surprise cooking competition, Throw Down with Bobby Flay.
The conference will include Mass with Bishop Felipe J. Estévez, prayer and reconciliation.
Cost for the conference is $40 ($50 after May 6) and includes lunch and parking. To register, call (904) 308-7474 or register online at www.floridacatholicmen.org.