28th Catholic Men’s Conference set for March 9

Jeff Cavins recognizes the shame of sin overwhelming some men.

Shame that creates perceived blockades from the most important aspects of their lives. Jobs. Friendships. Relationships.

Cavins has encouraging news for those men: they needn’t carry it, their burdens of shame have already been dismissed.

“The truth is that Jesus came and took upon himself your shame,” said Cavins, a popular speaker, author, podcast host and the creator and founder of the Great Adventure Bible Study series. “He was stripped naked, put on a piece of wood outside of town with everyone walking by, spit upon and shamed for us.

“So he’s taken on our shame because he doesn’t want us to live with that shame that is attached to the sin.”

Cavins is among the featured speakers for the 28th edition of the Catholic Men’s Conference, In The Father’s Footsteps, set for March 9 at the Embassy Suites in Norman. The theme for 2024 is “Be Strong and Courageous.”

Registration is open at catholicmen.net, with tickets at $72 for adults ($85 after Feb. 19), $49 for college students and $39 for high school students.

The rest of the lineup includes Chris Stefanik, national speaker and author; David Bereit, founder of the global 40 Days for Life movement; Brett Attebery, pro-life author and CEO of Heroic Media; and Jim Beckman, pastoral leader and non-profit director.

“For the conference, we are reminded in scripture, from Joshua 1:9, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,’ said Ray Haefele, conference director.

“Men are being asked to be solid Catholic men in their families and their surroundings, even when it is culturally not popular, or even uncomfortable. Our world needs us to be Godly men.”

For some men, that can mean overcoming shame they may be carrying with them. And Cavins notes the difficulties that often accompany facing such shame.

“There’s always a chance they’ll be exposed,” said Cavins, “or how can they expect others to not do something when they did it themselves?

“I think that no man really wants others to know who he really is. They want them to think that he’s got it together, that he’s pulled himself up by the bootstraps, that he’s competent, doesn’t struggle with anything, you know, a self-made man.

“And to come face-to-face with the fact that I need Jesus and I’ve had problems in my life is something that just seems easier to move on from than deal with.”

Except too often, Cavins said, they haven’t moved on at all. They carry the shame, with it creating a drag on their lives.

Why? Could be fear. Or stubbornness. And some men, Cavins said, simply believe they can’t be rehabilitated.

That, Cavins said, is tragic, considering help is readily available, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“It’s a tough thing for men. Women don’t have as much of a problem confessing things,” said Cavins, also known for his work with Father Mike Schmitz on the popular Bible in a Year podcast. “There’s something about our makeup, it’s an area where pride raises its head in men. And it’s because our culture teaches men to be the strong individual, self-reliant individual.

“So what happens is the man they want to be, the father they want to be, the husband they want to be doesn’t become a reality.”

And yet, there’s hope for such men.

That’s the message Cavins wants to convey at the conference.

“Most of the guys who I talk to who become freed from that shame, they live a whole new life of freedom.

“It’s a matter of releasing that shame to Jesus and allowing Jesus, ‘Please, take my shame. Take it. I don’t want to live with this anymore. I need to hear that it’s right with you, Lord, and I need to hear that I can start over.’”

John Helsley is the editor of the Sooner Catholic.