Ennie Hickman scans the culture and sees something lacking. And it’s not just the culture, it’s families.
“What's happened in our culture is a lack of a dad, a grandpa, an uncle, someone to pass down that age-old wisdom, virtue,” said Hickman, one of the headline speakers for this year’s Catholic Men’s Conference, In The Father’s Footsteps, scheduled for March 8.
“It goes beyond knowing how to cook a steak or fish. There are real practical things that aren't being passed on – it's this Christian virtue, rare in our society. And something I think is at the roots of it is a lack of leadership.”
Hickman, who lives in Houston with his wife and nine children, holds extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, youth ministry, mission work and public speaking. He is also committed to honoring Blessed Stanley Rother, leading regular Guatemalan pilgrimages to Santiago Atitlán and performing mission work there.
Hickman will lead off the conference with his talk – “Metanoia and Mission: A Man’s Journey to Abundant Life.” His message to the men will be a challenge to go beyond trusting only in themselves to get things done, trusting God more.
“We're doers, we're problem solvers, we're action oriented,” Hickman said. “So often, when we see issues outside of ourselves, we think if we jump all in and put our heads together and come up with a good plan to attack the problem, it's going to work out.
“What we've seen time and again, God's plan a is better than our best ideas. He has laid out a path of transformation that begins with metanoia, that changing of one's mind, that conversion, that decisive moment when the individual — the man — says, ‘OK, I can't do that on my own, God, take care of everything.’
“It's a choice to follow him and his will.”
The conference, in its 29th year, will be held for the first time at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Tickets, priced at $72 for adults ($85 after Feb. 19), $49 for college students and $39 for high school students anytime, can be purchased at catholicmen.net.
The theme of the conference is “Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread.” Along with Hickman, the program will feature Sister Mary Michael Fox, the highest-rated speaker in the event’s history and a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville; Tim Carney, an award-winning author; and Paul George, an author, mentor, consultant and coach.
The move to the Oklahoma City Conference Center allows for as much as a 50 percent increase in attendance, after years of sellout crowds in Norman.
“The conference team is excited and working very hard to prepare our very first conference at the Conference Center,” said Ray Haefele, conference director. “With all the improvements to the day that venue affords us, plus an outstanding slate of speakers, we should all receive an outstanding experience.”