Men's gathering to precede diocesan event with Deacon Harold

Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

SANDY — Blessed Sacrament Knights of Columbus Council 6966 will host the Dynamic Deacon, Harold Burke-Sivers, for a men’s conference, “The Spiritual Male,” April 8. 

Deacon Harold produced a series with EWTN, the Catholic television network, titled “Behold the Man: Spirituality for Men,” which debuted in 2006. He later wrote the book The Spiritual Male. 

Deacon Harold developed the idea for the series while attempting to answer the questions, “What does it mean to be a man in today’s society?” and “How does contemporary culture speak to men about truth, faith, and the meaning of life?” 

The book examines how a Christ-centered male spirituality fosters and nurtures growth in holiness, how it encourages men to become defenders of the culture of life, how it inspires men to become loving servants of their wives, families and the Church, and how the power of the Eucharistic Christ can sustain men in the everyday lived experience of their faith, according to Burke-Sivers website, www.deaconharold.com.

When Deacon Harold asked men what they thought male spirituality meant, many had no idea, he said on the website. Some men say that male spirituality “evokes images of an encounter group where men sit in circles and get in touch with their feminine side or of a therapy session,” Deacon Harold said. “Many of these misconceptions are fueled by a culture that has turned men into caricatures, extolling the virtue of egocentrism while portraying men as buffoons, jocks, and womanizers – as people not to be taken seriously.”

Being vulnerable means “exposing the deepest parts of who men are to their spouses and the Church,” said Deacon Harold. “It is only when they begin to understand the gift of vulnerability lived from the Cross, that they can begin to understand what it means to be a spiritual man.”

Blessed Sacrament Parish Grand Knight Trever Hinckley said he hopes he and the men attending the conference will come away with a better sense of focus and meaning when managing their time between work, family, Knights of Columbus meetings and service, kids’ sporting events, parish commitments and activities. 

“I’m hoping to get a basic reminder of why we do what we do,” Hinckley said. “Sometimes I put in so many hours for the Knights on different committees, and a lot of the time I do it out of a sense of duty rather than a true passion of why I started doing it in the first place. I want to know what the reason of fulfillment is, and is it enough?” 

WHAT: Men’s Conference with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers

WHERE: Blessed Sacrament Parish, 9800 South 1700 East, Sandy

WHEN: Friday, April 8, 7 p.m.

COST:$10. For tickets, call 801-571-2071 or visit http://www.blessedsacramentsandy.org/speaker.html.