Men at Conference Urged to Recommit
Their Lives to Faith and Family

by Mike Krokos
Catholic News Service

INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Jesse Romero loves the Catholic faith. So does Darrell Miller.

And both husbands, fathers and former world-class athletes are not afraid to let everyone know it.

Romero's passion was evident as he held a rosary high in his outstretched hand and discussed how Jesus and Mary are key players in his life.

Miller clutches a Bible as he talks about the power of the Eucharist and the path that led him to join the Catholic Church 13 years ago.

"I want to be holy. That's my goal in life," Romero said.

"We are charged to live the Gospel," Miller said. "We are charged to be different."

The two men were among the speakers at the second annual Indiana Catholic Men's Conference Sept. 22 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis .

Other speakers included Father Larry Richards, a nationally known mission preacher and retreat master, and Father Jonathan Meyer, an Indianapolis pastor and director of youth ministry for the Indianapolis Archdiocese.

Sponsored by the Marian Center in Indianapolis , the title of the conference was "Lions Breathing Fire: Living the Catholic Faith." The theme came from a homily by St. John Chrysostom in the fourth century that described what people should be like after receiving Communion.

The conference included Mass celebrated by Archbishop Chaput and Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, the opportunity for confession, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

Archbishop Buechlein welcomed the more than 1,000 men who decided to use the day as a chance to reconnect with their faith.

"Thank you for taking your baptismal call to holiness seriously ... and placing yourselves in the hands of God," he said.

In his remarks, Miller spoke of his Baptist upbringing and his conversion to Catholicism.

Miller, the older brother of former Indiana Pacers basketball star Reggie Miller, was a major league baseball player for the California Angels, now called the Anaheim Angels. He became familiar with the Catholic faith when he started dating his wife, Kelly.

A Life Teen Mass planted another seed in his faith journey, he said.

"There were people, including men, fully and actively participating in the Mass," said Miller, director of Major League Baseball's Urban Youth Academy and a board member of Catholic Athletes for Christ.

But that was only part of his attraction to the Catholic faith.

"One thing I could not deny is the power of the Eucharist," he said. "Every single Sunday, I wanted to receive Christ."

He was also drawn to the sacrament of reconciliation.

Miller encouraged conference participants to put God first in their lives and to be spiritual leaders in their households.

"Our goal in life is to return to Christ what he has given to us," he said.

Romero said that although he was born Catholic, he didn't begin embracing his faith until 20 years ago.

Romero, a former member of the Los Angeles Police Department, a three-time worldwide police boxing champion and a two-time U.S. kickboxing champion, urged the men to "learn the basics" of the faith well, calling it "the Lord's gym."

"God has given us the one-two punch: confession and Communion," he added.

He also encouraged conference participants to develop a devotion to Mary through the rosary.

"Stay close to Jesus and stay close to Mary," he said.

Father Richards told the men that if they didn't own a Bible, they should go out and buy one. He also urged them to carry a rosary and pray it every day.

The priest, from the Diocese of Erie, Pa., encouraged participants to follow Mary's example and be people of prayer.

"No human being spent more time with Jesus than Mary," he said.

"Mary is the last gift Jesus gave to us," he continued. "You've got to take her into your care. Like a pair of glasses, we look through her to see Jesus, her son."

He told the men that when they pray rosary they should put themselves in each scene.

"As you look at the life of Jesus Christ, then you become like Jesus," he said.

Father Meyer encouraged conference participants to attend daily Mass and challenged them to embody the conference theme and be like lions breathing fire.

The priest said the lion represents Christ, breathing represents the Holy Spirit and fire is the power of God.

"It's not about us," he said. "It's about what God does through us."

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