Gregory A. Shemitz | TLIC

Above, former NFL standout Mark Bavaro autographs a copy of his book, “Rough and Tumble,” for Joseph Gioello of Curé of Ars Parish in Merrick. At right, Dennis O’Hare of Maria Regina parish in Seaford prays the rosary in the Holy Trinity chapel and, below, Father Joseph Fitzgerald of St. Kilian’s Church in Farmingdale addresses the audience.

By Pete Sheehan
sheehan@licatholic.org

HICKSVILLE — Bishop William Murphy looked out at several hundred men filling the auditorium for the diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference last Saturday and exclaimed: “If you could only see what I see.

“There are men from all parishes of the diocese and all different backgrounds,” Bishop Murphy said. At the sight of so many men so serious about their faith, the bishop noted, “I get pumped.”

The congregation at the closing Mass in the auditorium of Holy Trinity Diocesan High School here roared in response with their own enthusiasm for the daylong conference. More than 800 men attended the conference, which had the theme “You Have What It Takes.”

“I’m so amazed to witness men of faith coming together to praise God,” Deacon Francis Marino of St. Kilian’s Church in Farmingdale, said during lunch. “These are men who are willing to share the inner sanctum of their hearts with God and with each other.”

“It’s a very moving experience to be with men of true faith who can help me be the kind of man I want to be for my wife and children,” said Anthony Gentile, 28, of Curé of Ars Church, Merrick.

Over the course of the day, participants heard everything from hymns to the music of Bruce Springsteen (see related story).

They engaged in eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation — with lines running into the hall outside the school library where priests heard confessions.

Catholic book publishers, Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., various diocesan offices, and other Catholic ministries manned tables.

Guardians of the Eucharist, a Syracuse-based group which promotes eucharistic adoration, showed off the John Paul II Tribute Bike. The motorcycle is adorned with a picture of the late pope and his mottos, such as “Be Not Afraid.”

“People come to see the motorcycle,” said Ron Stott, with the guardians, “and we talk to them about eucharistic adoration.”

Lou Carnesecca, former basketball coach at St. John’s University, one of a half-dozen speakers, began by joking about his stature. “I look like I probably could have made a better living at Belmont as a jockey than basketball.”

“I think it’s a tremendous thing you guys are here today” to stand up for the Church, Carnesecca said. He called on them to advocate for “the unborn and for all human rights.

“You can be wonderful role models for others, and you don’t have to shout it,” he continued. “Just live it out, and you will give others the opportunity to be better people.”

Mark Bavaro, who was a star for Notre Dame and the New York Giants’ Super Bowl teams, stayed after his talk to chat and sign copies of his new novel, “Rough and Tumble,” about pro football life.

Bavaro is a still towering figure. Shocks of gray hair show his age since his prime years as a tight end in the 1980s and 1990s. He was known for praying after touchdowns. In 1988, Bavaro was arrested as part of Operation Rescue, a nonviolent movement which conducted human blockades of abortion facilities.

“Being Catholic is never easy,” he said. Yet he now realizes it was easier when he was a young star making great money. The contrast between a Catholic lifestyle and the drugs and promiscuity of many of his fellow athletes was clear.

Now, the pressures and mundane tasks of paying bills, caring for children, and earning a living make it harder to pray the rosary or pursue other devotional practices. “I used to be a daily communicant. Now, I struggle to make it to Sunday Mass.”

Bavaro meets men who have given up on Catholicism. “It’s not that they don’t believe in God.” He suspects they feel inadequate to living up to Catholicism.

“Not only do I believe in God, but I believe in the Church that Jesus entrusted to Peter 2,000 years ago.” Whether you are a captain or a deckhand, Bavaro said, it is “a ship you want to hold on to.”

Msgr. James Lisante, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa Park, talked about Church teaching on life, love, and sex.

“The Church is not the Church of ‘no,’ but the Church of ‘yes,’” said Msgr. Lisante, host of numerous television and radio programs. Unfortunately, Catholic men often suffer “a disconnect” on how Church teachings relate to their lives, he said.

There were men in the audience who had participated in decisions by women to have abortions, Msgr. Lisante speculated. Some men might now be involved in extramarital affairs. He urged them to acknowledge past sins and avoid future transgressions.

Msgr. Lisante acknowledged his own inconsistency. Once, driving with family members, he angrily shouted at other drivers. “Do you even listen to your homilies?” a nephew chided him.

At the closing Mass, Bishop Murphy urged the men to make the day a beginning for renewal in the Church.

The Church needs people to speak up for principles, he said. He lamented that the University of Notre Dame invited President Obama, a prominent supporter of legal abortion, as commencement speaker.

“Notre Dame tarnished its image and its capacity to witness,” Bishop Murphy said, a message that he has shared with Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president.

The bishop contrasted this with the courage of Mother Teresa, who when invited to speak at Harvard University’s commencement, “said very clearly and unambiguously that a society and a culture that approves the killing of children in the womb is a society bent on its own destruction. That,” the bishop said, “is clear witness!”

“This conference’s theme, ‘You Have What It Takes,’ is not an honor you are receiving” but a challenge to “be the best example you can be” as husbands, fathers, and men working in the larger world.

The key, Bishop Murphy said, is “a personal relationship with the Son of God.” That relationship gives “the courage necessary to face life.”

Both Bishop Murphy and New York City Police Detective Steven McDonald, one of the speakers, predicted even larger turnouts and success for future diocesan men’s conferences.

“It is so great to be here with you on a day like today,” McDonald said. “It can only grow and get better.”