Men gather in the stands for the Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference in September 2020 at New Britain Stadium, where they listened to dynamic speakers, participated in the Mass, and shared a day of faith and fraternity. Photo by Aaron Joseph

Story by Shelley Wolf

NEW BRITAIN – Last year, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of all its national speakers, the organizers behind the annual Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference simply refused to scrap their conference.

Rather than go the virtual route, they pulled together a new roster of local speakers and secured an outdoor venue, Holy Land USA in Waterbury, in the hope of providing conference-goers with an in-person, faith-based experience.

But just six weeks before the September conference date, their plans fell through again when local health authorities required them to set up seating 12 feet apart. They knew that would never work. So, on the suggestion of one of their committee members who had recently attended a baseball game, they rented the New Britain Stadium, home of the New Britain Bees.

“Things went very well last year. There was not a cloud in the sky. We were at 65 degrees that day. We disappeared into the stadium, but we had a sizeable Mass,” says Ken Santopietro, director of the men’s conference, who reports that more than 300 people attended last year despite the pandemic, socially distancing in a stadium that seats 6,000.

“We brought in Father Jeffrey Romans and dedicated the Mass to Father Michael McGivney. The archbishop came and walked down from the top of the stadium to the field level. We had the Eucharist on the field, and Confession in the stands,” Santopietro says. “This year, we decided to go back.”

This year, the 14th Annual Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference is returning to New Britain Stadium on Sept. 25, 2021 with a fresh selection of national speakers. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m., and the event will start at 8:30 a.m.

This year’s theme will be “The Most Holy Rosary,” in honor of the Blessed Mother who brings people to Jesus. The event will also include a fresh roster of national and local speakers.

Ralph Martin, the keynote speaker, will present “Living as Catholics in Challenging Times: Mary’s Guidance at Fatima.” Martin is president of Renewal Ministries, host of the EWTN TV show “The Choices We Make,” and author of the book A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward.

A second keynote speaker, Father Donald Calloway, will give a talk on “The Rosary: Spiritual Sword of Our Lady.” Father Calloway, a member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, is the author of the book Rosary Gems: Daily Wisdom on the Holy Rosary and most recently Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father.

Other featured guest speakers include Father Elias Mary Mills, a member of Franciscans of the Immaculate and former rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin; Gary Zimak, Catholic speaker, author and radio host of “The Gary Zimak Show”; and Blythe Kaufman, founder of the Children’s Rosary, an international prayer group movement for children.

The day will culminate in a vigil Mass at 4 p.m. to be celebrated by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair and concelebrated by Father James Sullivan, chaplain of the men’s conference, Father Calloway and other priests. Music will be provided by Nick Fradiani, Sr.

Men bow in front of the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic adoration in the skybox atop New Britain Stadium. Photo by Aaron Joseph

The day will begin with a Eucharistic procession, followed by the placement of the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament in the skybox, a luxury box at the top of the stadium, with chairs and a quiet space for adoration. Confessions will be available, exhibitors will be present, and morning coffee and lunch will be provided.

Men from throughout the state are invited. The conference is a collaboration of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Diocese of Bridgeport, Diocese of Norwich, and Eparchy of Stamford.

“We want to double last year and my goal is 600,” Santopietro says, referring to the number of conference attendees. “Our prayer has always been to hit the magic 1,000.”

Organizers of the Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference see the conference as their personal apostolate, he adds, helping them to serve their Catholic faith. They also select speakers and activities that are faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the magisterium. “We have to be there for three dioceses. We do our best to bring it to everybody,” Santopietro says.

“I always think, ‘What will their experience be?’ We just want their experience to be a good one, so we have speakers that are high quality and have a lot of content to their talk. They know so much more than what they can tell you in 40 or 50 minutes,” he says.

The conference committee also does all it can to make the day memorable. “The most important person that’s there at the event is the guy attending, sitting there in his seat trying to experience something,” Santopietro stresses. “He’s the most important person for us, and that hasn’t changed. There’s nothing better than when people leave and give us the thumbs up on the way out.”

To register: Advance registration is strongly recommended to ensure an accurate count for lunch and giveaway bags. Morning coffee, dynamic Catholic speakers, Confessions, exhibitors, vigil Mass, adoration, and Subway lunch included. $45 per person, free for clergy, $20 for teens (13-19). To purchase tickets, visit ctcatholicmen.org.

Father James Sullivan responds to the pitch of a whiffle ball in the Home Run Derby, a fun break during last year’s Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference at New Britain Stadium. Photo by Aaron Joseph