Catholic Men’s Conference seeks to build on past success

As he considers some of his favorite experiences at the Catholic Men’s Conference, Anthony Keiser recalls an encounter with one particular attendee a couple of years ago. “He was a grandfather who had just signed up all his sons and grandsons,” Keiser said. “He told me it was the first real faith experience they had all been able to share together.”

That same family contingent returned for the next year’s conference, said Keiser, who directs the Catholic Diocese of Wichita Office of Faith Formation.

Jake Samour mentions the encouragement he takes from the example of and shared experience with so many men who also are pursuing Christian discipleship.

“To see the church at St. Catherine of Siena filled with men praying and singing together the past couple of years really sticks out to me,” said Samour, who is director of the diocese’s Office of Marriage and Family Life. “Seeing and networking with them and sharing that joyful day reminds me that we are not alone. It fortifies me as a man.”

Keiser and Samour are among the conference’s organizers and say this year’s iteration will be well worth attendees’ time.

2025 Conference
Jim Wahlberg and Fr. Matthew Pawlikowski are among the featured speakers who will appear at the “Man Fully Alive” 2025 Catholic Men’s Conference, which is scheduled for 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Church of the Magdalen.

Wahlberg is a writer, producer, director, and chief executive officer of Wahl Street Production. He also serves as the executive director of his brother’s charity: The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. In 2024, his movie “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” appeared in theatres across the United States.
Fr. Pawlikowski has served as the senior chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he now serves as a civilian chaplain. He is a senior parachutist, a bronze star recipient, and a qualified army ranger. He also has a deep devotion to Kansas’s own Chaplain Emil Kapaun.

Although Fr. Pawlikowski will include a strong emphasis on Fr. Kapaun, Keiser predicted that would not be the only presentation to mention the diocese’s native son and officially recognized servant of God. “The speakers are highlighting Fr. Kapaun,” Keiser said. “If anyone was the Good Samaritan, it was Fr. Kapaun.”

He noted that harmonizes nicely with the conference’s theme of “Go and do likewise,” which are Christ’s instructions in the Gospel of Luke after he tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The conference organizers said that Fr. Pawlikowski will present a one-act play depicting Fr. Kapaun during his time as an inmate in a North Korean prisoner-of-war camp. Fr. Pawlikowski also will send attendees forth from the event by providing the concluding message.

Wahlberg’s remarks will include the story of his return to the practice of his faith after a period of neglecting it, the conference organizers said.

“He has shared his story through the Hallow app and elsewhere,” Samour said. “This will be a chance to hear it live and in-depth.”

Samour and Keiser both express appreciation for the extent to which so many men in the Diocese of Wichita have invested themselves into the Catholic Men’s Conference. Samour noted that the first few conferences were put on by the Knights of Columbus at St. Francis of Assissi Parish. Although that council and other Knights in the area remain deeply involved as the event has evolved and expanded, he said, other Catholic men’s groups now also help make it happen.

“It’s not just a single organization,” he said. “There is a nice mix, as well as men who help that are not necessarily part of any organization.”

Keiser points to the example of the men of St. Catherine’s, which hosted the conference in both 2023 and 2024. “They really took ownership of it to the point that I didn’t have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off – which is what I usually do on the day of the conference. They were so helpful that setup, teardown, and the running of the conference was a well-oiled machine,” Keiser said.

Familiar Format
The conference will open with Mass at 8 a.m. at Magdalen, followed by a light breakfast. The rest of the morning will feature both keynote speakers sandwiched around a short break. Late morning will feature Eucharistic adoration and opportunities for confession. After a lunch that includes sufficient break time for attendees to mingle and meet the speakers, the final session will begin.

The men’s conference organizers also express enthusiasm at the diocese’s move to schedule the inaugural Catholic Women’s Conference. “We are excited to see it,” Keiser said. “We have been conferring with that event’s organizers, hoping to help them avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes we experienced in the past.”

To register or learn more about “Man Fully Alive,” the 2025 Catholic Men’s Conference, visit catholicmensconference.com.