Midwest Catholic Family Conference to hit 25
A quarter of a century ago, Wichita hosted the first Midwest Catholic Family Conference.
The event will be strong as ever in 2025, says Conference Director Kathleen Timmermeyer. Moreover, she reports, the event’s endurance is creating the next generation of conference-goers.
“The conference is more than just speakers who deliver interesting content,” she said. “It has become a meeting up of Catholics who have become like family to each other. We have watched each other’s children grow up and have families of their own who are now coming to the conference and participating as volunteers.”
Fr. Paul Sheller, Mike and Alicia Hernon of the Messy Family Project, Fr. Larry Richards, and Jennifer Roback Morse are among the presenters scheduled to appear at the 2025 Midwest Catholic Family Conference, set for Aug. 1-3 at Wichita’s Century 2 Convention Center. The speaker itinerary also includes Dr. John T. Bruchalski, Fr. Dennis McManus, Jesse Romero; and Tim Staples.
The schedule
Registration and exhibits open on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 1. Other proceedings include welcomes from Timmermeyer and conference spiritual director Fr. Andrew Walsh from the diocese of Wichita, as well as a Mass with Fr. Richards as the main celebrant. Fr. Richards will also close out the evening with a talk, preceded by confessions and a performance by the Guadalupe Dancers.
Talks scheduled for the next morning include:
• “Growing Your Family Culture” by the Hernons
• “The Sexual State: How Elite Ideologies are Destroying Lives and Why the Church was Right All Along” from Morse; and
• “Discipleship” by Fr. Richards.
Confession will be available throughout the morning. That day’s Mass, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., will be celebrated by Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann.
Talks after the afternoon lunch break are slated to include:
• “The Family Board Meeting” from the Hernons;
• “The Church Saves” by Staples;
• “Make the Best Confession of Your Life” from Fr. Sheller; and
• The speaker’s panel discussion moderated by Clark Schafer.
Fr. McManus will offer remarks after the dinner break, followed by an outdoor Eucharistic procession and benediction celebrated by Fr. Andrew Walsh. Night prayer will close out the day’s events.
Speakers on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 3, include Romero and Dr. Bruchalski, as well as Staples on “The Big Deal: Why the Perpetual Virginity of Mary Matters” and Morse on “Embracing Motherhood: The Key to the Civilization of Love.”
The celebrant and homilist for the Mass beginning at 11 a.m. will be Diocese of Wichita Bishop Carl Kemme.
Talks on the schedule for that afternoon include “Teens, Tweens, and Screens” from the Hernons and “‘Mom, I Think I’m Gay, Dad, I Think I’m Trans.’ What Parents Need to Know About Gender Ideology” by Morse.
The Salve Regina and final blessing are set to take place at 4:15.
Having missed only one Midwest Catholic Family Conference since its inception, Timmermeyer says she most appreciates participating in the Masses celebrated in the convention hall. “I become emotional looking around at approximately 3,500 people worshiping at Mass,” she said. “We also have a great representation from the seminarians as servers and the Knights of Columbus who are honor guards.”
Reflecting on why the Midwest Catholic Family Conference has endured for so long, Timmermeyer suggests it is another good example of the faithful exercising good stewardship. “The conference cannot run without volunteers. We depend on volunteers for everything. No one is paid a salary, and the leadership is all volunteers,” she said. “Stewardship as a way of life within the Diocese of Wichita has provided the foundation for this generous response.”
