2025 MEN'S CONFERENCE
WE ARE CALLED TO BE SAINTS
The 27th Annual Catholic Men's Conference returns to Kasich Hall at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds on February 24, 2024.
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THE EUCHARIST: GO DEEPER is this year's complementary theme, as we dedicate this Conference to the Source and Summit of our Faith – The Eucharist. Fall in love with Jesus through the Eucharist, and experience a love and strength like no other, as you walk with confidence on the path to Sainthood.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
CHRIS STEFANICK
Chris Stefanick is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and television host who has devoted his life to inspiring people to live a bold, contagious faith.
Recipient of the Papal Benemerenti Medal, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput calls Chris “one of the most engaging defenders of the Christian faith on the scene today.” Chris’s live seminars reach more than 85,000 people per year. His reality TV show, videos, and radio spots reach millions of people, and his educational initiatives are turning the tide in the Church. He authored the Chosen Confirmation program which has already formed more than 500,000 teens.
A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Chris is also the founder and president of Real Life Catholic, a non-profit which operates as the headquarters for Chris’s various initiatives. Above all, Chris is proud to be the husband to his wife Natalie and father to their six children.
JOHN EDWARDS
John Edwards has inspired hundreds of Catholic men with his personal story and his witness to Christ. John left NAPA Auto Parts after 23 years to follow his heart into ministry within the Catholic Church. He now runs a Catholic non-profit (which he founded) called Pew Ministries Inc and has a mission of bringing the person of Jesus Christ to the person in the pews. He is also a co-founder and partner in Virtual Catholic Conference LLC.
John is a Catholic speaker and evangelist, and currently hosts the Just a Guy in the Pew podcast, as well as works to help start and revitalize parish men’s ministries across the country through a proven method that inspires men and encourages them to grow. His story resonates with hundreds of men who simply want to become the virtuous leaders their families need them to be.
He has spoken in Canada and across the U.S., and has been featured on Catholic media such as the RISE Membership, The Guadalupe Radio Network, The Jon Leonetti Show, Hard as Nails, and EWTN’s Catholic Cafe.
FATHER BURKE MASTERS
Father Burke Masters is known as “The Baseball Priest” and has served as the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs since 2013, including being part of their World Series Championship in 2016.
Fr. Burke was born and raised in Joliet. He attended Providence Catholic High School, where he converted to Catholicism in 1985. He studied mathematics and played baseball at Mississippi State University, where he played in the College World Series in 1990. He worked as an actuary for Kemper Insurance and as the ticket manager for the Kane County Cougars before entering Mundelein Seminary in 1997. He has been a priest since June 1, 2002, and spent his first four years at St. Mary’s in West Chicago.
From 2006 to 2018 he served as the Vocation Director for the Diocese of Joliet. In 2018, he became the Director of the Office of Adult Formation for the Diocese of Joliet, a position which he still holds. He also started the Catholic Sports Camps in the Diocese of Joliet because of his passion to combine faith and sports. He also works closely with the John Paul II Healing Center and Dr. Bob Schuchts, giving retreats and conferences on healing.
