WILKES-BARRE – Nearly 400 Catholic men from across the Diocese of Scranton and beyond gathered on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at Holy Redeemer High School for the 10th annual “Be A Catholic Man” Conference.
Participants said the day provided them with a chance for spiritual renewal, brotherhood, and the opportunity to step away from the noise of daily life and step deeper into their identity as followers of Jesus Christ.
The day began with the Rosary and included Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, food, and fellowship, and more than a dozen exhibitors featuring Catholic organizations and religious artwork.

“They call it a retreat and that is what it is,” Gary Morgiewicz from Warwick, N.Y., said. “God is going to speak to us most clearly and loudly at a place like this, where we put everything aside and concentrate and focus on what is important, family and faith, and that is why I’m here.”
Thaddeus Zielinski, a parishioner of Saint Ann Basilica Parish in Scranton and long-time conference attendee, added, “There is nothing like hearing 400 men say the ‘Our Father’ at one time. It’s very powerful.”
The conference theme, “Christ is King,” was central to each of the speakers’ powerful messages.
Author and theologian Mike Aquilina, a native of nearby Kingston, opened the day with a call to model authentic Christian masculinity through sacrificial love.
“Christ, Our King, laid down his life for the sake of His subjects and so must we. We must live the love that he modeled for us,” Aquilina said, urging men to place Christ above all else – even above family – so that their homes may flourish under God’s reign.
Through stories of his own father, he painted a vivid picture of love expressed through hard work, service, and presence.
“We need to share our lives with our families. Put away the phones. Put away the games,” he added. “We need to share our lives with others, through friendship and neighborliness.”

Father Charles Connor, Diocesan priest, author, and Church historian, challenged attendees to rediscover the strength and courage of the Catholic man in 2025.
“We have a gift that proportionally few people have been lucky enough to receive in life,” Father Connor said. Quoting Saint John Henry Newman, who will be made a Doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, he added, “The true Catholic, Christian gentleman is a warrior. Not because he loves the fight, but because he loves the truth.”
Drawing from history and saints like Saint Joseph, Father Connor reminded the audience that fidelity to the truth and holiness might be countercultural – but are necessary.
“Saint Joseph shows us the characteristics of authentic fatherhood,” he added. “Every one of us men can learn from him.”
The final speaker was David Bereit, founder of the international 40 Days for Life movement. A convert to Catholicism, Bereit shared how answering God’s call led him from sales into pro-life advocacy.
“The King is calling – the question is, will we answer?” he asked. “The change that is needed in our world today may be sitting in this auditorium here today. Is it you? If it’s not you – then who?”
A deeply moving moment of the conference came when family members of the late Attorney Glenn Yanik was honored with a commemorative plaque. Yanik was one of the original founders of the conference and served as co-chair for several years.
“We honor him as a great Catholic man, husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to many,” Dr. Lou Guarineri said during the presentation. “His legacy will live on in all of us.”
The day concluded with a Pontifical Mass offered by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, who delivered a homily tying the day’s mission to Respect Life Sunday.
Acknowledging the growing secularism in society, the Bishop urged the men to be light in the darkness.
“We must enliven our words with action. We must both choose and serve life – life in the womb, life that is found on the margins of our world and even life that struggles to respect and reverence others,” Bishop Bambera said.
Citing Jesus’ words in the Gospel and Pope Leo’s call to defend life from the unborn to the elderly, the Bishop concluded by saying, “Christ our King will reign and the vision of his Gospel of life and salvation will continue to be a source of hope for our world when you and I discover and accept our responsibility as Christian men to live, to love, to forgive, and to serve as Christ.”
As the conference concluded, many men said they left with something deeper than they came in with.
“You almost want to run out the door as a warrior for Jesus,” Joseph DeGraba, a first-time attendee from Saint Therese Parish in Shavertown, said. “The speakers have been excellent. There is a brotherhood, a camaraderie, where everybody is feeling the same thing and getting together with one purpose.”
Zielinski summed it up even more succinctly.
“Refreshed … walking proud to be a Catholic,” he stated.