250 men from the Archdiocese of Detroit join 1,000 brothers from across Michigan for day of prayer, reflection and community
YPSILANTI — One thousand Catholic men of all ages gathered together Saturday, March 22, at the George Gervin GameAbove Center at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti for the 2025 Ignite Catholic Men’s Conference hosted in partnership with the Diocese of Lansing, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Knights of Columbus.
The Archdiocese of Detroit was represented by 250 men who joined their brethren from other Michigan dioceses for Mass, talks, Catholic vendors, fellowship and prayer, all focused on igniting authentic Catholic faith, manhood and fatherhood in everyday life.
The panel of speakers included Super Bowl champion Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens; Dr. Jonathan Reyes, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and senior advisor for the Knights of Columbus; Peter Herbeck, executive vice president and director of missions for Renewal Ministries; and Fr. Joe Krupp, who currently serves as the pastor of Church of the Holy Family Parish and School in Grand Blanc and St. Mark Parish in Goodrich.
The day began with Mass led by Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing, who, in his homily, reflected on the Gospel reading about the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate the deep love of God, the Father for all men, and His summons to be more like Him.
Bishop Boyea explained that upon the prodigal son's return to his father’s house, most would react like the older brother, disapproving of his younger brother's actions and scornful. However, God the Father casts aside sins and welcomes His children back into His house with open arms and without condemnation.
“God throws all (our) sins far away from Himself,” Bishop Boyea said. “He does not cling to them, seeking some opportunity to get revenge on us. He's not mulling over our sins with an attitude of catching us again in sin and saying, ‘Gotcha!’
"No, our sins, misdeeds, and failures are all forgotten, cast aside so that God can continue to look with love on the ones He has made His own," Bishop Boyea added. "That is why the father in our Gospel today, in the parable that Jesus tells, is really an image of God to each one of us."
Bishop Boyea said even if we are far off, God sees us and runs to us, uninterested in our excuses or apologies for our sins. God simply wants to celebrate our return to his house.
“Think about how many days the Father had been on the lookout for this ‘no-good’ son of his,” Bishop Boyea said. “No matter the length of the time that the lad was gone, no matter the missed opportunities to reconnect, no matter the seemingly hopeless waiting for a change of heart. No matter all of this, the enthusiasm, the joyful anticipation of the Father, of God, has not abated.”
God’s mercy is forming us to be merciful in return to our own sons, brothers and fathers, Bishop Boyea added.
Following Mass, the men spent time in fellowship and enjoyed the more than 30 dozen donuts donated to the event by the Knights of Columbus before hearing from the first speaker, Fr. Krupp.
Only Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church, will offer men an understanding of what it is to be a man, Fr. Krupp explained.
“The best man we know of is Jesus,” Fr. Krupp said. “We don’t have to guess. If our idea of masculinity is running around fighting every fight we see — yeah, that works in eighth grade, but it doesn't work when we're adults. So what do we do? Well, let's look at Jesus.”
Fr. Krupp said men first need to embrace humility to prepare for an encounter with Jesus and emulate his example of manhood.
“Humility, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, doesn't mean you think less of yourself; it means you think of yourself less often,” Fr. Krupp said. “It means your primary concern in life is not, ‘How do I feel in this given moment? What are my needs in this given moment?’”
True humility means that we do not need anyone to see us but Jesus Christ, Fr. Krupp said.
“What you and I do is cling to Jesus like crazy men,” Fr. Krupp said. “We grab on to him, and we refuse to let go, and we say, ‘Jesus, give me the grace to be humble. Jesus, give me the grace to sacrifice. Jesus, give me the grace to be generous,’ and then trust that our prayer and efforts are enough and God will get done what needs to get done.”
Reyes, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and senior advisor for the Knights of Columbus, encouraged the men to build strong Christ-centered friendships that will accompany them on their mission and efforts toward holiness.
“The Lord didn't just pick people up and send them out each on an individual mission; he picked 12, brought them into his life, and for three years trained them,” Reyes explained. “He said, ‘I'm going to train you to be able to put love in situations, but first, you've got to learn to love me, and you got to learn to receive my love. Love me, and you've got to learn to love one another.”
The Lord sent men out in bands of brothers, Reyes said, and that is how he made men — with a desire to run after a mission together.
Reyes added the Lord calls men on a mission and invites them to say "yes," knowing they will fail.
“Jesus knew Peter was going to fail. When he called Peter, he knew exactly what Peter was going to do,” Reyes said. "He kept calling. Eventually, Peter said, ‘Yes.’ Let's say 'yes' ourselves. Whatever we face in life, let's say 'yes' again.”
