By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
An attendee purchases his conference t-shirt at the start of the ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
ManUp Men's Conference participants chat during the Friday night dinner at the conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
The ManUp band, led by Ricardo Gonzalez, a teacher at Msgr. Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, plays during the ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
Father Matthew Gomez, right, vocations director for the Archdiocese of Miami, poses with Father Josh Waltz, pastor of the Church of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, who was one of the keynote speakers at the 2023 ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood.
Participants listen to keynote speaker Father John Poku, parochial vicar at St. Edward Parish in Pembroke Pines, during the ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
Participants pray during the ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
Participants listen to keynote speaker Father Josh Waltz, of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, during the ManUp Men's Conference, held Feb. 24 and 25, 2023, at Nativity Parish in Hollywood. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
Kevin Hemle, a teacher at Chaminade Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, and his sons, Gavin and Max, students at Nativity School in Hollywood, were some of the 200 men and young men who gathered at Nativity Church, Feb. 24 and 25, to attend the 2023 ManUp Men’s Conference. ManUp is marking its 10th year as a ministry to men, especially fathers and sons, in the archdiocese.
Photography: COURTESY
HOLLYWOOD | Over 200 fathers and sons gathered at Nativity Church here, Feb. 24 and 25, to attend the 2023 ManUp Men’s Conference, a ministry that’s marking its 10th anniversary this year.
Participants hailed from 53 of the 109 Archdiocese of Miami parishes. Others traveled from the dioceses of Palm Beach and Venice, and as far away as Toronto, Canada, to attend this year’s conference
Hosted by the ManUp ministry in conjunction with Miami Catholic Men, Inc., the conference celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The ministry began with men from St. Edward Parish in Pembroke Pines, which hosted the first conference in 2013. (The pandemic forced a hiatus in 2020 and 2021.)
The conference always takes place on the weekend after Ash Wednesday as a “kickoff to Lent.” The conference is designed for fathers and sons, ages 16 and up – or grandsons, sons-in-law and nephews, as the ManUp website states. Admission is free.
ManUp describes itself as “a ministry for men at a time when the need for men to grow as ‘priest, prophet and king’ as anointed through baptism has never been greater.”
During the conference, men are invited to “encounter the Lord while allowing a most powerful personal experience.”
The 2023 conference theme was “Swimming Against the Secular Current.” Keynote speakers were Father Josh Waltz, pastor of the Church of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, and Father John Poku, parochial vicar at St. Edward.
FIND OUT MORE
- To learn more about the ManUp Men’s Conference, visit their website at www.ready2manup.com.
- Or contact Ed Kolo: 954-299-6815 / e[email protected].
