CV NEWS FEED // In a recent interview with the Diocese of Lansing, a Super Bowl champion invited Catholic men to the IGNITE Men’s Conference in Michigan.
A former starting center for the Baltimore Ravens and father of eight, Matt Birk told the Diocese of Lansing Feb. 24 that, just as in football, men need fraternal support in pursuing a deeper faith life as a Catholic living in the modern world.
“I think it’s accurate to say that we live in a culture that’s anti-Christian, certainly anti-Catholic in many areas, but it is in that darkness that the light burns even brighter and a lot of guys are drawn to that light, they want to go deeper,” Birk said in his interview, “But we weren’t built to do it on our own, we were built for communion.”
According to the NFL, after Birk’s team won the Super Bowl in 2013, President Barack Obama invited the team to visit the White House. Birk was the only team member who declined the invitation, ultimately deciding not to attend because the President had previously said in a speech, “God bless Planned Parenthood.”
When questioned by NFL reporters Birk explained his decision.
“I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that,” he said. “I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”
Birk, who has remained a pro-life advocate since, reminded men in his interview about the value of children relating to masculinity and a healthy faith life.
“But when you look at them through the lens of the faith you realize that everything — going to work, taking kids to practice, whatever — is all part of your calling as a man, part of your vocation to marriage,” he said. “That realization brings a whole new meaning to your daily life.”
As previously reported by CatholicVote, the IGNITE Men’s Conference, which is cosponsored by the Knights of Columbus, aims to “spark [a] burning zeal for the Lord that will help you become the man you are called to be in your home, parish and workplace.”
The Diocese of Lansing reported that Craign Pohl, the director of the diocese’s Office of New Evangelization, expressed that the aim of the conference is to surround attendees with other Catholic men who are serious about their faith and authentic masculinity.
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