2024 Men’s Conference – Living Authentic Masculinity
About the Conference
The Arnold Hall Men’s Conference aims to help Catholic men to live out their vocation, first at home as husbands and fathers, and then through work, friendship and community involvement. The theme this year is “Living Authentic Masculinity.” Talks and group discussions will address the theological roots of masculinity, modeling masculine and feminine virtues in the home, and the practical challenges of living authentic masculinity in today’s culture.
The conference begins Friday evening, October 25, and concludes Sunday afternoon, October 27. It includes talks, guided reflections, small group discussions, and ample time for get togethers, including meals. There will also be time for Mass, prayer, and confession.
Registration is Full. Call 616-738-7348 to be put on the wait list.
Planned Speakers & Topics
Gordy DeMarais on the Theological Roots of Masculinity. Mr. DeMarais is the Founder and President Emeritus of St. Paul’s Outreach, a Catholic movement that builds dynamic communities of deep relationship that witness to the Gospel on college campuses and beyond. His biography is below.
David Holzweiss on Conditions for Growth in Christan Manliness. Mr. Holzweiss is the director of the Lincoln Green Center, adjacent to the University of Illinois at Champaigne in Urbana, IL. He studied physics at Notre Dame then served four years as an officer with the First Marines. He then strove for nearly 12 years to help families through character development programs and activities in the South Bronx before moving back to the Midwest for a brief stint in business consulting before taking his current role at the Lincoln Green Center.
Michael & Emily Marcucci on Teaching Masculine & Feminine Virtues at Home. Mr. Marcucci is a partner at Jones Day. He and Emily live in Medfield, MA where they are raising their nine children.
Martin Boles on The Father’s Role in Family Culture. Mr. Boles is a retired partner at the Los Angeles office of Kirkland and Ellis. His practice included trial and appellate litigation and counseling. Martin has handled a number of major complex commercial cases, including antitrust, class actions, products liability, and business torts. He and his wife Julia are co-founders of St. Monica Academy in Montrose, CA.
Peter Buckley & Mark O’Donnell, will host a special edition of their On the Mark podcast. Mr. Buckley, in addition to his podcasting duties, has more than 35 years of experience providing customized financial solutions to individuals, corporations, municipalities and nonprofit institutions. Prior to joining UBS Financial Services Inc., Peter served as a Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch for seven years. Before joining Merrill Lynch, Peter was an Associate Director with Bear Stearns & Co. in Boston. Mr. O’Donnell’s biography is below.
Location
Arnold Hall Conference Center, One Randall Street, Pembroke MA 02359.
Date & Time
The Conference starts Friday, October 25 at 6:00 PM with a light buffet dinner and concludes on Sunday, October 27 at 11 AM.
Cost
The cost of the Conference is $295. Discounts are available.
Registration Full. Call 616-738-7348 to be put on the wait list.
Speaker Bios
Gordy DeMarais
Gordy has served as a national leader in the evangelization and formation of Catholic young people for over 40 years. In 1985 he founded SPO in St. Paul Minnesota at the University of St. Thomas. In June of 2022, SPO trained 265 young missionaries for five weeks who are now serving university outreach and young adult chapters all around the country and is reaching tens of thousands of young people each year. SPO is effecting generational change. Over 300 alumni are priests and religious including three current religious superiors.
Gordy has a Master of Arts degree in theology and recently co-authored the book: Called to Christian Joy and Maturity: Forming Missionary Disciples. He has given retreats to seminarians at the North American College in Rome and taught courses on evangelization to seminarians, permanent deacons, and parish teams. He has served on multiple boards and has been a consultant to the US Council for Catholic Bishops on the evangelization and formation of university students. Gordy has received awards from Relevant Radio, the St. Paul Seminary, NET Ministries, and the Catholic defense league for his work in the Church.
Gordy is a lifelong resident of the Twin Cities. Gordy and his wife Teresa reside in Inver Grove Heights, MN have been married 37 years. They have adult six children (four of whom are married) and ten grandchildren. Their children and spouses have given over 50 years of full-time mission work and four of their children/in-laws currently leaders in SPO’s mission.
Gordy enjoys family, hiking, fishing, wilderness camping & canoeing, reading, writing, guitar and piano, playing bridge, gardening, beekeeping, raising chickens and lambs.
Mark O’Donnell
A 1982 graduate of Columbia College in New York City, Mark began his career at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, one of the top five US money center banks at the time. After completing the bank’s credit training program, Mark worked in New York and Boston covering large multinational accounts.
In 1985, Mark left the bank to attend the MIT Sloan School of Management where he received his MBA in 1987. His first job out of MIT was with General Cinema Corporation (GCC) as Director of Corporate Finance. GCC was a $1 billion consumer product. It operated the largest chain of multiplex theaters at the time and was the largest independent bottler of Pepsi Cola products in the country.
While at GCC, Mark was instrumental in Identifying Cadbury Schweppes as an attractive investment. GCC ended up buying 18% of the Cadbury which it eventually sold for a profit of ~$350 million. Mark also designed a tax deferred sale of the company’s beverage business back to Pepsi, resulting in the company being able to sell that business for $250 million more than originally anticipated.
In 1992, Mark left GCC to own and operate several convenience stores, one in Johnston, the second in Foster, RI. After growing the business, he sold it to a regular customer for a modest profit.
Upon returning to corporate America, Mark held senior finance and corporate development positions at several large companies, including the following: Allied Signal, The BBA Group Plc, Cahners Publishing, and the International Data Group (IDG.)
In 2005, Mark began his career in real estate with William Raveis Real Estate in Newton, MA. Since then, he has sold close to 300 properties in over 30 different towns and cities in Massachusetts. He enjoys utilizing his corporate finance and valuation skills to assist sellers, buyers, and investors with all of their real estate needs.