MONROE — Ryan Chestine feels a little more lighthearted when he attends the annual Seattle Catholic Men’s Conference, “Iron Sharpens Iron,” which allows him to decompress from life and mingle with other Catholic men.

“It just helps me to be inspired and to appreciate my faith,” said Chestine, a member of St. Mary of the Valley Parish in Monroe. “It’s a good Catholic event, and it’s geared to building up the faith of men,” added Chestine, who has attended several of the conferences.

Marking its 10th year, the Seattle Catholic Men’s Conference is “kind of a staple in the community now,” said Allan Murray, a St. Mary of the Valley parishioner and member of Northwest Catholic Brothers, the group organizing the conference.

This year’s English-language conference, with the theme “Brokenness to Boldness,” is scheduled April 29 at St. Michael Parish in Olympia. The Spanish-language conference, with the theme “Hombres de Misericordia” (Men of Mercy), happens May 20 at St. Pius X Parish in Mountlake Terrace.

“The goal of the men’s conference is to transform guys and be a man of God,” said Richard Bray, a member of Northwest Catholic Brothers and St. Anthony Parish in Renton.

Men mingle during the Seattle Catholic Men’s Conference at Renton’s St. Stephen the Martyr Church in this undated photo. This year’s conferences are slated April 29 (English) at St. Michael Parish in Olympia and May 20 (Spanish) at St. Pius X Parish in Mountlake Terrace. (Courtesy Allan Murray)

The conferences include speakers, worship, confessions and adoration. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

  • At the April 29 event, speakers will include Seattle Auxiliary Bishop Frank Schuster; Jon Leonetti, a nationally known Catholic author and radio host; Deacon James Thurman, a U.S. Army veteran now serving as a hospice chaplain in Albany, Oregon; and Tom Curran, a radio host and author who lives in Eastern Washington. Read more about the presenters. Cost is $35. Fathers can bring their sons of any age for free, Murray said. To register or learn more, click here.
  • At the May 20 gathering, speakers will include Seattle Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo; Missionary Servants of the Word Father Modesto Lule, an internationally known preacher; Father Jose Luis Hernandez, a Catholic hospital chaplain; and Father Cal Christiansen, pastor of St. Pius X. Cost is $50; proceeds will support the Mercy House ministry at St. Pius X. To learn more or register, click here.

May was chosen for the Spanish-language conference because it’s the month dedicated to Mary, according to Ramon Murillo, a St. Pius X parishioner who has been involved with the conference since it began.

“I bring priests who speak from the heart,” Murillo said, adding that the goal of the gathering is to help men “increase their faith and confidence in God. I want them to imitate Christ,” he said.

Northwest Catholic Brothers’ outreach to men doesn’t stop with the annual conference.

The organization has a network of 150 parish captains to help spread the word about men’s retreats and conferences, said Don Meyer, the group’s parish captain coordinator and a member of St. Joseph Parish in Issaquah.

The group also serves as a mentor for men’s groups at parishes around the archdiocese.

“These men’s groups are havens so (men) don’t feel so isolated,” Murray said.

“It’s a bonding of men looking for Christ,” Meyer added.