Men find strength in vulnerability at Be Not Afraid conference
On 20 September, the Cathedral Hall at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney echoed with the sound of more than 300 men reciting the rosary at the opening of the third annual ‘Be Not Afraid’ men’s conference.
With the theme ‘Thorn in the flesh, finding strength in weakness’, the conference, hosted by the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation invited speakers including Archbishop Julian Porteous to speak to the men about confronting their weaknesses and present them to God for healing.
Jake Hooker from Port Kembla, Wollongong, hasn’t missed a conference, a core offering for men from Maximus Men’s Ministry within the SCE’s Life, Marriage and Family team.
He welcomed the opportunity to be formed by some of Australia’s most prominent male Catholic leaders with what he calls a community of ‘brothers’.
“I just love the confessions, the praise, everything. We had the St Joseph’s Camino two weeks ago, and love getting fed more. Today I’m back, asking God to lead me and help me grow strong in my faith and become the man that he created me to be.”
Fr Ben Saliba, assistant priest at St Mary’s Cathedral and MC for the event was overwhelmed with one aspect of the attendance saying: “Ninety per cent of this crowd were at the Camino of St Joseph, and only a couple of weeks later, they’re back here again. So, it shows a real thirst for men’s ministry and for depth and discovery of faith. I’m proud of the turnout.”
Organiser Michael Jaksic from Maximus Men’s Ministry, spoke about the event’s theme and his hopes for the men attending.
“Today, we’re inviting men to take the next step in their spiritual life. We’re trying to ask the men to dig deep and to look at where they are wounded and how that wound might lead to them sinning in a particular way and to offer their healing to the Lord,” he said.
To help men navigate the sensitive and often uncomfortable topic of vulnerability, a diverse group of speakers, including Archbishop Julian Porteus and Robert Falzon, founder of Men Alive, addressed the packed hall, equipping the men with the tools and courage needed to face this vital area of growth.
Archbishop Julius Porteous spoke on the theme of winning the battle of spiritual warfare in their homes and the weapons at their disposal with Catholic faith.
“Always carry the shield of faith, so you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the ‘evil one’. Then you must accept salvation from God as your helmet and receive the word of God from the spirit to use as a sword. And pray at all times,” he said.
Prayer, reciting the rosary and Eucharistic adoration were the “spiritual weapons” men can deploy to win the spiritual battle at home and within themselves, he added.
Robert Falzon, founder of men’s ministry group, Men Alive, emphasised the importance of recognising and resolving childhood wounds, particularly paternal and maternal traumas, to prevent them from over-controlling behaviour as adults. He advocated for naming and discussing these wounds in supportive environments such as men’s groups.
It was a theme that resonated with youth ministry leader Jamie Alam from St Kevin’s parish in Eastwood.
“Vulnerability is something that, you know, we’re scared of at times. But the whole conference today is addressing that fear and helping us to be not afraid,” he said.
“We have to overcome it, by seeking Jesus and really allowing him to heal our wounds,” he reflected.
With his trademark energy and contagious passion founder of Donum Ministries Tomasz Juszcak urged the men to “be vulnerable with others as well, not just with God. Why? Because our wounds affect the church.”
John Jurgutis from St Michael’s parish in Meadowbank said he would take a lot of lessons from Tomasz’s talk back to his classroom as a high school teacher.
“Vulnerability is seen by a lot of students as weakness, not as a strength. But Jesus weeps, he shows us that it’s okay to be vulnerable and express your feelings, especially as guys.
“When you do, you allow Christ’s light to shine into your lives.”
Other talks featured Fr Duncan Wong FSSP, who gave an engaging and at times humorous talk on Evangelising in Brokenness and young father, Andrew Condoleon, a parishioner from St Kevin’s Eastwood, who shared his incredible redemption journey; from a life of street gangs, violence and drug addiction to his role as a father, husband and leader in men’s ministry.
It was a powerful talk that resonated for young seminarian Daniel Shakar who attended with his father, Charlie.
“Andrew’s testimony was powerful. We’re searching for God and it’s harder these days to find God in a world that’s full of distractions from the flesh, the world, and the devil. Andrew’s testimony shows that you can come to the truth by opening your heart, being vulnerable” he said.
“It fills your heart and fills the brain and the soul,” his father added.
Men Alive founder Robert Falzon said, “men are alive here in Sydney, especially with so many great leaders here today”.
“This message and these events are important. Being vulnerable is important. If you can reach the man, you’ll reach the marriage. And if you reach the marriage, you’ll reach the family. And if you reach the family, you reach the church; one man at a time.”