By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

When Brian McAdams attended his first St. Ann’s Fall Men’s Summit, his hopes were simple.

“I was just really looking to make a connection, to make a friend,” McAdams said, adding that he gained much more over the two-day event. “I found a community.”

Heading into its third year, the 2024 St. Ann Fall Men’s Summit will be held Oct. 11-12. The theme this year will be “Strike Fear,” building upon Christ’s words in the Gospel of Mark, “Be not afraid, just have faith.”

“It’s really about striking down the fears that hold us back,” said McAdams, who is now a part of the parish group helping organize the event. McAdams hopes attendees have the same experience he had two years ago. “I want them to make connections, to not feel alone. The summit offers a lot of opportunities to have conservations, to make those connections, and to make a friend.”

As organizers prepare for their third St. Ann Fall Men’s Summit, they are looking to build upon the success of prior years.

“Every year, we want to build upon the previous year’s fraternity aspect,” said Casey Rehling, a lifelong St. Ann parishioner who serves as the parish coordinator for the summit. “We really try to discern and focus on what do we feel the men of St. Ann’s need to hear from the Lord or what does the Lord want to say to them?”

Around 220 attendees came to the inaugural St. Ann’s Men’s Summit in 2022. The number grew to 360 men in its second year. This year, organizers hope to draw more than 500 men to the Coppell campus.

Igniting faith
One way the summit builds upon that fraternity is the popular Friday night fireside chats, an evening event in the parish courtyard that includes a keynote talk, barbecue, drinks, fire pits, and fellowship.

“It’s really a chance for men to let their guards down, and it’s a chance to socialize and meet other guys that maybe you haven’t met around the parish,” Rehling explained. “We want everybody to walk away with some connections that they didn’t have which they can carry with them throughout the event and in the months that come afterwards.”

On Saturday, Oct. 12, a full slate of activities are planned, including celebration of morning Mass, breakfast, more keynote talks, breakout sessions, and the sacrament of reconciliation. The event concludes with an hour of adoration.

“We want this summit to be a wake-up call for each person who attends,” said Davis Scott, a part of the parish organizing team, who converted to Catholicism in college and has been a parishioner at St. Ann for about a decade. “We all come from different places and have different experiences, but I think that this is the kind of experience we can collectively share.”

Rehling said he would love if every man that attended the event walked away from it not being afraid to strive for holiness and greatness in his faith life.

“For men, I think that there are a lot of times when they hesitate to jump all in and give of themselves to a parish environment due to some underlying fear,” Rehling explained. “I want them to come away from this event knowing that God loves them where they are at and that He wants them to give of their full selves and not worry or be afraid of that commitment.”

Kyle Hatfield, who is helping oversee logistics for the event, sees the summit as an opportunity for evangelization and even formation.

“There are a lot of guys who just show up there not really knowing what St. Ann is, not really knowing what the Church is, or not even being Catholic,” Hatfield said, adding that he felt the fellowship and community aspect of the summit, and, in particular, Friday night’s fireside chats provide an appealing entry point. “What I hope is people who are falling away or who are unchurched experience that community — something they may not have experienced before — and they’ll want more. They’ll begin thinking about discerning the faith and discerning the reality of coming into the Church.”

For Jacob Combo, the summit provides something he believes is a bit countercultural in today’s world — an opportunity for male fraternity.

“I think one of the strongest things that a man can have is a group of men that they journey with and help pull each other up,” Combo said. “Ultimately, the end goal is that they’re dutiful, faithful Catholics who have a strong relationship with the Lord. Not everyone has that, but I think at this event, we can really help foster that relationship.”

To register for the 2024 Fall St. Ann’s Men’s Summit, visit www.stannmenssummit.org.

Cutline for featured image: Participants stand in prayer during the 2023 St. Ann Fall Men’s Summit at St. Ann Catholic Parish in Coppell. This year’s St. Ann Men’s Summit will be held Oct. 11-12.