“Inspiring men, by the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, to IGNITE their Catholic faith in everyday life."

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Follow us on Social Media

2024 SPEAKERS

Chris Stefanick

Chris Stefanick is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and television host who has devoted his life to inspiring people to live a bold, contagious faith.

Recipient of the Papal Benemerenti Medal, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput calls Chris “one of the most engaging defenders of the Christian faith on the scene today.” Chris’s live seminars reach more than 85,000 people per year. His reality TV show, videos, and radio spots reach millions of people, and his educational initiatives are turning the tide in the Church. He authored the Chosen Confirmation program which has already formed more than 500,000 teens.

A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Chris is also the founder and president of Real Life Catholic, a non-profit which operates as the headquarters for Chris’s various initiatives. 

Above all, Chris is proud to be the husband to his wife Natalie and father to their six children.

Jim Towey

Jim Towey was a trusted advisor and personal friend of Mother Teresa of Calcutta for twelve years and did the first reading at her Mass of Canonization in Saint Peter’s Square in 2016. He previously headed the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under George W. Bush for four years and served on his senior staff.  His career includes the presidency of two Catholic colleges for thirteen years, a seven-year stint as a US Senate staffer, and the leadership of Florida’s 40,000-employee health and human services agency.

In 1996, with Mother Teresa’s encouragement, he founded the nonprofit advocacy organization Aging with Dignity, where he currently serves as its CEO. Two years later, he created the Five Wishes advance directive, which has sold over 40 million copies and is available in 30 languages. Catholic University of America, Franciscan University, and five other institutions of higher learning have conferred honorary degrees upon Towey, and Pope John Paul II awarded him a papal medal for distinguished service.

Towey and Mary Griffith met while both volunteering in Mother Teresa’s Washington, DC, AIDS home and were married in 1992.  They have five children and three grandchildren. He authored, To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa, published by Simon and Schuster and available in numerous languages. He and his wife are donating all royalties from the book to charities associated with the saint.

Deacon Ralph Poyo

Dcn. Ralph Poyo is the founder of New Evangelization Ministries, an apostolate committed to assisting dioceses, churches and individuals with services, resources and training in effective evangelization. Prior to launching NEM, Dcn. Ralph served in three different parishes as a Youth Minister and Director of Faith Formation for twenty-three years. He is passionate about sharing the truth of the Gospel in a way that captivates audiences of all ages. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Susan, and they have five grown daughters and five grandchildren.

A Message from Bishop Douglas Lucia

I would like to invite you to join me for the IGNITE 2024 Catholic Men’s Conference on Saturday, March 23, 2024.  We have an excellent lineup of speakers: Chris Stefanick, Jim Towey, and Deacon Ralph Poyo.  Each one has years of international speaking experience and will surely fire up our passion for the Lord.  As a cost saving measure, we are moving the conference to Bishop Ludden High School, in Syracuse.  You can be sure that you will enjoy all the usual aspects of the conference: Mass, Confession, Adoration, vendors, and excellent food.

Register today, and I look forward to seeing you on March 23rd!

 

In the Name of Jesus, 

Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia

Bishop of Syracuse

Feedback from previous conferences: