5th Annual Orlando Diocese Catholic Men’s Conference
Rise Up 2020
Put on the Armor of God
Saturday March 28, 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM
This event has been CANCELLED due to COVID-19 concerns.
Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. ~ Ephesians 6:10-11
All men are invited to this gathering of Catholic men in the Diocese of Orlando featuring dynamic talks by Sen. Mel Martinez, Fr. Miguel Gonzalez and several others, along with dynamic worship music, Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, breakfast and lunch. All for just $25. Fathers and Sons come together for one low price of just $12.50 each!
All men and guests middle school age and up are welcome!
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Presenters include:
Senator Mel Martinez. As Castro’s revolution secured power, Catholic schools were closed and Mel left Cuba to begin his life in the United States through the auspices of Catholic Charities in a program that came to be known as Operation Pedro Pan. Msgr. Brian Walsh and Operation Pedro Pan helped over 14,000 Cuban children relocate. Mel rose to be elected as the first Cuban-American to serve in the United States Senate. During his term, he served on several committees including Armed Services; Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the Special Committee on Aging. He also served as General Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2008. Prior to his time in the Senate, President George W. Bush appointed Senator Martinez as the 12 th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). In 1998, he was elected as Mayor of Orange County (Orlando, FL) and before beginning his public service, he practiced law for 25 years. He received both his B.S. and J.D. degrees from Florida State University. He currently serves as Chairman of the Southeast & Latin America for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and is on the boards of Marriott Vacations Worldwide as Lead Director and NVR, Inc., and is a member of the Order of Malta and the local Legatus chapter. Senator Martinez has also received numerous awards and recognitions, among them the Order of St. Gregory, the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award and Ohtli Silver Medal from the Government of Mexico. In 2008, Senator Martinez published A Sense of Belonging; From Castro’s Cuba to the U.S. Senate, One Man’s Pursuit of the American Dream, the story of his departure from Cuba and his assimilation into American life. Mel and his wife, Kitty, reside in Winter Park, Florida, and are active members of St. James Cathedral Parish. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Father Miguel A. González is currently the Rector of St. James Cathedral, and the Vicar for Priests of the Diocese of Orlando. Fr. Miguel was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orlando on May 23, 1998. He first served as parochial vicar at St. James Cathedral Church, Orlando, and was transferred to St. John Vianney Parish in the fall of 2000. Four years later, on December 15, 2004 Bishop Thomas Wenski named Fr. Miguel full time Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Orlando. In March of 2011, after seven successful years as the Vocations Director, Bishop John Noonan named him Parish Administrator and later Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish. In early October of 2016, Bishop Noonan named him Administrator of St. James Cathedral Parish. He was appointed Rector of St. James July 1, 2017. In addition to his priestly duties, Fr. Miguel is the spiritual advisor to the Orlando Council of Catholic Women and enjoys games of dominos, cooking and visiting the area’s theme parks. Prior to becoming a priest for the Diocese of Orlando, Fr. Gonzalez worked as an on-air personality and music program director for a commercial Spanish music radio station in Orlando, Florida.
Father Benjamin Lehnertz was born into a military family and has lived in eight states. His passion for baseball would only be eventually outdone by his love for Jesus and the Church. He first heard the call to the priesthood when he was involved in youth ministry as a high-school student at Holy Name of Jesus in Indialantic. After two years of college at Ball State University he was accepted by the Diocese of Orlando and in 2005 was sent to St John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy he was promoted to St Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary for a master’s degree in divinity. He was ordained a priest on May 25th 2013 and was first assigned to Annunciation in Altamonte Springs. Since 2015 he has served as associate pastor at Holy Family in Orlando. There he has worked together with his parishioners and staff to start a ministry for enriching marriages and revamping the marriage preparation process. Together they also have produced a new adult faith formation program called Transmission. For the past year-and-a-half Father Benjamin has been a part of the Diocese of Orlando Vocations Office, preaching vocations missions at different parishes in the Orlando area and facilitating discernment groups. He still loves youth ministry, athletics, music, cooking, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Father Juan Manuel Osorno was born and raised in Colombia. He has a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia. Fr. Juan was ordained priest on May 27, 2017 and is currently serving at his first assignment as a Parochial Vicar at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kissimmee Florida. He is an innate and gifted artist. For hobbies, he enjoys watching movies and conversing with people.
Father Carlos José Cabán-Vazquez, SDB is a member of the Salesians, a religious order founded in the nineteenth century who mission is to evangelize and educate young people, especially those who are poor and at risk, in the style of St. John Bosco. Originally from Puerto Rico, Fr. Caban has studied and worked in his native country, the Dominican Republic, Italy, and most recently, the United States as the Parochial Administrator of St. John Vianney Catholic Church.
Brother Adam Neri, BH, calls the great state of New Jersey home. He loves hockey, family, good food, and movie theater butter popcorn with extra salt. Being one of eleven children, he never had a dull moment when living in the Garden state all through college and to the start of his professional career.
Br Adam attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he earned degrees in English and Spanish, and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education. He also has a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry from the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN. He taught high school for 2 years prior to joining religious life.
While traveling the world doing mission work, he encountered a group of radical and fun-loving religious brothers from the Brotherhood of Hope, and the desire was placed in his heart to do something great for God. July of 2005 he formally accepted that desire when he professed first vows with the Brotherhood of Hope. In July of 2010 he professed perpetual vows in the Brotherhood of Hope. Brother Adam’s thirst for the Lord has carved a path for an adventurous life, taking him across the country and throughout the world seeking to serve and do great things for God.
Br Adam has had mission assignments as a campus minister at Rutgers University, Florida State University, and now as the director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.
Brother Adam looks forward to encountering you by offering a listening ear, a challenging voice, and his very self, as a well-lived guide to help you find the Lord’s own thirst for you.
