JAN. 31, 2026 | ST. MARY CHURCH | BETHEL, OHIO
Join us for the annual men's conference.
The Men of St. Joseph’s Conference aims to bring men into a closer relationship with Christ and to encourage a Eucharistic centered life. This conference will equip men to embrace authentic Catholic masculinity and be defenders of the faith by putting on the full armor of God and standing as men of Christ.
The Men of St. Joseph and Stella Maris Family of Parishes are happy to present the 2026 Men’s Conference, featuring Fathers of Mercy priest Fr. Ricardo Pineda.
Keynote Speaker
FR. RICARDO PINEDA
Fr. Ricardo was born on August 4, 1987, into a Catholic family of both Salvadoran and Mexican descent. He is the fourth of five children, and a native of San Diego, California. Following high school, he attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. While in studies at Notre Dame, he played trumpet in the marching Band of the Fighting Irish. In May of 2008, he graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a minor in Theology.
Fr. Ricardo began hearing a call to the priesthood as early as age 6, but it was not until his freshmen year of high school that he began serious discernment of his vocation in prayer. This discernment continued throughout high school and college. After learning more about the vocation to priesthood as well as the vocation to marriage, he discovered that although the thought of marriage made him happy, he understood that he would be happier as a priest, serving God for the salvation of souls. So by the end of his second year at Notre Dame, he had accepted God’s call to the priesthood with a firm “Yes!” In time, he further discerned a call to the religious life.
Fr. Ricardo joined the Fathers of Mercy as a postulant in July of 2008. Following his one-year novitiate, he professed his first year of temporary vows of Obedience, Poverty, and Chastity on August 14, 2009. He graduated from Holy Apostles College and Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Fathers of Mercy in May of 2013. For three years, he served as an associate pastor of four small parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville. In June of 2016, he was reassigned to the Fathers of Mercy Mission Band. He also currently serves as the community’s Treasurer General and local house superior at the Fathers of Mercy Generalate.
Event Schedule
Winning the War — The Glory of Chastity: Guardian of True Love
- 7 AM — Registration Opens & Coffee and Donuts (Fr. Lewis Center)
- 8 AM — Opening Session – First Talk: Theology of the Body: God’s Plan for the Gift of Sexuality
- 9 AM — Second Talk: Winning the Battle for Purity
- 10 AM — Eucharistic Adoration (Church)
- 11 AM — Lunch (Fr. Lewis Center)
- 12 PM — Rosary Procession
- 1 PM — Third Talk: Male and Female He Created Them: Responding to Gender Ideology
- 2 PM — Holy Mass (Church)
- 3 PM — Event Ends
Note: The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered from 9 AM – 2 PM.
tickets on sale now!
Registration for the Men's Conference
Adults tickets for the Jan. 31 Men's Conference at St. Mary Church in Bethel, OH are $30. Young men ages 12-18 are FREE. Tickets include admission, coffee/donuts, and lunch.
the 2025 men's retreat theme
Who does God say I am?
Who are we? Who is a human being? What does it mean to be a man? Every generation grapples with such questions. Our own is no different. In fact, confusion about identity lurks around every cultural corner. We live in a world that has refashioned God in our own image and after our likeness. But, in the beginning it was not so. God made us in his image, after his likeness. Therefore, in the face of uncertainty, we invite each man to turn to the Lord and ask: Who does God say I am? The 2025 Men’s Retreat will invite men to consider their deepest questions about identity and invite them to an encounter Christ, the one who fully reveals man to himself.