PALM BEACH GARDENS | Projects like producing popular podcasts on the Catholic faith, along with heading a university campus ministry in Minnesota, have made Father Mike Schmitz somewhat of a rock star and one of the most sought-after Catholic speakers these days.
It was with some excitement that organizers of the 24th Men’s Rally in the Diocese of Palm Beach recently announced that Father Schmitz would be the main presenter at the next event Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.
“I never thought we would be able to get him to come here to speak,” said organizer Jim Manhardt. “As you know, he’s in incredible demand. He sells out wherever he goes. So, we’re very fortunate to have him. We’ll have a Men’s Rally the likes of which we’ve never seen, certainly in terms of attendance and the quality of the day for the Catholic men in the diocese.”
Starting at 8 a.m., the rally will offer inspiring talks, the sacrament of penance, Eucharistic adoration, fellowship and a closing Mass with Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito at about 12:15 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
With Manhardt’s son, Michael, as the day’s emcee, Father Schmitz will be joined by Nathan Crankfield, who converted to the Catholic faith at age 13 and served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division for three years, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Now living in Denver, Crankfield works for Hallow, the Catholic prayer app.
Manhardt said Crankfield was recommended as a 2025 speaker by Father Jonathan Meyer, one of last year’s rally presenters. “Nathan is a young married man. I think their second child is on the way, and he’s an evangelist. He’s got a military background, and young people in particular are attracted to him,” he said.
Father Schmitz, who directs campus ministry at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is the Diocese of Duluth’s director of youth and young adult ministry, is well known among younger Catholics, Manhardt said. A 13-minute video will be shown to introduce Father Schmitz and reveal the work he’s doing. Manhardt hopes to attract more young adults to the upcoming Men’s Rally.
One significant change for 2025 is the admission cost, Manhardt said, increasing from $25 to $50. He explained that half of the ticket price will go toward construction of a church and media center in Duluth that Father Schmitz is supporting. Also, unlike past years, when sons who attended with their fathers could get in free, there will be no break this time. The only men who won’t pay the ticket price are priests and seminarians, Manhardt said.
“Ticket sales are going well,” he said. “Normally we only start to market the event around this time (mid-November), so we’re way ahead of the game because we started almost a month ago. I would wager anything that I have that we will not be selling tickets at the door. I fully expect that tickets will be sold out before the day.”
Special activities during the Men’s Rally will include a salute to the seminarians preparing to serve as priests in the diocese and a special tribute to Bishop Barbarito, who will turn 75 on Jan. 4, the age at which bishops submit their retirement letter to Pope Francis. Since this will likely be the bishop’s final Men’s Rally as head of the Diocese of Palm Beach, the men want to honor him for his service.
“Other than his brain surgery, and one year he had the flu and couldn’t get out of bed, not only has he been there every year, he’s very enthusiastic about” the Men’s Rally, Manhardt said.
The annual gathering is always a beautiful experience for those who attend, and with the program being planned for Jan. 11, the next rally could be a turning point for many men, he said.
“I hope that lives change and people just grow closer to the Lord as a result of it, which is the same with every Men’s Rally that we have,” Manhardt said. “More alive in their faith, greater desire to spread the faith. That’s what we’re looking for, which is frankly no different from the past.”
To buy tickets, visit www.catholicmenforjesusflorida.com.
