by John Sorce
Special to The Leaven
LEAWOOD — A day to gather fathers and sons on the golf course is fast approaching.
The sixth annual Master’s Cup Invitational will be held on Aug. 3 at Ironhorse Golf Club in Leawood.
The goal of the event is to help young men who have yet to find their permanent vocation in life grow in their relationship with Jesus.
“We want to focus on gathering the room full of young men who are single,” said Father Dan Morris, director of seminarians for the archdiocese. “They can be fifth graders, high schoolers, in college or post-college.
“They all would fit the category of not yet knowing their permanent vocational state in life and we want to help inspire them to take that next step in following Jesus Christ.”
Golfers will tee off beginning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start with lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m.
There will be a short program beginning at noon with guest speaker and former Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman speaking from about 12:15-1 p.m.
Klieman led the Wildcats for the past seven seasons before retiring and led the North Dakota State Bison to four FCS National Championships in the five years prior to that. But he is a devout Catholic above all else.
“He’s going to be able to speak about his faith journey, but also give a message to the young men about building character,” Father Morris said. “The world doesn’t owe you anything and whatever you do, you should do it because it’s a response to God giving you gifts and you need to glorify him through your work.”
Layne Buck, a parishioner of Church of the Ascension in Overland Park who attended last year with his two sons, said he appreciates the mission of the event.
“It’s a great event,” Buck said. “It was nice for my boys and I to have some bonding time together.
“But more than that, just the focus on expressing to the young men to keep your mind and heart open to God and exploring potential vocations, whether it be religious, priesthood or marriage life. It’s all rooted in Christ.”
“Every touch point we have in the vocation office is so important,” added Father Timothy Skoch, vocations director for the archdiocese. “It’s important for us to be seen in an environment like a golf course.
“But it is our job to help foster that vocation wherever we are seen, and that helps us engage with men who might be called to priesthood.”
Thanks to the generosity of the archdiocesan Serra Clubs, Knights of Columbus councils and a host of other private sponsors, the event is free for all youth and single young adults, youth ministers, priests and religious.
The cost for lunch for all other attendees is $100 and $500 to also play a round of golf. But there will be a discount if a father or grandfather wants to play with his son or grandson, with that costing $200.
All net proceeds will support the Heart-to-Heart Scholarship Fund, which was established to financially assist young men and women in the archdiocese as they respond to God’s call to pursue the priesthood or religious life.
Father Morris is hopeful there will be some really young men attending with their fathers, and that their participation “will open them up to going to a vocation office event in the future. We’re trying to cast a wider net in that sense and hope that every father and son will leave inspired to take that next step.”
The last day to register will be July 26.
To register and for more information, please visit: archkck.org/vocations-the-masters-cup.
