The 20th annual Catholic Men for Jesus Christ Men’s Conference will take place Feb. 25, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. And with this year’s theme, “Into the Breach,” the day promises to focus on courage and boldness of faith.

The event will include Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and inspiring talks by U.S. congressman Chris Smith; Tim Staples, a nationally renowned Catholic apologist and evangelist; and Marie Joseph, executive director of the Legacy of Life Foundation. A breakout session will be offered for young men from eighth grade to college age, in partnership with Catholic Athletes for Christ.

The conference will also feature music, Catholic vendors and the opportunity for fellowship with other men interested in growing their walk with Jesus and living a dynamic Catholic faith.

Elected in 1980, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), is currently in his 19th two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives. A graduate of Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey), Smith holds a degree in business administration and is a lifelong New Jerseyan. He is the former executive director of the New Jersey Right to Life Committee, and prior to his election to Congress, he helped run his family’s wholesale sporting goods corporation. Smith and his wife, Marie, have been married 39 years and have four grown children.

Director of Apologetics and Evangelization for Catholic Answers in El Cajon, Ca., Tim Staples was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition. After falling away from the faith of his childhood, Staples came back to Christianity in his late teens through the influence of Christian televangelists. During a four-year tour with the Marine Corps., Staples joined the ministry of the Assemblies of God – but it was a fellow Marine who challenged him to consider Catholicism. Taking the suggestion to heart, Staples spent two years studying Catholic and historical sources, searching for the truth that would ultimately lead him to conversion to Catholicism.

Marie Joseph taught in a Catholic elementary school for seven years, and has been deeply involved in Catholic mission work in Kenya, Africa. Author of “Faith on Fire,” she is a single mother of two teens, with a passion for the Catholic family and bringing others to be better understanding of the Catholic Church. Joseph holds a bachelor of science degree in marketing, communications and spanish from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and a master’s degree in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa. She also has a background in theater, and is certified and trained in physical fitness and nutrition.

Cost for the conference is $25 per person in advance, $30 at the door, and $10 for students – which includes breakfast and lunch.

For more information, or to register online, go to www.catholicmenforjesuschrist.org.  To register by mail, send the name(s) of each person registering, check and self-addressed stamped envelope to: Catholic Men for Jesus Christ, P.O. Box 816, Morrisville, PA 19067.