DETROIT — Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth, will be the keynote speaker at the 2013 Archdiocesan Men’s Conference on March 9.

Though billed as a “Mini” Men’s Conference this year due to its scaled back size — the conference will take place at Our Lady of Good Counsel — the event offers Catholic men the opportunity for fellowship and edification with like-minded Catholic males.

In addition to Fr. Riccardo, who will speak on the conference’s theme, “Tirelessly Running the Race,” other speakers will include Paco Gavrilides, who will talk about “The Call to be Heroes … Together,” and Sr. Ann Shields, SGL, who will challenge attendees with the question of “What God is Asking of Catholic Men in the 21st Century.”

Fr. Riccardo and Gavrilides have been instrumental in organizing area men’s conferences since the first one in 2003. Sr. Shields, a member of the Servants of God’s Love, a charismatic religious community based in the Lansing Diocese, is an internationally known speaker and author of “Deeper Conversion” and other spiritual titles. She and Fr. Riccardo also host daily radio programs on Ave Maria Radio (990 AM-WDEO).

In addition to the speakers, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will celebrate a pre-conference Mass at 8 a.m. The conference begins at 9:30. Cost is $15, $10 for students and free for clergy and seminarians. Find a link for registration at www.aod.org/men or call (313) 224-8008.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is at 47650 N. Territorial in Plymouth.