Students from the St. John Paul II Catholic Newman Center at Illinois State University in Normal carry a statue of Jesus near the front of the 2018 men's march through downtown Peoria. (The Catholic Post file/Tom Dermody)

This one is just for the guys. Pick a reason for joining Bishop Jenky and hundreds of Catholic men from parishes around the Diocese of Peoria for the annual Men’s March and Mass on Saturday morning, April 27:

1. You want to show your support for the Catholic Church and especially its priests after a particularly challenging year.
2. You want to grow stronger as a Catholic man, and perhaps especially as a Catholic father or grandfather.
3. You want to give yourself, your sons and/or grandsons an experience of the church beyond the parish, meet Bishop Jenky, and take part in a Mass with him at the beautiful St. Mary’s Cathedral.
4. You have not been to one of the 15 previous marches, also known as “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith,” but have heard how inspirational they are and seen the photos of a throng of men marching through downtown Peoria.
5. You have been to one or many of the previous marches, and can’t wait to join the guys again.
6. You’ve heard that Father Matthew Deptula is the pre-march speaker and you expect to be energized by his talk on “Fighting for Faith and Family.”
7. You collect the blessed commemorative medals handed out each year, and especially want this year’s, which bears an image of St. Michael the Archangel.
8. You like the taste of pork on a stick.

We could go on. But we’d rather you go to your household calendar — whether on the wall, in a drawer, or on your phone — and put “Going to Men’s March” on April 27. And then phone family members, neighbors, friends, or fellow parishioners and invite them to come along. You’ll find a schedule and more information here. — Thomas J. Dermody