Mark your calendars: The National Theology of the Body Congress is set for this summer!
The three day event, from July 28-30, will feature speeches, workshops, panels, drama, music and more with some of today’s top TOB speakers and educators, like:
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Justin Cardinal Rigali: is the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Fr. Richard Hogan: co-author of three books on the theology of Pope John Paul II.
Fr. Thomas Loya: pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church in Chicago, IL and the Eastern Catholic spiritual advisor for TOBIA.
Sr. Helena Burns, F.S.P.: leads workshops for teens and adults on Media Literacy, Philosophy, and Theology of the Body.
Dr. Janet Smith: professor of moral theology and the Fr. Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Issues at the Sacred Heart Major Seminar in Detroit, MI.
Christopher West: a research fellow and faculty member of the Theology of the Body Institute near Philadelphia.
Dr. Michael Waldstein: the Max Seckler Professor of Theology at Ave Maria University and translator of John Paul II’s Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body.
Dr. Gregory Popcak, MSW, LISW: a nationally recognized Catholic psychotherapist and author of six books integrating solid Christian teaching with cutting-edge counseling psychology.
Glen Stanton: the Director for Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs.
Anastasia Northrop: president of TOBIA, the Theology of the Body International Alliance
And that is just a partial list! There will also be several exhibits and a TOB awards banquet recognizing outstanding accomplishments in promoting, living and understanding the Theology of the Body through the various fields of arts, academia, social justice, diocesan outreach, parish outreach, publishing, catechesis, activism and evangelization. They are currently accepting nominations.
As if to give us a stark reminder of why spreading the Theology of the Body message is so badly needed in today’s world, Planned Parenthood recently released its “Stand and Deliver” report on “Sex, Health and Young People in the 21st Century.” A report that, among other evil things, considers 10 year olds “sexual beings” who should be taught comprehensive sex education and even encouraged to explore their sexuality. Now, hopefully the rest of the world is sane enough not to support this suggestion. But I’m pretty sure a lot of our society generally agrees with PP’s promotion of casual sex among teenagers and adults (or at least doesn’t see anything outrageously wrong with it) and their (very false) accusation that the Church “den(ies) the pleasurable and positive aspects of sex.”
As the Nation’s largest abortion provider, PP’s report also illustrates the intimate connection between rampant sexual promiscuity and abortion. No matter how much “protection” you use, nothing changes the fact that sex leads to babies and guess who will be there to “take care of things” when you fall… In the final analysis, the abortion debate is not really about when life begins, but the meaning and purpose of sex.
So, let’s show PP and the world its folly by making this TOB Congress a huge success! Register yourself online and then help spread the word on your web site, blog or other social networking site with these free promotional resources. For the latest updates you can join them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or subscribe to their RSS feed.
I hope to see you there!!