Congress fleshes out thinking on Theology of the BodyBy Lou Baldwin

Pope St. John Paul II died nine years ago, but his teachings on Theology of the Body (TOB) are alive and well.

The Downingtown-based Theology of the Body Insti-tute, which held its Interna-tional Theology of the Body Congress at Philadelphia’s Sheraton Downtown Hotel July 9-11, is growing, accord-ing to attendance figures.

The last congress had about 450 attending, and this year there were more than 700, according to the institute’s executive director Damon C. Owens.

“We have 40 states represented, a dozen countries and more than 50 dioceses, and at least 120 priests and religious,” he said.

The TOB Institute is a nonprofit educational organization that bases its programs on the 129 short talks given by Pope John Paul II between 1979 and 1984 on what it means to be created male and female in the image and likeness of God.

The popularity of this year’s congress may have been influenced by the caliber of the speakers and breakout session leaders.

Major talks were given by Dr. Deborah Savage of St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn.; Bishop Jean Laffitte, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family; Damon Owens; Father Michael Gaitley of the Association of Marian Helpers; Dr. Janet Smith of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood; and Christopher West, a popular lecturer with the Theology of the Body Institute.

Bishop Laffitte’s presence in the program had special signifi-cance because the Pontifical Council for the Family is the orga-nizer of the World Meeting of Families, which will be held Sept. 22-27, 2015 in Philadelphia and which Pope Francis is expected to attend. The World Meeting of Families was the official sponsor for his scholarly lecture.

Bishop Laffitte was introduced to the conference by Donna Far-rell, the executive director for the World Meeting of Families.

In her own remarks, Farrell said, “what better place to welcome the World Meeting of Families than Philadelphia, the birthplace

of religious freedom? We will be welcoming families from around the world.”

Bill Donaghy, who lec-tures nationally and inter-nationally on the Theology of the Body, chose as his topic “TOB and the Way of Beauty: The Art of the New Evangelization.” Emphasiz-ing the beauty of all things, beginning with images of flowers, leaves, rivers, mountains and lakes, he segued into Adam and Eve, and humanity in general.

“Pope John Paul II talked about the way of beauty and he saw the culmination

of the beauty of all things in the human person,” Donaghy said. “In sexuality you can see the image of God.”

When the discussion is love and marriage, perhaps the real ex-perts are those who have been there, done that. Peter Damgaard-Hansen, who came from Denmark, chose as his topic, “’It is Not Good for Man to be Alone’ — But it is Not Easy for Man to be With Someone Either.”

In his practice as a psychologist he does integrative counsel-ing, which is an understanding that a person’s mental, physical and spiritual dimensions are intertwined. A married convert to Catholicism, he observed, “TOB best speaks to the heart and the intellect. You can argue for it on a rational level.”

Of course in the end, conferences are only as good as what peo-ple take away from them.

“The speakers enriched my experience of the Theology of the Body,” said Ruthie Greenhalgh of St. Anthony Parish, Ambler. “Theology of the Body gives us a better understanding of human beings and our faith as they relate to each other.”

Tim Flanagan, the founder of Wayne-based Catholic Leader-ship Institute, was not a presenter at the congress but just dropped in for some of the sessions.

“Theology of the Body is an opportunity for spiritual growth and spiritual formation,” he said. “If you just walk around and see all of the information at the vendors’ tables, you will see there is a lot of good information out there that will help people.”

The panel discussion on Theology of the Body for youth young adults was standing room only at the International Theology of the Body Congress Sept. 10 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Sarah Webb)

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Young men learn ‘where they are going’ at country retreat

This year’s Quo Vadis Days retreat by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia wel-comed 101 Catholic young men June 29 to July 2 at Black Rock Retreat Cen-ter in Quarryville, Lancaster County to deepen their faith, learn more about the priesthood and better discern God’s will for their lives.

The young men, ranging between the ages of 13 and 18 and mostly from arch-diocesan parishes but also from some surrounding dioceses, were challenged to grow in their faith and answer two questions: Who am I as a person? Who am I as a man of God?

The Quo Vadis Days program began in the Philadelphia Archdiocese in 2009 and is held each year in early July.

In previous years attendance has ranged between 20 and 40 participants. This year the cost of the retreat was de-frayed due to the generosity of a grant, which made it more affordable for the participants.

“This year, we have seen a much more diverse group of young men,” said Kurt Zampier, an organizer for Quo Vadis Days. Previously, the group’s primary make-up was Caucasian men, but this year’s campers included Hispanic, Asian and African-American men, as well as those from Nigeria and Kenya. “It is a tremendous representation of the make-up of the archdiocese,” said Zampier.

The retreat was directed by Father

Stephen DeLacy, who is the director of the archdiocesan Vocation Office for Dioc-esan Priesthood. This year he was assisted by 22 adult leaders made up of permanent deacons, seminarians and lay adults with a ratio of approximately one leader for each four campers.

“We are here to challenge them to grow as men of God by meeting them where they are and giving them the tools to discern God’s call in their lives, be it priesthood, marriage or profession,” he said.

The schedule of activities reflected a healthy mix of reflection, spiritual forma-tion and recreation.

In addition to the daily opportunities for community and individual prayer, campers had opportunities to play soccer and ulti-mate frisbee, tackle a rope climbing course, swim or boat in a lake, relax around bon-fires and go on a rock climbing expedition.

There were more participants from public schools this year than in previous retreats, explained Alex Pancoast of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, who helped run the retreat.

Bible conference opens up the Scriptures and roles of fathers

Hundreds of priests, religious men and women and lay people from all over the country and the world came to Doylestown for the National Catholic Bible Conference June 27-28.

“Scripture: The Heart of the Father” was the theme of the two-day conference held for the third consecutive year at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, which

welcomed the faithful who yearned to better understand the meaning of the Bible and the teachings of the Catholic faith regarding sacred Scripture.

This year the event’s theme focused on fathers — fathers in the family, father fig-ures and most especially our Heavenly Father.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput contin-ued the theme in his homily for the Mass he celebrated for conference participants June 28.

“Nothing is more important than building up the Christian character of Catholic families and institutions and strengthening the witness of Catholic disciples in the world,” he said. “Never doubt the fruitfulness of God’s Word, because nothing is more powerful or more filled with life.”

This strong message was embodied in the speakers presenting on both days of the event. The nine presenters included: Scott Hahn, professor of theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville; Edward Sri, provost and professor of theology and Scripture at the Augustine Institute in Denver; and Father Dennis Gill, director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Divine Worship and professor of sacred liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Semi-nary.

Cosponsors of the conference were the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Au-gustine Institute and Ascension Press, which made all 18 talks presented at the NCBC available for purchase on its web-site, AscensionPress.com.