The following comes from a September 28 email from Theology of the Body Congress:
The 2016 Theology of the Body Congress officially closed last Sunday in Southern California after three days of workshops, panel discussions and keynotes on the teaching of the Theology of the Body and its ability to address many of the problems that plague modern families.
The Congress gathered a record number of nearly 1000 Catholics from across the country centered on the theme “Love, Mercy and the Gift of the Family.” It was held for the first time in Southern California, and many of those who attended came from the area.
“It was a blessing to hold the Theology of the Body Congress in Southern California,” said Jen Settle, Managing Director of the Theology of the Body Institute, the sponsoring organization of the Congress. “Our hope is that TOB will flourish in the area and give families hope, creating an alternative to what the world is telling them.”
Over 30 presentations in English and Spanish were given through keynotes, panel discussions and workshops on how Theology of the Body can provide essential help for issues that affect the family such as addictions, pornography, gender confusion, and feminism. Many of the speakers noted that TOB is one of the strongest answers to these problems.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco presented a keynote speech on the opening night of the Congress. The Archbishop linked Theology of the Body with stewardship of God’s gifts and spoke of the power of TOB to help us understand how stewardship of the body is practiced in the Catholic approach to issues such as abortion, marriage, and chastity.
Speaking directly to those who teach Theology of the Body, Archbishop Cordileone said, “I’m sure many of you have encountered young people, who when they are taught these truths and come to understand them, a big light comes on in their head, and they typically say ‘why didn’t someone tell me this before? It would have saved me so much heartache.’”
I find myself in a strange position– a busy math teacher who desires fidelity with the Church on difficult matters, such as Humanae Vitae– and yet who knows nothing of St. JP II’s Theology of the Body. This is a conference I could have benefited from, but ne’er a word about this from my parish. In fact, this topic has never been mentioned in my parish. Something so foundational as this, one would think, would be front and center in the Los Angeles Archdiocese where I live. I suspect I have been asleep when the Archdiocese has sponsored such conferences/workshops. Is there a good readable book on this topic for non-theologians like myself?
Dan, Courtesy of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) a good & trusted source of Catholic materials: free Theology of the Body material @
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2TBIND.HTM/
They have an on-line book store/gift shop (Holy Reminders as Mother Angelica would say, bless her memory).
Continued…….oops…….For some reason, that link fails.
Trying to copy it again here:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2TBIND.HTM
If this fails too, try: http://www.ewtn.com & search for the document title.
I’ve found Christopher West to be a good expositor of the theology of the body for people who have not been introduced to it yet and who are not theological specialists. I encourage you to consider one of his introductory books about the topic. You can also find online videos of him speaking on the topic.
I may be criticized by some on this site for recommending West, but I think he’s a responsible popularizer of the theology of the body. Just because his approach might not be your cup of tea doesn’t mean his approach has no value or that it’s not leading people to holiness in sexual morality. I think he makes the theology of the body appealing and easy to understand and convincing for people who have a largely secular background.