Institute members discuss theology during a break in the seminars.From August 4-7 Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy (OLSWA) hosted its first annual Wojtyla Summer Institute for Catholic high school teachers. The theme of this inaugural institute was The Theology of the Body (TOB) and how to teach it in schools. Attendees from school boards and communities across Ontario were welcomed to OLSWA and the Madawaska Valley for this weekend conference.

The mission of the Wojtyla Summer Institute is to advance OLSWA’s mission of serving the Church by offering programs focusing on aspects of the Faith and Catholic social teaching which will be available to groups or individuals interested in further developing their understanding of Catholicism.

Considering the great response that teens are having to the TOB, these teachers want to find ways to make the teachings of the TOB available to their students.  The teachers have found that their students are fascinated by the answers the TOB offers to the deep questions of life like:  “Who am I and what am I made for?”;  “What does true masculinity and femininity look like?”;  “What is the meaning of human love?”  And also the answers to ethical questions like:  “How do we define personhood?” and “Why does the Church teach what it does concerning sexual morality?”

The sessions began with an introduction from OLSWA President Dr. Keith Cassidy, who opened the conference with a talk on the importance of Catholic education. He stressed that the defining element of an authentic Catholic education is its pursuit of truth. He welcomed participants, noting that events such as the Wojtyla Institute play an important part of OLSWA’s mission in Canada. OLSWA faculty Miss Maria Reilander and Mr. John Paul Meenan along with visiting speaker Mrs. Kathleen Leffas gave the remaining conference sessions.

Throughout the weekend conference attendees were invited to learn about the Theology of Body as an anthropology that presents an “integral vision of man,” that is, a trueMr. John Paul Meenan understanding of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God. 

Mr. Meenan, who teaches Theology at OLSWA, offered insights into the proper anthropology of man and spoke about the truth and meaning of human sexuality. In his talks he delved into the concept of the human person, particularly in light of Wojtyla’s personalism and Joseph Ratzinger’s teaching of the human person in terms of relation.  We come to a true understanding of the human person by considering man and woman as made in the image of God—a Trinity, a communion of Persons who are “subsisting relations.”  This revelation reaches its perfection in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who, in assuming human nature, fully reveals who man is, in relation to himself, to other human beings, and to God: “Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” (Gaudium et spes, 22)  With a philosophical grounding in the understanding of the human person, the Institute went on to consider the Theology of the Body proper.

Miss Reilander, a graduate of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, and teacher of the TOB at OLSWA gave the talks on the TOB. She highlighted that the TOB presents an understanding of man that is different from the dualist anthropology we see in the modern mindset.  Contrary to modern man’s viewMiss Maria Reilander that the body is an object and meaningless matter that can be manipulated at will, the anthropology in the TOB views the human person in a holistic way.  Human persons are created as a gift from God, made for self-giving and for a loving and fruitful communion with another. Miss Reilander also focused on some important truths found in the TOB, namely the priority of man’s relationship with God as His son or daughter (Filiality), man and woman’s call to union and fruitfulness through an exclusive relationship of gift, and the nuptial (spousal) meaning of the body which expresses this call to union and fruitfulness through love and self-gift.

Mrs. Kathleen Leffas, a Catholic high school teacher in Virginia, USA, gave an engaging and informative talk on teaching the TOB to teens.  Mrs. Leffas teaches the TOB to her teens in the context of her Catholic high school’s health class.  She talked about how eager the students are to hear this truth, and which aspects of the TOB particularly resonate with her students, such as the fact that the body speaks a language.  The TOB helps put into words what the students instinctively sense; namely that the body is sacred and what we do with our body matters.   Through TOB teens are better able to grasp and articulate why the Church teaches what she does in the area of sexuality.  Instead of seeing only the negative prescription regarding sexuality they are invited to embrace a profound respect and appreciation for the gift of the body and subsequently of their sexuality.  They understand the ‘yes’ to love they are called to is something far greater, far more beautiful than simply ‘no’ to certain acts. In her talk, Mrs. Leffas also imparted practical tips to teachers, and shared some strategies that she has found successful in the classroom.

Discussion among the Institute participants and presenters was very fruitful. It was a great forum for sharing of ideas and resources, networking, and support. The conference ended off with a facilitated discussion of practical steps participants wanted to take in the wake of this first conference.

OLSWA was very grateful for the opportunity to work with other Catholic educators with the common goal of forming our young people in the truths of man and God.  OLSWA hopes to host a summer Institute again next year and while the topic is yet to be selected, it will likely cover other disciplines taught at the high school level. 

Please stay tuned for more information regarding the next Wojtyla Summer Institute.