Body and Soul

November/December 2009 Issue | Posted by Joseph Pronechen in Everyday Apostles

INSPIRING GREATNESS

Cory Larkin

Ever see the old Hollywood musicals where someone says, “Hey gang, let’s put on a show?” Cory Larkin did them one better.

One month into his freshman year at William & Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., when telling some classmates about John Paul II’s theology of the body, Cory said, “Why don’t we have meetings?”

In a flash, he founded Greatness, a Catholic ministry on campus in fall of 2008.

Cory is eager to spread theology of the body teachings through Greatness.

“The language can resonate with my generation,” he explains, “and lead eventually to everyone embracing Jesus Christ and the culture of life.”

For him, the theology of the body was the time bomb author George Weigel described in Witness to Hope. Reading it convinced Cory it is God’s gift to our time, the Church, and our culture. He then devoured books and tapes, attended Christopher West’s theology of the body “Head and Heart Immersion” course and Janet Smith’s course on John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility.

Why Greatness? “Name recognition in our culture is so huge,” says 21-year-old Cory, pointing out that young people have that desire to be great in academics, sports, or whatever. Cory emphasizes, “One of the appeals of John Paul II is that he inspired greatness.”

The message resonated even with the non-Catholics attracted to the regular Greatness meetings. During his freshman year, the message was so compelling that one friend who never knew the faith or proper relationships embraced the theology of the body’s chastity teachings. Another friend is entering the Church because of the way the theology of the body presents Christianity. Another is considering becoming a priest.

Once students interested in starting Greatness chapters on their campuses contacted him, Cory knew Greatness had to spread to other colleges.

“Greatness as a platform,” he says earnestly, “is really going to exponentially increase exposure to the theology of the body and help leaders to step into these roles to bring the message to their peers in a strong way.”

Already Cory has started building up leaders by initiating a weekly core group to study the theology of the body on a deeper level. Additionally, these future leaders take turns praying an hour of Eucharistic adoration daily for Greatness and the theology of the body to spread.

For everyone there are regular Greatness meetings, big events with speakers, a website, blog, short video, and brochures.

This fall 2009, Cory launched the first annual “Embrace Your Greatness” Conference so that different schools could come to talk about Greatness and spreading the theology of the body.

Cory’s dream? “As it develops here at William & Mary, we want to make this the model of Greatness groups across the country.”

Visit and contact Cory at EmbraceYourGreatness.net

TEACHING TEENS THE TRUTH

Sarah Brixner

Even before Sarah Brixner entered Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, she wanted to teach high school.

After graduation, she knew she also wanted to teach the theology of the body to teens.

She was totally inspired by “the brilliance and the total simplicity of John Paul II’s teaching,” she says.

“This is truth and it makes sense,” Sarah enthusiastically explains. “It resonated in my heart as to who you are as a person and how you live your life. I wanted to follow after it and learn as much as I could.” And share it.

Through God’s providence, her goals quickly converged. While she was studying and working in youth ministry, Sarah got a job interview at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Conn.

“They wanted me to teach ‘Christian Lifestyles,’” explains 27-year-old Sarah. She got the job, saying, “Within that course I’m teaching the theology of the body to seniors.”

In Sarah’s mind there’s no doubt what had happened all along.

“The Lord was preparing me to teach the theology of the body to teenagers,” she says.

In fact, she has brought John Paul’s wisdom with her dynamic presentations not only at the high school but also in a 12-week course for teens at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., where Knights of Columbus founder and Ser-vant of God Father Michael McGivney helped families and young people.

Using the Theology of the Body for Teens curriculum, developed by Jason and Crystalina Evert and Brian Butler (TOB for Teens Bundle, $134.95, from AscensionPress.com), Sarah enjoys fruitful experiences with both teen groups.

Take the senior athlete at the high school Sarah describes as “inquisitive and borderline argumentative.”

“Through John Paul II’s teachings and his intercession, as well,” she stresses, “the boy came to a great understanding of what it means to be a man of God.”

She knew it all made sense to him like the proverbial light switch going on when he titled his class paper, “The Week That Changed My Life.”

The St. Mary’s program was a different story. Twenty teens, ages 14 to 19, eagerly gobbled up the theology of the body with the same text.

“The cool thing is these kids come from great families and are already well catechized,” explains Sarah. “The soil was already tilled for them to hear this message and generously respond to it.”

Her goals? First, deepen her own understanding.

“Everywhere I teach it,” says Sarah, “it gets deeper into my own heart and life — in the way I live and in my desire for holiness.”

WALKING, DANCING, LEADING WITH HER FEET

Jessica Gunther

The same time Jessica Gunther and her friends ended a pro-life walk from Maine to Washington, D.C., in 2005, they stumbled upon the theology of the body.

“It answered all the questions that came up throughout the summer walk,” explains Jessica. “At that moment the Lord was calling us to a program around the theology of the body.”

It was the evangelization tool they needed for future walks because as they talked about the Catholic faith to everyone along the way, the conversation always moved into the questions: “Who am I as a man or a woman, and who are you to tell me what to do with my body?”

That Dec. 8, 2005, Jessica formally organized and co-founded the group of young people into the Missionaries of the Eucharist to make the annual summer march to proclaim the Catholic faith explicitly through the theology of the body. By the 2008 walk, the program hit high gear.

“I delved into the theology of the body before I was to lead the walk,” says 23-year-old Jessica. “That was transformational for me.”

Graduating from the University of Maryland and asking the Lord what he was calling her to, Jessica became an intern at the Theology of the Body Insti-tute in Lancaster County, Pa., and works daily helping people understand the theology of the body.

“Theology of the body offers a concise way of evangelizing and sharing the Gospel with others.”

No wonder that as current director of the Missionaries of the Eucharist she wants to bring this message to as many people as possible along the apostolate’s route and stops each summer.

The missionaries speak on the theology of the body at all parishes who invite them, adds her husband Joshua, a co-partner in the work who went on the very first walk. Married this June, 24-year-old Joshua and Jessica live in Latrobe, Pa.

They also teach youth groups the theology of the body through the basic swing dance. “Swing dance is a good vehicle for explaining the complementarity of men and women, the different gifts each has to offer, and the different ways in being they are,” says Joshua.

Both through this method and the Mis-sionaries of the Eucharist (TheMoes.us), Jessica has noticed something unmistakable: “All the young people working with the theology of the body can see a deep change going on, and we want to be instruments God can work through to bring about that change in the world.”

Staff writer Joseph Pronechen is based in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Reach teens with the faith: OurFaithInAction.org • Homework. Tell us about an Everyday Apostle. Contact info., page 6.

 Print Article   Email a Friend