Embodied Magazine - Gift Issue

2021 Gift Issue

INNER GLOW

Making peace with make up Turning Points Funny Business Road Trip Ministry

The Theology of the Body Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body continues to be taught and promoted faithfully and effectively around the world through financial support of educational and training programs for clergy, religious, and the laity in the Catholic church and beyond.

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GIFT ISSUE 2021

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THE VIEW FROM HERE COLUMN

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TURNING POINTS From helping recover from sobriety to encouragement to being a better neighbor, these snapshots show the impact of Theology of the Body on everyday lives.

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A TIME FOR REST

Shea Olson knows that caring for her external appearance is just one piece of the larger puzzle of what it means to be a woman of God. But after struggling with society’s notion of beauty, Olson now views taking care of her appearance as a way for her to more fully live out her “feminine genius” of being a gift to others.

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FUNNY BUSINESS When Matt Martinusen was laid off by his non-profit employer, he decided to take the leap, turning his Catholic Card Game into full-time work. The game was played by Bishop Robert Barron, garnered raving reviews and even inspired Halloween costumes. The enterprising dad looks back.

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ROAD TRIP

How a depressed teenager found Theology of the Body—and her path to religious life. Inside Sister Effata’s highway ministry.

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TOB MINISTRY DIRECTORY

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we’ll keep this essay short.

Gift Issue 2021 PUBLISHED BY Embodied Publishing info@embodiedmag.org EDITOR Ann Gundlach • ann@embodiedmag.org ASSISTANT EDITOR Christina Ries • christina@embodiedmag.org PRODUCTION and DESIGN b graphic design • www.b-graphicdesign.com Embodied Magazine will be published four times per year. The print edition is available for $49/year and includes a digital edition. The digital subscription alone is $25/year. Single copies are available for $7.00 each plus shipping. Quantity discounts and bulk subscriptions are available. For information email info@embodiedmag.org.

Submitted materials become the property of Embodied Publishing and will not be returned.

Embodied is granted the right to use the materials for any purpose and in any manner. www.embodiedmag.org • 2615 Fairhill Drive Cincinnati, OH 45239

T H E

V I E W

F R O M

H E R E

Leaven in the world

by Ann Gundlach

SO MAN Y THOUGHTS are swirling in my head

God’s mercy, the timing was perfect and I left for Rome the day after her funeral. The experience of going deeper with TOB alongside 90-some other pilgrims was transformational in leading me to today.

As I write this, it is not only the Feast of Saints Anne (my patron) and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Mother, but fittingly the Gospel reading from St. Matthew included the parable of the yeast: “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (Mt 13:33).

I say “fittingly” because this is my vision for Embodied: that it be yeast in the world. It will present TOB simply, through the witness of those who are living from a place of self-gift. My hope is for its content to be like little bits of yeast sprinkled into readers’ hearts and minds, that the Lord then works and kneads until He yields a beautiful result.

as I write this first column for the Gift Issue of Embodied Magazine! Let me start with praise and glory to God, who put the idea for this magazine on my heart at least five years ago and who has shown his faithfulness and compassion every step of the way.

I can also hear Theology of the Body (TOB) champion Christopher West’s words in my head, who has

Embodied will present TOB simply, through the witness of those who are living from a place of self-gift.

I was encouraged by Father Francis Fernandez’s commentary this morning in “In Conversation with Christ”: “We should first consider how little leaven is needed in order to transform the mass of dough. Despite outside appearances, the effect of the small portion of yeast is surprisingly great. This thought should lead us to be daring in the apostolate, since the power behind the Christian ferment is not merely human; it is the power of the Holy Spirit acting in the Church.”

Let’s be daring....together! Please join me in promoting Embodied Magazine!

encouraged me more than once in the last several years: “Ann, I urge you to put this idea in the womb of Mary” and seek her intercession for God’s will for it. Well, with this issue we can say that Embodied Magazine has been born!

My dear friend Julie comes to mind as well, as she often does when I am thinking about my spiritual life; our friendship was centered on helping each other in our walks with Christ. She died of lung cancer at the age of 53, just days before I left for a pilgrimage to Italy with the Theology of the Body Institute almost three years ago. I was feeling physically sick in the final weeks before my departure due to the anxiety of potentially being gone at the time of her death. I told her I did not want to leave and was thinking of cancelling. She locked eyes with me, shook her head and mouthed through her oxygen mask, “You.are.going.” In

If you liked this Gift Issue of Embodied, please subscribe, donate, share it, follow us and share our posts on social media!

To learn more about advertising in Embodied or purchasing bulk copies for your ministry, contact me at ann@embodiedmag.org.

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GIFT ISSUE 2021

Turning points They look but do not see

by Jessika Santulli

“I want to keep seeing you,” he told me, as he met my gaze without blinking. My heart fluttered as I inwardly rejoiced. This man had been discerning whether he wanted to officially ask me out for months now, with no commitment.

This statement told me that he had made his choice.

“So do you mean we’re a couple now?” I asked tentatively.

“Oh, I’m still not sure about dating,” he replied. “I just want to stay here all day and keep seeing you.”

My heart sank. He did not mean that he wanted to keep seeing me. He only wanted to continue to look at me.

And it hurt. I wanted to be regarded as someone with value because of who I was and not just because of my physical features.

Every human being has the desire to be seen and not merely looked at.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus demonstrates what this means. Jesus is invited to a dinner party by Simon

the Pharisee. A “sinful woman” enters the party with an alabaster jar, anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair. Simon cannot believe that Jesus allows her to do this, saying: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39 NAB).

Jesus rebukes Simon with the words, “Do you see this woman?” (Luke 7:44 NAB). He then praises the woman for showing him more love and a more esteemed greeting than Simon had.

Simon did not endeavor to see the woman with the alabaster jar. He only looked at her outward appearance but neglected to notice her heart. Her beautiful display of adoration and humble repentance revealed her true self. However, those who only looked at her were blind to this reality.

Some time has passed since this man made the comment about wanting to keep seeing me. However, a day rarely goes by that I don’t let these words transform my own heart and ask God to help me really see people.

I attend a weekly homeless outreach in which food, supplies and prayers are offered to those living on the streets. The founder of this ministry was himself homeless for seven years. He is a wonderful example of one who sees people. His vision sees past the exterior and knows the heart of each person because he experienced their same pain.

One evening, I was lamenting that I missed Mass on the morning of an 5

outreach. I did not receive the Eucharist and felt rather empty without Jesus inside me, animating me. Immediately, God responded to that thought, saying, You will be receiving Me. I Am in the people on the streets.

This insight inverted my entire way of thinking. In touching those in need, I would be really touching Him (Mt. 25:40). God invited me to see Him in the poor and vulnerable in a new way. That night, armed with God inside of me from consuming Him bodily in days past, I really saw people. I talked to those who kept their heads down. I asked them their names and shared mine. I looked into their eyes and saw their grateful smiles. I saw past their outward appearances as the Lord revealed their bright and shining hearts.

If I had only looked at these people, I might have missed the truth: Each one of them reveals the heart of God.

The body reveals the soul

by Lindsay Caron

Wine, beer, tequila, vodka, whiskey … there is nothing I wouldn’t drink.

I was a twentysomething living and partying in the hottest spots of San Francisco. “The world was mine” … until I realized it wasn’t. At all. My Turning Points continues on page 25

INNER

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RGLOW

by Kara Storey

Photos by Rebecca Slater /

By Rebecca Studios

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ON A STRESSFUL DAY last October, Shea Olson discovered her favorite makeup company’s latest holiday line had finally made its way to her mailbox. Feeling defeated that her two youngest children had refused their naps and were now in meltdown mode, the 35-year-old Catholic mom of four and skincare product consultant unwrapped a makeup palette filled with all of her favorite shades.

Olson, of St. Paul, Minn., grabbed the palette and headed to her bathroom mirror to film an Instagram makeup tutorial for her clients, showcasing how to create a fresh makeup look with the new eyeshadow.

“You could hear crying in the background of the video,” Olson said. “But I got to play with this one new thing for a few minutes and it was awesome. It turned my day around.”

Olson hasn’t always found beauty products fun. For years, they psyched her out. She even considered going makeup-free for her wedding back in 2011. However, as she’s grown older and others have taught her how to use makeup to achieve a natural, fresh face look, she’s gained confidence in using them to enhance her femininity. While some may argue that beauty is only skin deep, for Olson, taking care of her appearance has become a way for her to more fully live out her “feminine genius” of being a gift to others, ready to meet them and pour out her heart to them throughout the day.

“When I feel put together in what I’m wearing, but also feel good in my skin, whether that be with or without makeup, I walk a little more confidently,” she said. “I’m ready to be even more of a Christ-like presence in the world.”

Olson acknowledged that caring for one’s external appearance is just one piece of the larger puzzle of what it means to be a woman of God. Attentiveness and intentionality in caring for oneself spiritually, psychologically and physically are also necessary when living out God’s plan for authentic femininity.

Not only that, but she has learned that the Catholic Church does not lay out firm parameters regarding what constitutes femininity. While St. John Paul II said the “feminine genius” is marked by lives of receptivity, sensitivity, generosity and maternity—in either the physical or spiritual sense—these feminine qualities manifest uniquely in each woman. This is keenly seen in some of the Church’s most famous female saints: St. Therese of Lisieux, the young religious sister; soldier St. Joan of Arc; doctor and mother St. Gianna Molla; princess St. Elizabeth of Hungary; child-martyr St. Maria Goretti; and St. Teresa of Calcutta, servant of the poor.

St. John Paul II emphasized the beautiful spectrum of femininity in his Apostolic Letter, “On the Dignity and Vocation of Women,” writing: “Therefore the Church gives thanks for each and every woman: for mothers, for sisters, for wives; for women consecrated to God in virginity; for women dedicated to the many human beings who await the gratuitous love of another person; for women who watch over the human persons in the family, which is the fundamental sign of the human community; for women who work professionally, and who at times are burdened by a great social responsibility; for ‘perfect’ women and for ‘weak’

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women—for all women as they have come forth from the heart of God in all the beauty and richness of their femininity; as they have been embraced by his eternal love.”

Olson said she has been blessed by Christ-centered female friendships that witness to her various expressions of femininity in style, personality, occupation, personal devotion and talent. She has close friends who are single, moms who work or stay home and religious sisters.

“It is the presence of this diversity of friendships and women that has helped me see what my own authentic expression of femininity can be,” she said.

husband, Joseph, an admissions director at a local Catholic school. She said she strives to be confident in her unique gifts in order to help form and engage her children. Olson also cooks, cleans, shops and schedules family events. Her husband cares for the yard, garden and chickens, as well as is the handyman for the house and vehicles.

While the couple generally divides household labor along stereotypical gender roles, they don’t follow any hard-andfast rules. In fact, her husband regularly takes charge of Friday’s homemade pizza night.

“Joseph and I are partners in all of this, as well as in raising our children,” Olson said. “I could, at a moment’s notice, ask for help in any one of the areas I generally handle and he would pick up where I left off.”

John Paul II wrote extensively on the complementarity of the sexes in his Theology of the Body, explaining that together, man and woman have mutually enriching differences that when respected, lead both sexes to human flourishing.

“Femininity finds itself, in a sense, in the presence of masculinity, while masculinity is confirmed through femininity,” he said, during a general audience on Nov. 21, 1979.

COMPLEMENTARITY

Olson’s expression of her “feminine genius” has many different facets. A longtime lover of style, she recently ditched her uncomfortable summer shorts and stocked her seasonal closet with breathable skirts and dresses. She also strives to bring beauty into her home through tasteful decor and design decisions for her home’s current kitchen remodel.

Another way she finds strength in her femininity is through service to her family and complementarity with her 9

Although Olson is able to understand her femininity more deeply in relation to her husband and through friends, the flipside is that looking outside herself sometimes leads to pessimism as she compares herself, especially her body, to society’s beauty standard. For many women, receiving a new life into her body and the accompanying self-donation of growing that child, giving birth, breastfeeding and enduring sleepless nights, all take a physical toll, and it is a battle to reconcile this reality with the societal pressure to “bounce back” after pregnancy.

Woman,” who told the students that at the moment of conception, God touches the woman in a unique way as new life is created. This most miraculous part of femininity, the ability to receive and give life, is what today’s women are often pressured to reject through contraception and abortion, Wyant said.

Like Olson, Wyant also understands the pressure women feel to conform to society’s expectations of femininity, noting that she wrestled with the secular notion of womanhood especially as a teenager.

“We are bombarded by what we ‘have’ to do to be ‘this way,’ ‘look like this’ or ‘have it all,’” said Wyant, also a beauty products consultant. “As much as the world touts that women can do anything or be anything, we still are fed the same hypersexualized version of femininity. I find that message to be missing so much. I am not just a body, but a whole being, body and soul.”

We’re fed a hypersexualized version of femininity. I find that message to be missing so much. I am not just a body, but a whole being, body and soul.

Wyant credits her own mother and grandmothers for helping shape her own thoughts about the dignity of being a woman, especially when it came to bringing beauty into the world. She remembers her grandmother regularly using fine china, candles and fancy wine glasses for Sunday dinners.

In Wyant’s preteen and teen years, the women in the family would celebrate “coming of age” moments, such as taking her to the department store for her tenth birthday to identify the right colors for her skin tone and buy a first lip gloss. At 13 she did it again, but this time was allowed to get a blush. It was a reminder that she was becoming a woman, Wyant said, and also an opportunity for the older women in her family to place the “beautiful heritage” of femininity on her.

They also taught her the importance of leaving the house dressed appropriately for each circumstance, said Wyant, who noted it’s very different when working in the garden versus attending Mass. To this day, Wyant doesn’t leave the house without washing her face and at the very least simply styling her hair with a go-to favorite knotted headband. It doesn’t always entail a full face of makeup, she said, but it does mean not wearing something that looks like it could be slept in.

“How we present ourselves should be because our mindset is ‘I want you to see goodness in me. I want you to see beauty in me. I want to be a reflection of the beauty of God to you,’” Wyant said. “While it doesn’t necessarily dictate

“As much as I want to be free of the negative self-talk and wish that I could fit into my favorite pair of jeans from when we first got married, I also know that I have completely changed and developed from having four children,” she said.

“My heart has grown, my view of life has changed, and I am physically not the same person I was almost 10 years ago when we got married.”

ICONS OF FEMININITY

It is precisely maternity—the most sacred part of femininity—that society wants to attack, said Victoria Wyant, a 39-year-old mom of four and director of operations for an Amish furniture company living in the Detroit area.

She remembers taking a college philosophy class with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, author of “The Privilege of Being a 10

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brush through her hair, throwing on a new outfit and applying some gloss to her lips.

“It’s a disciplined act, an act of virtue in a sense that it is a ‘good’ to be able to put yourself together,” she said, adding that she used to hate every aspect of washing her face, including the feeling of water running down her arms. It took a gift of face wash from her sister with the note “Girl, wash your face,” for her to begin the habit.

Now Wyant views her morning skincare routine as not only preparing her face for the day, but also an opportunity to prepare the soul. This means that while she cleans her face, she pairs it with an act of contrition to cleanse her soul. It means praying a morning offering as she applies her face serum, or the prayer to St. Michael for protection as she’s applying moisturizer or sunscreen. She’ll also listen to praise and worship music or Catholic hymns as she preps for the day.

“This is an intentional and an integrated way of living that prepares you to meet your day psychologically, spiritually and physically,” she said.

That preparation helps her respond to the day’s trials with greater patience and peace.

FEMININE SPIRITUALITY

lipstick, little things like that can drastically change my view of myself and how I’m presenting myself.” From there, she said, she can draw her children into an appreciation for beauty, goodness and truth, inspiring them to spread those virtues outside the home.

St. John Paul II similarly spoke of how the body reveals deeper, transcendental truths during a general audience on Feb. 20, 1980. “The body, and it alone is capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and divine,” he said. “It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the invisible mystery hidden in God from time immemorial, and thus to be a sign of it.”

Wyant admitted that she certainly doesn’t project the image of God perfectly—there are still days she’s in her pajamas until the afternoon—but she’s always striving to improve and deepen her understanding of her God-given dignity as his daughter. The day is never lost, she said, noting that some days she hits reset at 4 p.m. by running a

Even though Wyant has models of authentic femininity in her life, her ultimate model is the Blessed Mother. Her relationship with Our Lady, which was kindled in elementary school, has influenced how she tries to act, dress, talk, and namely, be a woman, Wyant said.

“Her words ‘fiat mihi’—let it be done unto me—are such an encapsulation of receptivity that St. John Paul II talks about in the Theology of the Body,” she said. “She exemplifies this beautiful way in which she receives what God is asking her, receives our Savior and then also gives of herself, completely and totally. It is such a beautiful example of how we as women are designed—to receive and also to give.”

In his encyclical, “Redemptoris Mater,” St. John Paul II wrote: “It can thus be said that women, by looking to Mary, find in her the secret of living their femininity with dignity and of achieving their own true advancement. In the light of Mary, the Church sees in the face of women the reflection of a beauty which mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which 12

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the human heart is capable: the self-offering totality of love; the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work; the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement.”

Many of St. John Paul II’s writings have influenced Wyant’s understanding of her femininity. She described his “Letter to Women,” “Theology of the Body,” and “Love and Responsibility” as pivotal in her formation as a woman, along with learning how her body works through the study of natural family planning.

Rooting oneself in relationship with God is also important, Wyant said, for it is in that relationship that she comes to know herself more deeply and thus become a greater gift to others.

“The more we understand the beauty that is inherent in how God made us, the more apt we are to be grateful for how He made us, whether male or female,” she said.

While femininity is a profound honor, it’s often in the quiet, unseen everyday moments that the feminine genius pours forth. In “Letter to Women,” St. John Paul II wrote, “Necessary emphasis should be placed on the ‘genius of women,’ not only by considering great and famous women of the past or present, but also those ordinary women who reveal the gift of their womanhood by placing themselves

at the service of others in their everyday lives. For in giving themselves to others each day women fulfill their deepest vocation.”

This point hit home recently for Olson, while reading a book of personal letters exchanged between married Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.

Olson said she was surprised to discover the normalcy of Zélie’s life.

“Necessary emphasis should be placed on the ‘genius of women,’ not only by considering great and famous women of the past or present, but also those ordinary women who reveal the gift of their womanhood by placing themselves at the service of others in their everyday lives.”

“She was someone of deep prayer, but also had a busy family life, ran a business, experienced deep loss, had a care and concern with those she loved, and was anxious about all of the things that I often worry and fret over,” she said. “It’s been so good to have her as a companion and an intercessor.”

Part of feminine spirituality is also recognizing that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Olson said. To that end, Olson said she tries to eat healthy, is mindful to avoid chemicals in her household cleaners and beauty products and carves out time for exercise. An early riser, she most often works out in the mornings before her kids are awake, either by taking a long walk or doing a YouTube fitness video. Regardless, Olson said exercise is a stress reliever and a reset for her mind.

In fact, on a recent summer evening, Olson’s husband noticed she was in a sour mood, so after the kids were in bed he nudged her out the door for a walk. She returned rejuvenated and ready for bed—and got to witness a gorgeous sunset to boot!

Ultimately, gaining discipline in caring for her spiritual, physical and psychological needs is all part of the journey in living out authentic femininity for Olson.

“I still have a lot to learn,” she said. “Embracing femininity is an ongoing and continual development and process. It can be expressed in so many different ways, and can change as you age, have children, and grow in your marriage, career, friendships and faith. It makes me feel like I have a lot to look forward to.

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rest A time for

by Christina Ries • Photos by Angie Perisse

The word I’m seeing, again and again, is rest.

knowing who we are—and whose we are. It is tucked in the

On the cover of the Magnolia Journal, with Joanna

Theology of the Body, that we are made in the image and

Gaines reclining on a couch. In the Instagram posts of

likeness of the God who rested on the seventh day.

homesteaders. From moms who work outside the home

Rest brings simplicity, in having less stuff and fewer

and those who work inside the home and the many who do

decisions. “I like living in our home more when it’s less full

some ever-shifting combination thereof. From dads whose

of stuff,” writes Shauna Niequist in her bestselling book

weekends are not their own, jam-packed with chauffeuring

Present Over Perfect. “The simplicity feels spacious, and

and meals on the go.

inspiring, like I can draw a clean breath.”

We are craving rest.

Rest enables us to marvel, which always leads to

And something about this season of cooling temps and

thanksgiving. “For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty

falling leaves invites us to finally, blessedly rest. To slow our

of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and

pace, restoring bodies and minds.

around us lies, Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn

Rest comes with not having to prove ourselves, in

of grateful praise.”

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funny business

by Christina Ries

Matt and Lisa Martinusen first bonded over tattoos and Pope John Paul II. Now the Minnesota-based couple are successful entrepreneurs and the parents of three young children. They launched the Catholic Card Game in 2018, which now provides full-time work for Matt. They recently created an expansion pack of cards centered on natural family planning to share some of the JPII-wisdom they learned during their engagement.

Let’s start with the tattoos. They provided a conversation starter when you met in college.

Lisa: I was sitting outside my classroom, sketching a tattoo I was going to get on my foot using a Sharpie, and Matt walked out.

closer to the Lord. They’re reminders. I would like a sleeve [a full arm of tattoos].

Matt: And I’m headed that way.

We’re so young, if we get one a year…

Do some Catholics judge them?

Matt: There’s a distinct line between older Catholics and younger Catholics, who embrace them. We’ve never received harsh judgement.

Lisa: I have as a woman from other women. It’s raised an eyebrow. But when you tell the story or it opens up a conversation, people can be quite interested.

Now you’re married and you have five tattoos and Matt has four, all with Catholic imagery.

You got engaged while attending John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego and took classes together that drew from Theology of the Body—a wonderful way to enrich your marriage prep.

Matt: I have a crown of thorns on my arms and the 12 stars of Mary.

Lisa: I have a skull on my arm for Memento Mori [“remember that you must die”] with St. Philomena artwork in the skull. We get them to draw us

Matt: Yes, talk about great timing!

The courses took us through Scripture and the writings of John Paul the Great in both “Love and Responsibility” and the Theology of the Body. His writings on the “usage” of others [i.e., that we 18

Matt Martinusen, 26, and his wife, Lisa, 28, live in West St. Paul, Minn., with their 4-yearold, 3-year-old and 1-year-old. Photo by Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit

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are called to use things, but never people, who are to be loved] forced me to look at the way I interact with others— but most importantly with Lisa.

us that we need to lean further into the Lord and ask for His guidance and how we are to proceed together as one.

It’s an ongoing education and grace!

How did that insight help you mature?

Matt: Being so young, I had not truly experienced much of the world, and in my teens most of my efforts

Matt: We’ve been married for a little over five years and are still both under 30, and we’re finding ourselves learning about our own selves and each other more and more as the years go on. In these first years of our marriage, we’ve been especially surprised at how much learning and using natural family planning (NFP) has shown us the humanity of the other and is truly helping form our family. God has shown us his incredible generosity in letting us share in the creation and responsibility of his children.

How did you come up with the idea for the Catholic Card Game?

were focused on what I needed or where I needed to go. Reflecting on the pope’s writings on using other people as a means to an end, I began to see how my relationship—and soon-to-be marriage—with Lisa should be more than just something that would be enjoyable and fun for me. We would soon be one in marriage and would be acting as and for the one, which now would include another person. My own desires may need to be sacrificed for the betterment of us.

Matt: I saw an advertisement for an IT version of “Cards Against Humanity.” It was very niche to IT folks, with jokes only they would understand, and that sparked my thinking: if that niche audience can do this, then we for sure could have our own version of the game for Catholics. It was 4 a.m.—I couldn’t sleep. I wrote 20 ideas on my phone.

Later that day Lisa laughed at some

And when that sacrifice is required, what happens?

Matt: When sacrifices do need to be made, I’ve found that our marriage strengthens from the communication it brings out. At these times in our marriage, it usually is highlighted for 20

and started throwing out ideas. Once we had ideas for questions or answers for 100 cards we thought, “OK, this actually could be a game.” We studied “Cards Against Humanity” and also used “Apples to Apples” for reference and saw that they had 400 cards, so we put in the effort to think up more ideas.

Lisa: Which was not hard.

Matt: Yeah, we just had to go to Mass a few more times.

Lisa: Many of the cards are drawn from real stories. “The sacristan who rules with an iron fist”—that was from my sister’s wedding. “Being in 10 weddings in one year” was something we experienced.

Then, come January 2018, you created a Kickstarter page with the hope of raising $22,000 for your first printing run and you ended up with $29,000, enough to make 800 games. Each contributor was, in essence, putting in a pre-order for the $25 game. You did a second run later in the year, hoping for $45,000 and you raised $67,000. Incredible!

Matt: It was a big leap of faith. I emailed a few people—a friend who was an administrator on a bigger Catholic-memes page—and their posts put it on the map. It spread on social media. Someone said, “Hey, a Catholic product from someone with an actual sense of humor.” It was striking a chord

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with young Catholics, who it was made for. We weren’t trying to pose; we were part of it.

I look at myself as a business owner but also a very present father. We’re choosing to live with less money to have the freedom to both be home for now.

That’s amazing.

Now this is your full-time job, Matt.

Matt: It was always my dream to be self-employed but I never knew how.

Then I lost my job at a non-profit that was running out of money due to Covid.

We’d just had our third baby. We had to go for it.

Is it working?

Matt: We are by no means rolling in the dough. I have friends who are getting promotions and bigger paychecks.

I could do that, but then I would be gone all day. I’m home. I look at myself as a business owner but also a very present father. We’re choosing to live with less money to have the freedom to both be home for now. That’s amazing.

How do you cut costs?

Matt: All our stuff is used.

Lisa: We struggle with it. As my uncle says, “We have champagne taste on a beer budget.” But it seems there is always something that gets handed down.

I went to bring the trash out the other day, and as I was coming up, someone had left a meal with a treat on our doorstep. That kind of stuff happens.

I’m picturing your house as you build this business and raise your family.

Never a dull moment, I’m sure!

Lisa: For a short period of time, we did the shipping from home, and our toddler boys would help pack orders.

We got a message from someone who

received an order asking if we were missing a Samsung remote control.

It turns out one of the boys had put a remote in it!

The expansion packs you create allow people to play the game longer by providing more cards.

Lisa: The one I’m very excited about is the NFP expansion pack.

We decided to take a leap and ask [Catholic writer] Simcha Fisher to [get involved], and she agreed to work with us!

calling the pizza place to order a pizza.

Lisa: Give it your all and trust. We have tried to launch a couple other things, thinking, “Oh, we have an audience, this will go great.” And they flopped. We learned to go deeper, not wider. When we start thinking in terms of dollar bill signs, that’s when we fail. We have to truly enter into it

I appreciate how your game pokes fun at Catholicism in a goodhearted way. Why is it important to take our faith seriously but not ourselves?

Matt: Far greater people have done it before us, like author G.K. Chesterton. There are serious things about the faith that we obviously don’t mock. But we as people, we make terrible mistakes and sometimes silly ones. If you’re taking yourself too seriously, that’s when you fall into a big sin, like pride.

We don’t make fun of the faith, but we as people are fallen and we make silly mistakes, and the funniest stories come from bad happenings.

You trip on the way to Communion. It’s kind of hilarious—here you are, trying to be solemn.

Lisa: It’s good to laugh! The world critiques us enough.

What are your favorite board games?

Lisa: Munchkin. Dominion. Sushi Go! We play a lot of Catan. And social games like The Game of Things—that one’s really fun. Werewolf.

What have you learned from your entrepreneurial experience?

Matt: Even if a challenge is big, like asking for $22,000, make the leap and trust that if it’s meant to happen, it will.

I realized the worst they can do is say no. I used to be deathly afraid of even 21

with a pure intention. When we take our time and ask, “Why are we making this?”—that makes a big difference and that gives us courage.

While you may not be rolling in the dough, your game has had a huge reach—it was played by Bishop Robert Barron; it inspired Halloween costumes.

Matt: The reviews on our website are all 5-stars. We’re hearing amazing things. Making something that people really love is such an encouragement to print it again and add more expansions.

Now our focus is to look at the problem this game is solving. It strengthens friendships and builds communities, especially for a generation that says they’re alone. It brings families and friends together.

Learn more at catholiccardgame.com.

ROAD TRIP THE ACCIDENT changed everything. Not just her body,

but her heart.

At age 4, Mirijam was at her uncle’s farm in their native Germany, hanging out with cousins in the back of the harvester. When it was time to unload the tank, she wanted to see how it worked—and stepped in the wrong place. Mirijam’s leg was pulled underneath the grain through a kind of auger—and ultimately, had to be amputated.

The accident is her earliest memory.

Time did not heal all wounds. The devastating aftermath of the accident never subsided, and as Mirijam matured into a young woman, her soul ached.

“I thought the body was only worthy of love when it was perfect, beautiful and attractive to others,” she said. As she went into her teen years, she struggled more. “My feeling unworthy of love caused an increase of depression, impurity, cutting suicidal tendencies and temptations toward drug and alcohol abuse.”

Still, Mirijam held onto a far-fetched hope that she would somehow, someday recover. “I often dreamt of having a perfect body and soul, but the topic of the resurrection of body and soul wasn’t really a matter of faith in the Protestant family in which I grew up.”

Theology of the Body changed everything. Not just her mind, but her heart. It dispelled the despair that had taken residence there.

First she learned about a new community called the Little Poor Friars and Poor Nuns of Jesus and Mary. She was walking the Way of St. James in Spain when she encountered one of the Poor Friars in a hostel. She felt a pull. They dress and live like St. Francis of Assisi: in poverty, entirely dependent on God’s providence. They 22

GIFT ISSUE 2021

How a hitchhiking nun learned to love herself

by Christina Ries

were founded in 1999 by Friar Volantino, a 25-year-old Sicilian. He told Mirijam that Jesus promises the resurrection of body and soul to those who receive his Body and Blood (John 6:54) and that Jesus himself rose in “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39) with his male body, while Mary was assumed into heaven with her female body (Rev. 12:1).

“No one had ever talked to me about that!” she said. “Now I realized my dream of receiving a perfect body and soul could one day—in holy perseverance—become a reality. This is why I became a Catholic and a Poor Nun. The faith in the resurrection is at the heart of the Catholic faith.”

The disabled German Protestant was now Sister Effata—a Hebrew name that means “be open.” She found a trusty tour guide in Pope John Paul II, who shined a flashlight down dark corridors and confirmed her faith.

“When I read John Paul II’s catechesis on Theology of the Body for the first time, I was amazed by his teaching on Genesis 2:23 where he highlights that man and woman “are

parables from the Gospel and phenomenological examples, or first-hand experiences, as well as his personal witness, in order to bring people to Christ. He wrote in Redemptoris Missio: ‘People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and action than in theories.’ Personally, I share my witness with others quite often, telling them how I found faith in God, how I found faith in the resurrection of the body, how I became Catholic and how I discovered my vocation as a Poor Nun.” If she could turn her life around, so could the person behind the wheel, however lost he or she was.

The morning of her first hitchhike, Sister Effata had a premonition that she would meet someone who had attempted suicide. This was close to her heart, given the suicidal thoughts she’d battled as a teen.

Sure enough, she soon encountered a young woman who had tried to take her life the very day before. During their encounter, she promised she would go back to confession with a priest. Her name was Miriam.

“God works mysteriously,” Sister Effata said. “When we pay attention, we can catch those moments when we can really touch people’s hearts.”

Now 41, Sister Effata is currently based at the motherhouse in Sicily. She recently earned a master’s in theology and has helped edit books for the founder, drawing on her background in media design.

She has spent thousands of days hitchhiking. “People will bring up their most profound struggles. When we enter their car and say, ‘Peace to this car, and peace to all who enter it,’ sometimes people will respond, ‘I need some peace.’ It can happen that quickly. They get emotional or share a struggle.”

In turn, Sister Effata has learned to accept the invitation of strangers to join them for a warm meal and to sleep on the couch. She is open while still cautious of whom she can trust and always travels with other members of her community.

En route to the 2015 March For Life with two friars, Sister Effata struggled one gray, chilly day in North Carolina to get a ride, stopping to pray the Rosary and ask for the sun to come out. She made her way to a gas station, where the cashier offered her a warm drink and the clouds suddenly parted, the sun beaming down.

A young man entered the gas station and became enthralled by the nun. That morning in prayer, he said, God had instructed him to leave his house and follow the sun, which led him to that point. He drove Sister Effata and the friars along their way, housed them in his apartment that night, prayed with them and asked to be baptized.

“There is so much evil in the world, but when we hitchhike, we meet so much goodness,” she said. “You have to dig for it.

You have to make a sacrifice to reach it. It’s why we need to evangelize: to bring forth that good, to make it shine.”

“GIVING MY LIFE TO JESUS, THE DIVINE BRIDEGROOM, I STRIVE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT POINTS TO THE RESURRECTION.” like two ‘incarnations’…like two ways of ‘being a body’ and together they form ‘the man,’ they complete each other,” Sister Effata said, referencing his Nov. 29, 1979 address. “In the end, men will rise from the dead with a male body and women, with a female body.”

Those words are etched on her heart, and her eyes remain fixed on the prize. “Giving my life to Jesus, the divine Bridegroom,” she said, “I strive to live a life that points to the resurrection.”

THE OPEN ROAD Mirijam knew her life would look very different as Sister Effata. Her religious order had a bold mission: to make like the Apostles and spread the Good News. So they stand on highways in their khaki-colored habits—garb that resembles sack cloth—with Bibles on their backs and sandals on their feet and stick out their thumbs.

Evangelization by hitchhiking.

Here was her chance to “be open,” to embrace the open road, to be born of the Spirit, like the wind: “you do not know where it comes from or where it goes (John 3:8).”

“It’s an experience of letting yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit,” Sister Effata said. “It’s amazing to have that freedom, to go in the direction of the highway, stand there and stick out your thumb and wait until someone stops and can give you a ride to the next town.”

Again, Pope St. John Paul II guided her—this time, reminding her how to give a powerful witness.

“John Paul II taught that evangelization is effective only when the message is understood,” Sister Effata said. “He used

Learn more about Sister Effata’s community at poorfriars.org.

24

GIFT ISSUE 2021

Turning Points continued from page 5

wounded soul was expressed in my lawless body. I was like a sad billboard I had seen of a man with a sloppy suit literally drinking in the closet when my lies finally gave way to a reality of addiction, pain and confusion that seemed to nearly smother me alive.

A decade was lost to a horrible disease of the body and soul before being rescued. My pastor shared a homily once about a man who had fallen in a ditch and broken his legs but knew that he was rescued when he heard the helicopter nearing. Still, it would be a long journey yet to healing.

For me, rescue came when God answered my pleas to be freed from this horrible mess. Being healed, though, would come slowly over years of recovery work and most specifically through my discovery of the Theology of the Body (TOB). It has not only healed my broken body and soul but brought life to new places in me that I didn’t even know existed. From relationships, to authentic love, to service, to learning how to be a mutual gift-of-self in marriage and family, I am renewed daily through the teachings of Saint John Paul II and his profound and prophetic teachings.

Perhaps the most consequential teaching of TOB for me, personally, is that the body reveals the soul. A person with a troubled soul will do troubling things to and with their body.

A person with a peaceful soul will do gentle things to and with their body.

I’ll always be grateful for a much-needed example of this when I teetered on the edge of addiction and sobriety. My cousin, who had 20 years of sobriety, carried himself with a quiet yet strong confidence and a serenity I knew was rooted in the sobriety first of his soul and second of his body. I could see this simply by observation before I learned the language of the TOB, which really put words around it. His bodily presence said much more

than “I am physically sober.” It said, rather, “It is well with my soul.” It was exactly this example that led me to reach out to him to start my journey of recovery. And it is what I strive for in living my own example of sobriety today—one of body and soul.

Given up for you

by Forest Barnette

“Usually we give the baby three strikes, then we move on to other ways to get her out.”

The midwife sat on the edge of my hospital bed, choosing her words carefully. “If you want to keep laboring, you can make that choice. She recovered this time. But she’s not tolerating labor well and I can’t promise she’ll make similar recoveries if we give her two more strikes.”

I nodded, trying to clear my head.

Minutes before, I’d been in a very deep sleep (courtesy of 30 hours of labor followed by an epidural) when four nurses practically knocked down my door and began frantically dancing around the delivery room. Their smiles were too cheerful as they encouraged me to change positions so the baby’s heart rate would stabilize. I was confused and disoriented, but it was clear something was quite wrong.

“So you mean we should do a c-section?” I asked.

“It’s up to you. I don’t want you to feel pressured into it, but I also don’t know how many more times baby can recover as well as she just did,” the midwife explained.

I looked to my husband. “Your thoughts?”

He shrugged. “It’s your body.”

I shook my head. “Not anymore.”

The ease with which the response came to my lips and the peace it brought me left me surprised at myself.

25

It’s not that becoming a mother made me less autonomous or less of an individual, but nine months of diet and lifestyle changes to protect and nurture the tiny soul tucked safely under my heart brought home the first lesson of motherhood: my life just isn’t mine anymore. My decisions directly impacted the well-being of one totally dependent on me. My body directly serves another. Everything that was mine is also hers.

My body had become eucharistic.

Throughout pregnancy and especially as I lay cruciform on the operating table, my mind repeated a familiar mantra, taking on new meaning every day: “This is my body, given up for you.”

As I lay next to the toilet fighting morning sickness.

As I turned down champagne at New Year’s.

As I craved the sushi my friends were enjoying.

As the heartburn stole precious hours of sleep.

As the contractions crashed over me.

As the doctors made incisions that could never be undone.

As I held my daughter for the first time.

As I winced in pain at unsuccessful latches.

As I forced myself awake at 3:00 a.m. to pump yet another meal.

This is my body, given up for you.

The body makes visible what is invisible. My body now expresses a fundamental change within me. Or rather, not a change—for I am not now foreign to what I was before—but a maturation.

I’ve become more completely what I was always meant to be. As I empty myself for this tiny, demanding stranger, I become more full than I’ve ever been before. It’s no longer my body and that recognition gives me an agency and a freedom to be more completely myself.

The more I stay self-possessed, the more I’m not my own. I never really existed for my own sake—none of us do—but to be given to others.

TOB

CatholiCasts.com Bulverde, TX 866-333-OFWC • theologyofthebody.net • This family media ministry began in 1993 as Our Father’s Will Communications. We heard about the Theology of the Body and Christopher West in 1999 and recorded our first of hundreds of TOB talks in January of 2000. We have recorded over 100 other speakers (see www.catholicasts. com/speakers). Over 500 of our over 1,500 recordings are now available on our CatholiCasts.com streaming web site. These talks are a powerful and timeless way to come to know St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. We have something for everybody—young and older.

Ministry Directory

Joyful Ever After

Focus: Education, evangelization, marriage, clergy education, how to apply TOB to everyday life

Kennett Square, PA

Population Served: Adults, seniors, singles, married couples, divorced/separated

484-249-0909 • JoyfulEverAfter.org • The mission of Joyful Ever After is to help couples flourish in holy marriages, build strong marriage communities, and enrich parish life with the soul of the family.

Focus: Education, speakers, evangelization, marriage, samesex attraction/gender ideology

GS 24 Community/National Conference for Single Catholics (NCSC)

Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, married couples, divorced/separated

Irving, TX 512-640-9572 • NationalCatholicSingles.com •

Our Mission is to present the truth and beauty of the Catholic Faith as the path to a fulfilled life and authentic happiness. We share valuable resources, create powerful media and build communities to answer the longings of the human heart with the transformative power of the Gospel.

The National Conference for Single Catholics (NCSC) has been bringing single Catholics together from all over the world for formation and fellowship since 2005. The NCSC and GS24 online discussion groups apply St. John Paul II’s message to single life and offer resources for living it fruitfully. They provide tools for building better relationships, as well as the opportunity to connect with and be encouraged by like-minded people seeking to live their faith. We also give presentations to young adults, singles groups and others on fruitful singleness, dating, relationships and related topics.

Focus: Education, evangelization, marriage, books, small group studies, free digital media offerings

Focus: education, speakers, retreats, marriage, conferences, discussion groups and networking

Population Served: Teens/high school, young adult, adults, married couples, divorced/separated

Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, singles, divorced/separated

Ascension Press West Chester, PA 800-376-0520 • AscensionPress.com •

26

GIFT ISSUE 2021

ECHO

Megan Murphy Ministries

Mandeville, LA

Scranton, PA

985-951-2215 • dumboxministries.com •

205-478-1837 • meganmurphyministries.com •

Founded in 2010 by Dumb Ox Ministries, this outreach has been offered nationally and internationally as a communal, integrating experience of the Theology of the Body for teens, young adults and married couples, now being offered in communion with Chastity Project. Weekend (“ECHO Mini”) and full week options available. With a blend of talks, prayer, sacraments, music, art, sports, dance, discussion, freedom, joy and surprises, this is a retreat like no other!

Megan is engaging audiences of all ages in the New Evangelization. At various events for youth and adults, married and single, women and men, Megan presents the Gospel in a way that engages her audiences and challenges them to live for Christ and His Church. Megan’s love for the Holy Trinity, our Blessed Mother, and the saints is communicated vividly through her passionate presentations. Megan will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as she shares, with humor and candor, her conversion story, her vast knowledge of TOB, and the lessons she has learned in her own pursuit of holiness

Focus: Speakers, retreats, evangelization, camps/outdoor adventure, marriage

Focus: Education, speakers, retreats, evangelization, marriage conferences, discussion groups, networking

Population Served: Teen/high school age, young adults, singles, married couples, divorced/separated

Population Served: Elementary/middle school, teen/high school age, young adults, adults, married couples

KATRINA ZENO Family Renewal Project

Theology of the Body for Everyone!

Lousiville, KY

Scottsdale, AZ

502-303-1996 • familyrenewalproject.com •

480-720-5715 • katrinazeno.com •

Our mission is to restore the family and renew the culture.

FRP provides programs, events, prayer, and support for families, teens, college students, young adults, older single or married couples and lifelong learners; as well as support of TOB as a K–8th teaching standard in the ArchLou schools. Our psychological servies center—Good Shepherd Institute of the Bluegrass—provides professional mental health services integrating the best science with the Catholic-Christian understanding of the human person.

“TOB for Everyone!” provides formation in St. John Paul II’s robust Trinitarian and sacramental anthropology at every level of catechesis and formation—from a basic introduction (waterskiing) to a deep dive (scuba diving). With 24 years of experience in teaching and forming Catholic educators, parents, catechists, clergy, singles, young adults, and senior citizens in TOB, Katrina Zeno brings a wealth of experience to her speaking, workshops, formation programs, and TOB speaker training. She also consults for TOB ministries and for schools, organizations, and dioceses desiring to better integrate TOB into their leadership and mission.

Focus: Education, counseling/therapy, evangelization, marriage, resourcing Population Served: Teen/high school age, young adults, adults, married couples, clergy

Focus: Education, speaker, same-sex attraction/gender identity, clergy, ongoing formation for teachers, catechists, and clergy, TOB consulting for a TOB vision in schools, organizations and parishes Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, singles, married couples, clergy, seminarians 27

Chastity Project

Rose Sweet

Scottsdale, AZ

Palm Desert, CA

chastity.com •

rosesweet.com •

Over the past twenty years, Jason and Crystalina Evert have spoken to more than one million people on six continents about the virtue of chastity. Their ministry, Chastity Project, promotes God’s plan for human sexuality through low-cost resource distribution, media appearances, seminars and social media.

Every broken relationship reveals the deepest ache of the heart…and the need for Theology of the Body. In her pioneering work with the divorced for over 30 years, Rose Sweet has identified practical ways of incorporating TOB’s powerful principles into all relationships. She’s beautifully correlated TOB with Catholic teachings on marriage, divorce, and annulment and each of her books on relationship strengthening and healing introduces TOB in a way that inspires the reader. In her talks, Rose shares deeper insights into the magnificent mysteries of the spousal analogy, bringing TOB’s timeless truths into the every-day.

Focus: Education, speakers, retreats, evangelization, marriage, same sex attraction/gender identity, clergy education Population Served: Elementary/middle school, Teen/high school age, young adults, adults, singles

Focus: Speakers, retreats, counseling/therapy, divorce and annulment Population Served: Adults, seniors, singles, divorced/ separated, clergy

Freedom Coaching

TOBET (Theology of the Body Evangelization Team)

San Antonio, TX

Irving, TX

216-346-9765 • freedom-coaching.net •

972-591-1035 • tobet.org • St. John Paul II created the Theology of the Body to offer an “adequate anthropology”—examining what it means to be human, made in God’s image and likeness, and how that reality is visible in our bodies. TOBET shares this life-affirming message with others through educational resources: books, programs, talks, and seminars for hope and healing to a culture in need. TOBET’s Episcopal Advisory Board supported the creation of an original, age-appropriate program for Pre-School to 8th-grade children to protect them from negative influences and help them see the wonder of being made in God’s image.

Freedom Coaching is a one-to-one mentoring system designed to break permanently the attraction to pornified images in both men and women.

Focus: Education, speakers, retreats, counseling/therapy, freedom from pornography, identity formation Population Served: Teen/high school age, young adults, adults, married couples, clergy

Focus: Education, speaker, evangelization, marriage, christian anthropology Population Served: Pre-school age, elementary/middle school age, teen/high school age, young adults, adults 28

GIFT ISSUE 2021

Eden Invitation Milwaukee, WI

CatholicCounselors.com

414-502-9029 • edeninvitation.com •

Steubenville, OH

As culture shifts, Eden Invitation believes the Church must be there to meet it. We’re a movement for young adult Catholics experiencing same-sex desires or gender discordance, seeking to follow Christ in His Church. Through in-person events and online community, Eden Invitation creates space to receive the whole person, grow systems of mutual support and empower for creative discipleship.

866-724-1196 • catholiccounselors.com • Catholic counseling services by phone and video-conference for individuals, couples, and families. Our counselors are faithful, fully-licensed and ready to help you lead a more abundant life.

Focus: Education, speaker, retreats, camps/outdoor adventure, same sex attraction/gender identity

Focus: Speakers, counseling/therapy, marriage, same sex attraction/gender identity, clergy education

Population Served: Young adults, adults, singles, married couples, divorced/separated, religious, clergy, seminarians

Population Served: Teen/high school age, young adults, adults, married couples, divorced/separated

Courage International

CatholicPsych Institute

Trumbull, CT

Stamford, CT

203-803-1564 • couragerc.org •

catholicpsych.com •

Founded in 1980, Courage provides pastoral care in local chapters to men and women who experience same-sex attractions and desire to live a chaste live. Through EnCourage chapters, we care for parents, siblings and others whose loved ones identify as LGBT.

The CatholicPsych Institute seeks to provide services and resources based on the integration of faithful Catholic anthropology with sound psychological science to help people become who God created them to be.

Focus: Counseling/therapy, marriage

Focus: Education, speaker, retreats, same-sex attraction/ gender identity, clergy education

Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, singles, married couples, divorced/separated, religious, clergy, seminarians

Population Served: Young adults, adults, regligious, clergy, seminarians

29

Into the Deep Minneapolis, MN

Ruah Woods Press

612-518-5490 • idretreats.org •

Cincinnati, OH

Jen Messing has been teaching both youth and adults how to understand and apply the Theology of the Body since 2002; she founded Into the Deep in 2012 to formally speak, teach, and lead camping retreats around the country. Infusing everyday life and outdoor adventures with theology of the body insight is at the core of Jen’s passion and Into the Deep’s mission.

513-407-8672 • ruahwoodspress.com • Ruah Woods Press has developed awe-inspiring literature-based Theology of the Body curriculum for grades K–5.

Catholic schools, parish programs and home school families are able to bring TOB to life with our programs developed for each learning environment. Grade 6–8 is a three-year cycle that builds on the foundation of earlier grades and prepares the student for concepts and themes presented in the high school curricula. Called to Be More high school curriculum works flawlessly online or offline. It is a versatile complement to any teaching style.

Focus: Education, speaker, retreats, camps/outdoor adventure, marriage; we lead study groups (for lay people) of John Paul II’s texts Population Served: Elementary/middle school age, teen/high school age, young adults, adults, singles, married couples

Focus: Education, evangelization Population Served: Preschool, elementary/middle school, teen/high school

Theology of the Body Institute Quarryville, PA tobinstitute.org •

Ruah Woods Psychological Services

Theology of the Body Institute is dedicated to making the profound riches of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body accessible and applicable in the lives of men and women around the world through an array of outreach and educational offerings, including in-person and online weeklong courses and live events, books & other resources, and a robust social media presence. Through our many offerings, TOB Institute desires to reach men and women in every state of life with a hopeful, liberating vision of human identity that appeals to the deepest yearnings of the heart for love and union.

Cincinnati, OH 513-407-8878 • www.rwpsych.org The mission of Ruah Woods Psychological Services is to develop and provide services that integrate the best of psychological science and the truths of the Catholic faith— empowering men and women to more fully embrace and live out their vocation to love according to God’s plan.

Focus: Counseling/therapy, marriage Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, singles, married couples, divorced/separated, religious, clergy, seminarians

Focus: Education, speakers, retreats, evangelization, clergy education Population Served: Young adults, adults, seniors, singles, married couples, divorced/separated, religious, clergy, seminarians 30

Who am I? How am I supposed to live?

What will make me happy?

Embodied delivers real answers to life’s Really Big Questions.

CR E ATED in the image and likeness of God, we were created to love as He loves, to be a visible sign in Creation of the Creator.

EM BODI ED tells the stories of those who are living this so readers are reminded who they are and inspired to grow in living from a place of love.

EM BODI ED ...the only magazine to explore all facets of life through the lens of the Theology of the Body.

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“G

d

comes to us… …in the things we know best and can verify most easily, the things of our everyday life, apart from which we cannot understand ourselves.”

St. John Paul II Fides et Ratio (Encyclical Letter on Faith and Reason)