Called To be More

“I have reviewed the high school curriculum entitled ‘Called to be More’ and I am pleased to join with other bishops who have conveyed their support for this Theology of the Body resource.  Thank you for creating an engaging curriculum for high school students that conveys so well the Church’s teaching on human sexuality.”

Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz
Archbishop of Louisville

High School religion teachers are tasked with the awesome and challenging call to teach the Person of Jesus Christ. As a freshman religion teacher, I hope to teach the truths of the faith in such a way that my students begin to cultivate and grow in a sense of wonder of the amazing love God has for all of humanity and for them specifically. This supplemental Theology of the Body curriculum, which seeks to do just that by addressing “the heart of the tragedy experienced by modern man,” will be an excellent complementary resource to the USCCB’s curriculum framework. I am thrilled to utilize the “Called to Be More” supplements in the classroom as it will inspire a more holistic approach to teaching the beauty and fullness of the faith.

Emily Haley
Religion Teacher at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, KY

So often in today’s culture, we encounter individuals and ideologies which are confused about the nature of the person and which are at odds with the teaching of the Church about who we are and who we are made to be. As parents, we sometimes cringe thinking about the challenges our children will face in navigating such a wounded world. St. John Paul II experienced this “cringe” as well and knew that it was essential to lay out an “adequate anthropology” which would make it easier to answer the challenges of the modern world. Thus, Theology of the Body was born. Ruah Woods has done an enormous service for the Church in making accessible to our students this crucial teaching on the human person. In presenting a model which naturally integrates into existing curricula, teachers and schools are spared the difficult task of where to fit a whole independent course and because the “method is the message” has shown that John Paul’s important work touches on all areas of the Church’s life and ministry. We will be reaping the benefits of imparting this message to our high school students for decades.

Richard Budd
Director of Marriage and Family Life Ministry for the Diocese of Lansing

Emily Macke beautifully captures the essence of Pope Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body in this curriculum that can be seamlessly integrated into the classroom. I have often struggled with how to apply what I learned at the John Paul II Institute and make it accessible and relevant to my students. These lesson plans didn’t just “fit” into my teaching, they illuminated the depth and richness of the faith assisting in the transformation of the classroom from a place of mere academic learning to a place of real formation of the person. This curriculum can help teachers and students alike ask the important questions and slowly uncover the answers as they encounter the vastness of the Father’s incredible loving plan for each of us.

Shaina Pia
Religion Teacher at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, CT

Having attended Catholic schools from second grade through high school, I never encountered a religion class curriculum as relevant to the life of a student as this.  Called to be More will help students and teachers alike to recognize that St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is more than just a series of chastity talks, but an intimate study of the human person who was made by Love for love: When students begin to learn and internalize that their identity does not come from their gender, grades or athletic ability, but comes from being made in the image and likeness of God, they’ll begin to ask for themselves where they belong in God’s plan for the world.  And then they’ll change the world.

Anna Mitchell
Producer and Co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show Sacred Heart Radio / EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network

More than thirty years have passed since St. John Paul II’s clarion call for a three-dimensional New Evangelization. He famously envisioned the fullness of Catholic faith transmitted in a ‘New Pentecost’ marked by ‘new ardor, new methods, and new expressions.’ We have been blessed with the first and third dimensions of the New Evangelization, but until now have wandered in a methodological desert.  To date there are only a handful of Theology of the Body resources that articulate and organize St. John Paul’s revolutionary insights into truly catechetical forms. I predict that Emily Macke’s astonishingly beautiful Called to be More will soon be counted among them.

Fr. Thomas Wray
Director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Called to be More is a robust and very thorough curriculum resource for reaching students and their families in a profound way. Throughout the material teachers, students and parents will be refreshed by its attention to detail, struck by its joyful proclamation of the Gospel and edified by learning universal truths that set the human heart free to love for a lifetime – and into eternity!

Carlos Tejeda
Director of the Office for Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois

As a supplement to pursue various TOB-related objectives, Called to Be More is a solid resource from folks who’ve been on the cutting edge of helping teens understand our Catholic vision of love, relationships and what it means to be created in the image of God. For occasional use on topics ranging from Sacraments and Morality through Vocations and Catholic Social Teaching, I recommend that high school catechists and parish youth ministers take a look at Called to Be More as a helpful tool for authentic, pastoral catechesis.

Ken Ogorek
Director of Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis

It’s a joy to see Called to be More now available to the public! This curriculum helps humanity rediscover its greatness through an ‘adequate anthropology’ centered in Jesus. Through a blend of testimonies, stories of saints, movie clips, and more, this curriculum helps the youth discover their vocation to love, following after Christ’s own example. This is exactly what we need in our culture today. As a Vocation Director, I see the importance of this education of the Theology of the Body as foundational for a young man or woman to hear and respond joyfully to a call to consecrated life, priesthood, and marriage. If we want to build a culture of vocations, it starts here!

Dawn Hausmann
Director of Consecrated Vocations for the Diocese of Lansing

Through their life-transforming retreats, classes, curricula, and other programs, Ruah Woods has become a tremendous resource for the Church today–for people of all ages. If you’re looking to discover the beauty of God’s plan for human love and the richness of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, get involved in their work today!

Jason Evert
Chastity speaker and author