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Welcome to
The John Paul II Resource Center

for Theology of the Body and Culture

Coordinator, Katrina J. Zeno

(602) 354-2179

kzeno@diocesephoenix.org

 

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John Paul II Resource Center Mission Statement

The John Paul II Resource Center for Theology of the Body and Culture was founded in the Diocese of Phoenix by Bishop Thomas Olmsted in 2006. The Resource Center's mission is to honor Pope John Paul II and to promulgate his “theology of the body” along with his reflections on culture, life issues, and human dignity in an enthusiastic and approachable way in order to transform lives and renew culture.

Resource Center Goals

  1. To promote a contemporary Catholic understanding of the nature and meaning of human life as made in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God.

    To provide education to local parishes and organizations on the theology of the body and its various applications through talks, workshops, and courses.

    To provide training in theology of the body and its catechetical applications to youth and young adult ministers, religious educators, teachers, DREs, marriage prep presenters, NFP teachers, deacons, priests, religious, and family life ministers.

    To serve as a resource/consultant for organizations and parishes desiring to integrate theology of the body into their already established programs.

  2. To provide cultural events within the Diocese of Phoenix to foster John Paul II’s vision of communio personarum (a community of persons).

What the Resource Center provides within
the Diocese of Phoenix

  1. 3 levels of education on the theology of the body:
    • Water skiing – A one-hour talk that “skims” the surface of John Paul II’s 129 Wednesday audiences.

      Snorkeling – Two or three talks that go a little deeper into John Paul II’s thought by focusing on a specific topic (chastity formation, marriage, the single life, dating, modesty, the dignity of women, Mary, the Eucharist, current moral issues, natural family planning, etc.).

    • Scuba diving – Four to seven talks that penetrate deeply into John Paul II’s thought (not for the faint at heart!). The goal is to help participants transition from hearing about John Paul II’s writings to engaging the text of his writings for themselves.

2. Consulting for parish or organizational programs that desire to integrate theology of the body into their program content/presentations (i.e., LifeTeen, confirmation, marriage preparation, etc.)

3.  Assistance in answering your questions regarding the theology of the body.

Talks and Retreats Available  

The John Paul II Resource Center is pleased to offer the following one-hour talks available to parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix. Because the Resource Center is privately funded and not supported by the CDA (other than paying for our cubicle space at the pastoral center), we would gratefully appreciate a donation by the sponsoring organization to the Resource Center in order to continue our educational work within the diocese. We also request the opportunity to introduce talk participants to the work of the Resource Center and invite them to make a financial gift to the Resource Center. If the talk location is a significant distance from central Phoenix, reimbursement for gas would be greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Diocese of Phoenix. For a more detailed description of the talks, please visit Katrina's personal web site at www.wttm.org.

 

One-Hour talks: RECOMMENDED STIPEND OF $200 per talk for parishes and diocesan organizations.

  • Waterskiing with John Paul II: Skimming the Surface of Theology of the Body
  • Theology of the Body and Contemporary Moral Issues
  • Theology of the Body for Seniors (i.e., Senior Citizens)
  • Theology of the Body and Charismatic Renewal: What’s the Spirit Got to Do With It? (2 talks)
  • Mary and Theology of the Body
  • Living the Eucharistic Pattern
  • The Mystery of Woman: A Garden Enclosed
  • The New Feminism/The Genius of Woman/The Role of Women in the Third Millennium
  • Feminine, Single, and In Love With Life (for single women)
  • Be a Woman! Be a Leader! (high school or college girls)
  • Sacred Beauty (on modesty)
  • First a Daughter, Then a Bride (Katrina’s personal testimony)
  • The Gift of Woman (ideal for talk and dessert night for women of all ages)
  • Women Priests: Why Not?
  • The Splendor of Man
  • Marriage: The Great Mystery (marriage enrichment)
  • The Sacramentality of Marriage (marriage prep/enrichment)
  • When the Script of Life Changes (can be adapted for Advent or Lent)
  • The Way of the Cross (ideal for Lent or Palm Sunday)
  • Chastity Formation for Teens (for parents; this talk complements the dating talk for teens below)
  • St. Edith Stein: Hope and Promise for Our Time
  • A New Way to Be Single (for singles)
  • Dating, Romance, and God: Recipe for Disaster or Success? (for high school or college)
  • Body Language (for ages 12+)
  • The Mirror (for middle school)
  • Chaste Me to the Altar: Life After Abstinence (for high school or college)
  • Passing on the Faith - Basketball Style (good for all ages including grade school)
  • Teaching Children to Pray the Mass (for parents)
  • Three to Tango (talk on the spirituality of Argentine tango followed by a free tango lesson)
  • Talks for RCIA:

    • Imaging the Trinity (30 minutes)
    • The Sacraments (30 minutes)
    • In the Middle: Sin and Redemption (40 minutes)
    • The Sacramentality of Marriage (55 minutes)

 

Due to the time and commitment involved in a one-day retreat, the following are offered for a stipend of $500. A speaking contract will be sent to the sponsoring parish/organizsation and the date will be secured once a nonrefundable deposit of $250 is received.

  • In the Divine Image: Theology of the Body for Everyday Life and Ministry (6-7 talks)
  • Every Woman’s Journey (4 talks for women)
  • Marriage and the Eucharist: The Two Become One Body (4 talks for married couples):
  • Going Deeper Into Prayer and the Eucharist (3 talks)
  • A New Look at Marriage, Sex, and the Eucharist (3 talks)
  • The ABCs of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (3 talks)
  • Mary and the Eucharistic Life (3 talks)
  • The Single Life: Mistake or Mission? (4 talks for singles)
  • Evangelizing the Culture (4 talks)
  • Turning the Titanic: Raising Sexually Healthy Children in a Cultural Storm (3 talks for parents, teachers, etc.)
  • The Role of Women in the Church and Society (4 talks):
  • A New Way to Be Human (3 talks for college age or singles on the Theology of the Body)

 About Katrina J. Zeno, Resource Center coordinator: Born and raised in San Diego, California,  
  Katrina earned her BA in theology (summa cum laude) from Franciscan University of Steubenville
  (Ohio) in 1986, where she remained as a publications writer for ten years in their public relations
  department. In 1996, Katrina co-founded Women of the Third Millennium (www.wttm.org) with Zoe
  Romanowsky-St. Paul to promote the dignity, vocation, and mission of women and men through talks,
  retreats, and articles. Through this active speaking ministry, Katrina developed presentations on theology of the body for single people, married couples, parents, women, men, confirmation candidates, college students, NFP teachers, marriage prep ministers, and general audiences. She has spoken throughout the USA and in Switzerland, Austria, England, Canada, Guatemala, and Trinidad at parishes, retreat centers, and national conferences.

 

Katrina is the author of Discovering the Feminine Genius: Every Woman’s Journey (2010, Pauline Books and Media), The Body Reveals God: A Guided Study of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body (2008), When Life Doesn't Go Your Way (2009; Word Among Us Press), a contributor to Freedom: 12 Lives Transformed by Theology of the Body (2009; Ascension Press) and the creator of an 18-lesson confirmation curriculum based on the theology of the body. She served as the co-host of a 13-part series on EWTN on the “Theology of the Body” (www.ewtn.org) as well as the host of a 13-part series on the “The Genius of Women” and the sole presenter for a 13-part series on "Theology of the Body Scuba Dive " for Catholic Familyland Television Network (www.familyland.org) . Katrina is a well-published freelance writer with her articles appearing in Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Parent, New Covenant magazine, CRISIS magazine, Catholic Faith and Family, Pentecost Today, The Catholic Home Educator, and Franciscan Way. She is a contributing author to Amazing Grace for Women (2005), The Great Life: Essays on Doctrine and Holiness (2006), and Freedom: 12 Lives Transformed by Theology of the Body (2009).  

Katrina brings a dynamic and personal dimension to her speaking. Her knack for breaking complicated concepts into digestible units results in a clear and systematic teaching approach. As the Resource Center’s principal educator, Katrina is responsible for developing and teaching all levels of theology of the body and its application to diverse settings as well as training others to do the same. When Katrina isn’t reading theology of the body or on the road, she enjoys dancing Argentine tango, studying Spanish, visiting San Diego, hiking, body surfing, and visiting with her young-adult son, Michael.

 

2010 in Review

2010 was quite a year for the JP2 Resource Center! I presented over 90 talks throughout the diocese for ages 10 on up. One highlight was speaking to over 200 people at Holy Cross Parish’s annual pro-life dinner. My keynote presentation, “Heavenly Pro-Life: Our Ultimate Destiny and Why it Matters,” drew from John Paul II’s writings on the resurrection of the body and our ultimate destiny to live eternal virginity. That got their attention! We often forget that the soul and body have an eternal relationship that endows our bodies with a dignity way beyond anything this world could offer – and it should inspire us to be not only “pro-life,” but “pro-body” as well. A few other highlights from 2010 included:

  • Emceeing our third annual St. Philomena mother-daughter retreat for 120 mothers and their girls ages 11-14, including attendees from California and Texas.
  • Speaking at Ss. Simon and Jude and St. Timothy/St. Mary teacher in-service programs to
    inspire and equip every teacher to be a chastity educator at an age-appropriate level in his or her classroom.
  • Reaching out to our Northern Deanery by offering a series of talks for women, teens, and RCIA at San  Francisco de Asis in Flagstaff in February 2010 along with a one-day woman’s retreat in the Fall of 2010.
  • Continuing to speak on the “Sacramentality of Marriage” at the diocesan marriage prep program. As part of my presentation, I have the privilege of inviting couples to separate if they are living together and to stop having marital relations. For the first time in 5 years, instead of getting “dagger looks,” this in October 2010 the couples actually seemed receptive. I attribute this to our new marriage prep policy that requires couples to attend “God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage” along with the full NFP course. Thank you Bishop Olmsted!
  • Offering, for the first time, an in-depth theology of the body workshop in Spanish, which was attended by 50 participants from a variety of parishes. Participants were thrilled and thankful to receive this teaching in their native tongue and are enthusiastic about taking it back to their parishes and ministries.

 

3rd Annual Celebration of Heroic Love and Life, January 29, 2011

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! The third annual Celebration of Heroic Love and Life on Saturday, January 29, was inspiring and entertaining, and a good reminder of the life-changing impact of theology of the body for all ages.

    Jeremy and Sarah Stanbary performed another outstanding drama through The Vitae Monologues and reminded us of the harmful misinformation and even lies presented to women (and men) when they are told that abortion is a safe, painless, and easy solution. Bishop Olmsted emphasized the significance of Pope John Paul II's beautification on May 1, 2011, and Fr. Will Schmid shared his own conversion story and call to the priesthood through theology of the body.

    The wonderful crowd of 350 participants responded generously to the invitation to support the ongoing legacy of John Paul II in our diocese through pledges and donations totaling almost $40,000 for the next year. Our "Core 175" donor base expanded to include 73 faithful benefactors who support the Resource Center on a monthly basis.

    And, we announced plans for our 4th annual Celebration of Heroic Love and Life on January 28, 2012. International speaker and author GEORGE WEIGEL, who wrote the extensive biography on Pope John Paul II entitled "Witness to Hope," will join us for what promises to be an outstanding evening of fellowship, inspiration, and gratitude for the legacy of Pope John Paul II in our diocese and the world. Look for more details coming soon!

 

copyright 2006-2007 Diocese of Phoenix.