The dean of St Mary’s Cathedral and parish priest of All Saint’s Liverpool want you to pop 20 or 21 January into your diary and book your spot for an evening of beauty, inspiration and reflection on what it means to be human.
Fr Don Richardson is looking forward to welcoming people of all ages to the cathedral hall on the evening of Friday 20 January, and Fr Paul Monkerud to All Saints’ parish hall the following night.
Each evening will begin with live entertainment and food trucks on site from 6pm, with the Made for More live presentation beginning at 7pm by Dr Christopher West, Mike Mangione and Jason Clark who will be visiting from the US-based Theology of the Body Institute as part of a tour of Sydney and Melbourne.
The three dynamic presenters will weave music, media, sacred art and reflections to inspire a faith-filled vision of hope and instil in each person present the wonder and joy of being alive.
Dr West is a world-renowned expert in St Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, as well as the founder and president of the Theology of the Body Institute. This week he recorded a special video message to Australian audiences in advance of his tour (see above).
Referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the trailer for Made for More, he tells his audience there can be no orientation in our lives if we do not know who we are as persons and where we are going.
“God, the author of Genesis, is not a scientist, he’s a lover, and there’s a crisis of love in the modern world,” he says. “We don’t know in the modern world what a person is anymore. We need to look at our bodies poetically, from the perspective of the divine Poet who wrote the poem that is called humanity…”
“This is an opportunity for Sydney Catholics to deepen their understanding of themselves and of God, to understand their humanity in all of its beauty and integrity, and to be given some tools to navigate our culture in a positive way,” Fr Richardson said.
Fr Monkerud said that the saint’s Theology of the Body’s “vision of the human person, which integrates the physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements of human nature and sexuality on the basis of the Scriptural revelation that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26, 27), provides an important critique of purely humanistic and individualistic notions that pervade contemporary society.
“I hope that the event will inspire participants, especially those who are married, preparing for marriage or in established relationships, to explore this vision of the human person further at the local level.”
Tickets for Made for More cost $25 for general admission, $10 for student or concession holders.
Children 10 years and under enter for free, with adult supervision required for all those under 18 years.
Purchase tickets at www.sydneycatholic.org/TOB/