CT/EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

Ruah Woods, a new educational, counseling and retreat center, will offer programs on Pope John Paull II’s Theology of the Body beginning in January.

Local ‘Ruah Woods’ to offer Theology of the Body programs

By Eileen Connelly, OSU

ARCHDIOCESE — In a peaceful, wooded setting there is a place in the archdiocese for the development of individual and family values to be nurtured and spiritual growth supported.

Ruah Woods, a new educational, counseling and retreat center opening this month, is situated on a six-acre tract of land at the intersection of Rybolt and Wessalman roads in Green Township.

" ‘Ruah’ is the Hebrew Word for spirit, wind, the Holy Spirit," explained Tony Maas, one of several area businessmen who have formed Pentecost Properties, a non-profit organization that is helping to finance and operate the new center.

The core curriculum of the programs offered at Ruah Woods will be the Catholic Church’s Theology of the Body, which refers to a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984. The addresses were later compiled and published as a single work, The Theology of the Body According to John Paul II.

The Theology of the Body talks covered such topics as the bodily dimension of the human person, the nature of human sexuality, the human need for communion and the nature of marriage.

"The talks are an incredibly inspiring biblical reflection on the meaning of the human body and human sexuality, marriage and the single life and human relationships," said Maas, a member of Our Lady of Visitation Parish. "They are absolutely timeless and invaluable as individuals and couples are bombarded by the trivialized versions of human sexuality."

Ruah Woods is adapting the Theology of the Body curriculum to offer courses for specific audiences, said Leslie Kuhlman, executive director. For example, presentations and materials will be available for teenagers, single individuals, married couples and clergy. Based on the late pontiff’s teaching and presented by speaker and author Christopher West, the Theology of the Body courses will lay the foundation for those who desire to incorporate its message into their daily lives.

Facilitated by Theology of the Body experts, each course is presented using a DVD, leader’s guide and student workbooks. The cost for each class is minimal and scholarships are available.

One of the courses planned for the winter of 2009 is Introduction to Theology of the Body, scheduled for Tuesday mornings, Jan. 6-Feb. 24, 9:30-11 a.m., and Thursday evenings, Jan. 8-Feb. 26, 7-9 p.m. Also offered will be Theology of the Body for Teens, scheduled for Tuesday evenings, Jan. 6-March 3, 7-9 p.m., geared toward young people ages 14 and older.

In addition, Ruah Woods will hold a marriage preparation program, "God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage," March 6-7. Also planned is a deeper 16-part study of Theology of the Body that will meet twice monthly from September to May.

"Our hope is that we will attract parish leaders, such as DREs and youth group directors, teachers and parents and get them so fired up that they’ll want to learn more, then go to their own places of influence and teach Theology of the Body there," Kuhlman said.

"It’s so exciting to be able to offer this" she added. "Theology of the Body provides the answers to why the church teaches what it does regarding human sexuality. It’s not just a bunch of arbitrary rules designed to take away our fun and make us miserable. It espouses God’s loving boundaries for us and his wish for our happiness."

Local Catholics were introduced to Theology of the Body in 2004 when several parishes throughout the archdiocese hosted West. Last month Kuhlman gave two presentations on Theology of the Body to employees at the central offices of the archdiocese. According to Father Joseph Binzer, chancellor, "Catholics are encouraged to learn of the teaching of Pope John Paul II on Theology of the Body because it is a teaching about life and God’s free and total love for every person, man and woman, young and old, married and unmarried. Our lives are a great blessing because God created all of us in his image and likeness."

"Each day, we have the wonderful opportunity to praise God by the decisions we make and by the lives we lead. The teaching of Pope John Paul on the Theology of the Body can help us become the people God created us to be.

Father James Reutter, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Cincinnati, believes the programs offered at Ruah Woods have much to offer Catholics. Theology of the Body "is a real-word theology," he said. "It’s a way for people to understand God’s love for them and the significance of marriage and family relations. Couples can learn how to live marriage according to God’s plan, finding personal fulfillment as well as giving glory to God. For young people, who soak up the messages of our culture that treat sexuality as something kind of trivial, the impact of Pope John Paul’s teachings reflects the sacredness stamped into us, that sexuality is something to be shepherded and cherished."

Looking ahead, Kuhlman said Ruah Woods will host various local and national Christian/Catholic speakers and events, primarily focused on topics related to marriage and family, chastity and abstinence. The center will also be working to network with like-minded ministries and organizations and will provide meeting space for those groups when possible. The facilities at Ruah Woods, which are wheelchair accessible, include a counseling room, resource library, discussion and meeting space, a large enclosed room complete with a fireplace, kitchen and front and rear decks. Outside, the property is flanked by a creek and surrounded by a walking path that will feature the Stations of the Cross. There is also a clubhouse with the space for teen groups to meet. Overnight facilities are not available.

"Ruah Woods has developed into contemplative place where people be can feel comfortable, a place where they can learn and come back to," Kulhman said.

For more information about Ruah Woods, specific classes that will be offered in 2009 and to register, visit www.RuahWoods.org, or call 513-407-8672.