Respect Life leaders in South Jersey are working to foster in young people a more God-centered mentality toward love, marriage and sex.
And they are hoping the “Building a Culture of Life” workshop May 13 in Linwood will be a positive step in that direction.
“[It’s important to] support parents in preparing children with God’s truth about what is real love. It is critical to get this message to the kids, to spread the word. … When kids know the truth, they are better prepared to deal with it,” said Maureen Masters, a member of the Saint Damien Parish, Ocean City, pro-life ministry.
“Right now, parents are beside themselves with the sexual education standards imposed on public schools of the state. What the children learn in class is age inappropriate. Parents are getting very upset,” she said.
The presentation at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, slated from noon to 3 p.m., is geared toward parents, religious educators, clergy and Respect Life ministries. Those in attendance will be introduced to the LIFENET program, teachers of which make age-appropriate presentations to schools, youth groups, churches, civic organizations, etc., on topics such as chastity, abortion and stem cell research.
The audience will see how these programs teach on authentic love and respect for life via speeches, skits, conversation and instruction – presented exactly as it is in the schools and churches that host the trained speakers from the LIFENET NJ South Jersey Outreach.
LIFENET, a nonprofit organization, uses scriptural readings to teach on true love and sexual purity as well as science to educate on bio-ethical issues and human sexuality.
“The more I am involved, the more I realize that the education piece is so important,” said Ethel Hermenau, LIFENET South Jersey project director. “We must reach our children before they have sex. We must teach them the truth of God’s word and help them with peer pressure and attacks from social media and television. They are getting hit from all sides.”
The “Authentic Love and Chastity” presentation is designed to acquaint teenagers and young adults with God’s plan for love, marriage and sex based upon scriptural teaching. The 75-minute program teaches how living a life of sexual purity can lead to loving authentically; though it may require struggle, it will lead to ultimate happiness. The presentation provides young people with strategies to stay pure and tools to resist peer pressure; it is filled with interactive demonstrations and real-life stories of people who were happy they made a decision to embrace sexual purity.
In addition to Hermenau, trained speakers (all of whom are in their 20s) are Therese De Poortere, who holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Seton Hall University, South Orange; JanCarlos Camacho, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stockton University, Galloway; and Kiernan Morris, a safety specialist in the U.S. Marines.
Hermenau, a member of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Absecon, noted, “For too long, we sat idle while our institutions, unbeknownst to many of us, were teaching our children ideology. … We now have a generation of extremely confused children that are adults. … They have no idea who they are in the sight of God and how valuable they are to God.”
Parents and educators from throughout the state profess the value of such presentations. After a recent workshop, Lois Dark, coordinator of the Saint Simon Stock Parish, Berlin, respect for life ministry, asserted the speaker was “outstanding.”
She added, “His experience was clearly evident, as he could engage a particularly challenging age group on a particularly challenging subject! I thank God these kids could hear the truth about chastity and not what is being taught in the secular world today!”
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish is located at 724 Maple Ave., Linwood. Lunch will be served before the presentation. To register, email UnitedForLife@comcast.net, or call Maureen Masters at 978-239-2285 or Melanie Stubee at 609-665-9161.
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