8/21/2022

This is Safe Haven Sunday. The title refers to our attempt to make St. Gregory and the homes of our parishioners a “Safe Haven” from pornography and sexual exploitation which is everywhere in our society, especially on the internet. As you may recall, Safe Haven Sunday comes from the document, “Create in Me a Clean Heart” by the U.S. Bishops. One thing that they say therein is this: “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has negative effects throughout a family’s life and across generations.” Our theme this year is “Equipping the Family: Having Critical Conversations.”
So one of the first questions one may ask is this: What should the conversation look like when a parent discovers his or her child or teenager has been looking at pornography? We have a resource that discusses that very situation. It is called: “Confident: Helping Parents Navigate Online Exposure” by Covenant Eye. If you want a copy, you may sign up in the back of the church and we will order a bunch of these books. This does not imply that you are a bad parent. On the contrary, it implies that you are aware of the pitfalls of living in our culture and the kinds of conversations you probably will have to have with your children as they grow up in this culture. You may recall that recently we handed out a booklet called “Equipped.” It was about how to put up walls between your children and sexual exploitation. The key in all of these matters is that parents are bonding with their children, talking to them, assuring them that they are loved, communicating to them a Catholic vision of sexuality, and making the topic less taboo and more a part of their lives and conversations. We at St. Gregory’s are here to help you with this process, the process of sharing with your children the beauty and sanctity of married love. So much depends on the parents.
We in our school are, at the diocese’s instigation, offering a course on the Theology of the Body for our children. We are also planning on offering a class on the Theology of the Body for all parents and adults who are interested. The time will be announced in the near future – we are trying to find the best time to offer it, possibly later this semester or early next semester. We realize that you may not have the tools to explain, or the understanding of a Catholic vision of sexuality and marriage. The Theology of the Body is meant to answer that need. It is an answer to the secularization happening in our society. We do not want to passively inherit the fruits of the sexual revolution, but rather be able to articulate the beautiful vision of sexuality, marriage, and family life which the Catholic Church presents to us.
If you have any questions about this awareness weekend, please contact the Family Life Office at 816-714- 2373 or visit www.kcsjfamily.org/protectyourfamily.
It is a joy to be your pastor.

Father Albert, O.S.B.