By Christina Leslie | Correspondent
Parents, guardians and their children are being encouraged to attend a workshop on chastity being offered in St. Mary Parish, Middletown.
The program – “Pure Freedom: What’s Love Got to do with it?” – will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in the church. The event is open to parents and teens ages 13 and older.
Featured speakers Enza Cerami, founder and executive director of Living Stones Inc., and Gene Zannetti, a school psychologist and owner and co-founder of Wrestling Mindset, will discuss “Chastity: Dating with Purpose and Purity” and “Living out God’s Plan for an Abundant Life.”
“The purpose of this event is to empower parents and teens to dive into the Church’s teaching on chastity with practical tools on how to live out that call in today’s world,” said Cerami, a parishioner in St. Mary Parish who is also a licensed social worker and “Theology of the Body” presenter.
Cerami’s Living Stones collaborates with churches, schools, youth groups and other organizations to spread the word about God’s plan for sex and marriage. The foundation of its programming is St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” Youth who participate in Living Stones programming are educated, challenged and inspired to live out the call to chastity and given practical tools to deepen their relationship with Christ while supporting their spiritual growth.
Zannetti graduated with a psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a nationally ranked All-Ivy League wrestler. He has masters degrees in sports psychology and clinical psychology and is a personal trainer and nutritionist. Zannetti’s master’s degree thesis, “Perfectionism & Anxiety,” has been published in the International Journal of Wrestling Sciences.
“Pure Freedom” will cover core topics from the RCL Benziger Family Life program: identity, modesty, dating with purpose and purity, chastity and God’s plan for sex and marriage. The event is sponsored by the parish’s Respect Life Committee, LIFETEEN youth ministry and the Knights of Columbus Vincent T. Lombardi Council #6552.
In addition, a separate “Parenting for Purity” presentation for parents only will be offered, as will Confession and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
There is a $10 suggested donation for each student attendee.
For more information, contact Enza Cerami at livingstonesinc2018@gmail.com. St. Mary Parish is located at 19 Cherry Tree Farm Road, Middletown.