Renowned Theology of the Body expert Bill Donaghy is set to captivate Australian audiences with his insights on St John Paul II’s teachings, at a retreat featuring the writings of the former pope on gender, marriage and family from 19-25 January.
After discovering the wisdom and insights of Theology of the Body (TOB) as a 16-year-old, Donaghy, became a passionate advocate. He has been mentored by Dr Christopher West— the world’s foremost expert on TOB—and injects his own unique blend of humour, joy, and wonder to the profound wisdom of the great saint’s writings on gender, marriage, and family.
“I always say, I’m not a sage on the stage. I’m a guide by the side. I am just as awestruck by this stuff after 20 years of teaching Theology of the Body, as you are receiving it now,” the US based Donaghy said.
He describes the retreat as a “school of humanity” where participants will explore the fundamental building blocks of human culture through the lens of John Paul II’s writings.
“How do we get back to being human again? It’s friendship, its kindness, it’s getting plugged in, not to technology, but to one another. Seeing each other in the light of the Gospel, learning who we are, through these beautiful, magisterial teachings,” Donaghy said.
Donaghy emphasises that John Paul II’s teachings offer a blueprint for reclaiming God’s vision of what it means to be human.
“We’re collapsing into the wrong vision of a person, uncoupling from the natural world, and its natural rhythms, our own flesh. We look at ourselves as computers with legs and we take in content now through gadgets such as our phones at such rapid speeds, it’s dehumanising.
“So, I’m excited to reveal this teaching to people for the first time, if they haven’t heard it,” Donaghy added.
He will address the current gender crisis, examining how John Paul II’s writings can help “untwist the distortions” that have led to confusion in this area.
“We have been torn asunder through bad philosophies, bad anthropologies, and today, the gender crisis really is the cherry on top. It’s saying your body’s mutable; it’s not that important. What the Theology of the Body says is your flesh is a sign of the Divine,” Donaghy said.
He believes the wisdom of St John Paul II is more relevant today than ever, in helping defend the institute of marriage and family.
“John Paul II was the apostle of the family and its greatest defender. He literally said that the family is the mystery of God. The devil hates God, therefore, the devil will attack the family. So, the gauntlet has been thrown down and the challenge is to unleash the powers of good. Become who you are and that will radiate the beauty that God wanted from the beginning of the world,” Donaghy says.
He plans to guide attendees through the historical and philosophical roots of current culture issues, equipping them with a broader understanding of how we arrived at our present situation.
“We’re going to talk about the effect of the industrial revolution, beginning in the late 1700s, the sexual revolution, the technological revolution and the gender revolution, so a way to prepare people and re-evangelise them,” Donaghy said.
Donaghy stresses the importance of extended immersion in these teachings, stating, “this is where the magic happens, not in a splash event that’s an hour or two that could be effective and good, but to sort of marinate for five days in the presence of our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament, with daily Mass and prayer, with good fellowship with people at meals…that’s the way to deliver this important teaching.”
To register go here. Registrations close 1 December.