On Saturday 9 August, many gathered in St Mary’s Cathedral’s Chapter Hall in Sydney for the Love, Sex & the Body: Unlearning the Lies event—an afternoon of honest and engaging conversation on one of the church’s most beautiful yet misunderstood teachings: human sexuality.
The event was led by the Archdiocese of Sydney’s newest shepherd, Bishop Tony Percy, who is “still under divine warranty,” as host Simon Yeak from the Life, Marriage and Family team joked.
In a candid, good-humoured interview, Bishop Tony shared both his vocational journey and his passion for making St John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB) accessible to all.
On discerning the priesthood, he recalled that he experienced the “classic signs of being called: attraction to the priesthood, and fear.” Reflecting on Jesus’ words about the narrow road, he said:
“From an open field, you have to narrow your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and avenues of choice. But when you do it, the field just opens up. You walk through the narrow gate to a pasture beyond anything you would have experienced otherwise.”
Turning to TOB, Bishop Tony spoke of the “inalienable beauty and dignity of man at creation” and unpacked the four original human experiences; original solitude, unity, nakedness, and sin. Without giving away the treasures in his book Theology of the Body Made Simple, he described these as “symbolic, spousal, free, fallen, but redeemed.”
The afternoon’s Q&A invited Bishop Tony to respond to pressing cultural questions about gender dysphoria, cohabitation, same-sex attraction, and IVF. His consistent response? That our first work is not to “fix” culture, but to grow in prayer, receive the sacraments frequently, cultivate virtue, and spiritual reading of the lives of the saints, including St John Paul II’s work.
Our holiness and growing spiritually, he said, is our response to the signs of the times.
The event closed with exciting news: In January 2026, Sydney will again host the flagship Theology of the Body course from the TOB Institute—Theology of the Body I: Head & Heart Immersion—taught by renowned theologian Dr Christopher West. Running 18–23 January at the Benedict XVI Retreat Centre, in past years the week-long live-in has transformed lives.
In the coming weeks, The Catholic Weekly will share testimonies from previous participants—stories of healing, clarity, and joy in living out God’s plan for love and sexuality.
For details and registration, scan the QR code, visit tobi.sydneycatholic.org, or email TOBI@sydneycatholic.org.
