 delivered by a passionate speaker, Dr Christopher West, who resonated with his search for meaning.){kind=link}
One of Tomasz Juszczak’s earliest memories of church is not a particularly nice one.
He remembers sitting there with two older adults holding each one of his arms like a strait jacket.
“If they let go, I’d jump up and start making funny noises and imitating the priest. I hated church,” Tomasz remembers.
The son of Polish immigrants, Tomasz grew up with Catholicism as an intrinsic part of his culture and identity, but he never had a relationship with God.
“I didn’t have a relationship with Christ. For me, it was just an identity. And it stopped at that,” he says.
The teachings of the church felt distant, and the vibrant life of spirituality often eluded him.
“I didn’t see why I needed it, because I didn’t feel like it did anything for me. I was Catholic in name, but not in practice.”
As Tomasz entered his late teens and twenties, he sought fulfilment in nightlife, indulging in partying and drinking. The allure of temporary pleasures provided an escape from the void he felt inside.
“My morals were eroding, and I got to the point where I decided I’d do whatever I wanted,” he said.
However, a nagging sense of emptiness persisted.
It was at World Youth Day in 2008 that his life took a pivotal turn. Amid the enthusiasm and spirit of young Catholics from around the globe, Tomasz encountered the transformative teachings of The Theology of the Body (TOB) delivered by Dr Christopher West, a passionate speaker who resonated with his search for meaning.
“I remember I was weeping through most of it because it was hitting me for the first time,” says Tomasz.
“It was my first genuine experience of God. And he was piercing my heart with the truth. That’s where I developed my passion for The Theology of the Body.”
Moved by the truth and wisdom of the Theology of the Body, Tomasz re-evaluated his choices and began distancing himself from the party scene that had dominated his life. He was even inspired to enrol in a master’s degree in theology.
A career in youth ministry soon beckoned, with Tomasz taking up various leadership roles, evangelising young people across Australia.
Tomasz and his wife Sarah founded Donum Ministries, offering reflection days for school students in years 9-12, and talks suited for audiences from teen to adulthood. The foundations of Donum Ministries are based on the teachings of The Theology of the Body.
“The Theology of the Body inspires almost every part of my life, because it’s given me the lens to look at what it means to be human, what it means to live life well, and what it means to look to heaven. And it forms the basis of everything we do with Donum.”
Like many, he’s excited to attend next January’s Theology of the Body event; The Writings of St John Paul II on Gender, Family and Marriage, featuring Bill Donaghy.
“Bill is phenomenal. I’ve already done some courses with him and Christopher and it’s life changing. I want to explore deeper and deeper, because Theology of the Body changed my life and continues to shape it every day!”