Meet Tara Plymouth:
Many people who know of Imago Dei, Inc.'s study guide, A New Language, hesitate to facilitate a group. Tara Plymouth was no exception.
After her one-day training as a facilitator, Tara led three study groups -- one in Washington, D.C., and two in Philadelphia, where she currently resides and serves as the Natural Family Planning Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Family Life Ministry Office.
The ability of A New Language to engage participants is one of the program's strengths, according to Tara. "It's very well designed," she said. "The discussion questions help people to understand Theology of the Body by relating their own experiences in life."
In one of Tara's study groups, a participant was a medical doctor who later incorporated Theology of the Body into a letter published in the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding the Body Worlds exhibit, in which dead human bodies are displayed after undergoing a process called plastination. Dr. John Travaline was able to address the violence done to human dignity through the exhibit, from his perspective as a medical professional and as a student of John Paul II's catechesis.
Others in Tara's groups have shared their opportunities to speak about Theology of the Body with co-workers and family members. Tara said she has seen light bulbs go off over attendees' heads as they learn about God's beautiful plan for their lives.
Tara's background in bioethics and biology has led her to discover the implications of Theology of the Body for the health profession. "Theology of the Body confirms and restates for us the dignity of the human body-person," she said. Tara added that if health care workers become more involved in studying Theology of the Body through A New Language, they will be better able to incorporate John Paul II's ideas into their work, always treating patients as people made in the image of God.
Leading a group takes a willing heart and not a theology degree, Tara said. The leader's guide makes it easy to facilitate, with discussion questions, a schedule and key points provided. And even in facilitating, Tara said that she learned from her study group participants as well.
For those contemplating facilitating a study group, Tara counsels that initial nerves are no reason to say no. "Go for it," she said. "JPII said, 'Do not be afraid. Put out into the deep.' You don't know what fruits God has in store for you."
|
|
|