December, 2011
The Endow Youth Program is growing!
The Endow Youth Program is growing!
The Endow Youth Program only came into being a few short years ago, yet in those years Endow Youth Coordinator Brigid DeMoor has been taking the country by storm. The program is sought after in schools nation wide, has been featured numerous times on EWTN and is in the process of developing a number of new studies to add to its arsenal of truth. Recently, Brigid DeMoor led aGirl Genius: Dignity Defined day retreat for middle school girls in Wake Forest, North Carolina. To read some comments from the girls who attended, click here.
A New Year
Changes for 2012
As we anticipate all the good things in store for 2012 we invite you to learn about some exciting changes. 2012 will include a new pricing schedule, new all-inclusive registration, new binder and three-hole punch format, new adult and youth studies, and more! For details about these important changes, please click here. For more information about our newest adult and youth studies, click here.
December 2011: Book Review
Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo
Book Review by Eileen Love
Teresa Tomeo starts her new book with a powerful call to action from Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. His words set the stage for what is to come:
We are ambassadors of the living God to a world that is on the verge of forgetting him. Our work is to make God real; to be the face of his love; to propose once more to men and women of our day, the dialogue of salvation.
In Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ Not Conformed to the Culture we recognize author and skilled Catholic apologist Teresa Tomeo as an ambassador for Christ and learn that she’d like you to join her.
It’s an interesting title – borrowed from TV – in which worn out looking women (and sometimes outdated houses) undergo dramatic transformations to maximize their beauty potential and re-create them into the best versions of themselves. As TV fare, viewers eat it up and networks score a home run.
Tomeo knows plenty about the effects of cultural influences. She is a syndicated radio talk show host and has worked in media all her adult life. She can speak credibly about the nuanced threats that lurk behind the TV screens and come through the radio waves.
Speaking from both personal and professional experience Tomeo asserts that “truth can be denied but not suppressed forever. God has designed us in a certain way and when we go against the natural order or law, we suffer negative consequences.”
Tomeo leads off with her own testimony: the not unfamiliar tale of a thoroughly Catholic upbringing that gave way to a lackluster observance during her high school years and tapered off to near extinction in college. Like many girls in the early 80’s Teresa was indoctrinated with the tenets of secular feminism and barely noticed how hostile the world had become to religious faith.
She threw herself into her studies and all the facets of college life and eventually landed a fabulous career in TV news along with marriage to a great guy. Not much need for God when you are “doing awesome” on your own.
But when Teresa was unceremoniously dumped from her high paying news slot, her whole world went dark. That life-altering event turned out to be the time God threw her a life preserver. She realized how much she had sacrificed on the altar of career advancement. Something nudged her back in the direction of God. She and her husband straightened out their ailing marriage and resolved to put God and each other ahead of career. Thus began her exciting new work in Catholic media.
On her syndicated radio show she takes on the cultural issues of today and in her book she lays them all out: the harm that secular feminism has visited upon women and families, not to mention men; the abortion lies; the “contraception deception,” and what Catholic wisdom has to teach a woman about true beauty. There isn’t a woman walking who would not benefit from these reminders.
Not surprisingly, Tomeo is a fan of Blessed John Paul II. For Endow women, she is likely preaching to the choir when she spends considerable time sharing the gems tucked within the papal encyclicals, Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) and Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) but no matter, the truth never gets old and the message is so compelling it bears repeating.
Throughout her own transformation, Teresa has been fortunate to be surrounded by some pretty terrific friends and like a big Catholic pajama party, they show up in the book. In the final chapter she invites these six girlfriends – all different, all passionate, all committed women on fire for Christ – to tell their faith stories. Each one writes movingly of her personal transformation out of the cultural twilight into the dawn of Christ. You will be uplifted and inspired and chances are, you’ll see a little of yourself on the pages.
December 2011: Donor of the Month
John Heath
It’s not every day you hear from someone who wants to send you money. But that is exactly what happened last summer when an Endow staffer picked up the phone on the morning after an Endow appearance on EWTN.
Last summer, Executive Director Terry Polakovic and Youth Program Coordinator Brigid DeMoor appeared as guests on Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s program. The two spoke about the mission and message of Endow and the wide appeal it has to women across the spectrum. It was a lively conversation and many people called in to ask questions and express gratitude for a program that educates on the nature and dignity of women. As Terry and Brigid fielded questions and enjoyed some great on-air visiting with Fr. Pacwa and the studio audience, they got the attention of quite a few viewers. John Heath was one of them.
Sixty-three year old John Heath was watching the program from his trailer home 3000 miles away inSan Jose,California. EWTN is a favorite channel; he has numerous shows taped and backed up waiting to be watched. So impressed was he by Endow that he called the office the next day and pledged $5.00 a month. That modest sum – what others might spend on a fancy coffee – would be felt by John. He lives on a fixed income and has to be careful with expenses. But he was moved to partner with an organization he decided was worthy to believe in and he committed to a regular gift. He has kept his promise.
John grew up in the pre-Vatican II era and will tell you he was blessed to be Catholic from birth. In the trailer he shares with his sister, a cat, and a chihuahua, he has a lot of time to think about life. It has had its ups and downs. One of the downs was a ten year span when he was away from the Church. During that time John wandered, developed a drug abuse problem, and hung around with an unsavory crowd. “I haven’t been the most perfect person,” he says as easily as if he were commenting on the weather. “But I shaped up. What I most want now is to be a saint.”
He appears to be well on his way. With the help of his sister, whom he credits with bringing him back to Christ, John is making amends. “I read two chapters from the Bible every day. I pray the rosary and say some other prayers for about 25 minutes.” John has learned that there is no easy road straight to holiness; it is often an arduous journey, but Christ walks every step with the disciple who asks for His help. With his breathing labored from emphysema, John patiently explains that “when I’m humble I’m happier.” Now that he is committed to Christ, John is praying for the women he has known in his previous life who were badly hurt on the streets.
He recently notified the Endow office that he can see his way clear to increase his monthly gift to $10.00. He says he gives to Endow for the sake of all women and the health of society. Jesus is the way. “I’d like to help women lead holy lives.”