CHASTITY: Speaker to spread message of hope and love

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
March 6, 2008

One of the nation's best known chastity speakers is coming to the Diocese of Sioux City next month to spread a message of hope.

In his presentations, Jason Evert said he tries to convey "that the peace and the joy that come from chastity is worth more than all of the pleasures of the world. It is not a message based in fear or guilt but rather appealing to the teen's desire for authentic love."

He stressed that it doesn't matter where they have been or what they have done - it's where they go from here.

"It's really a message of hope," said Evert.

The 31-year-old Evert earned a master's degree in Theology, and undergraduate degrees in Counseling and Theology, with a minor in Philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is a staff apologist with Catholic Answers.

"One of the ways that makes the message last is that I try to make the connection in their minds between chastity and love," he said. "The whole reason to be pure is because you love - you love your girlfriend because you want what's best for her. You don't want to risk her getting pregnant. You don't want to risk her hurting her family or bringing her away from God."

Teens, like everyone, he stressed, want love.

"As long as teens think that sex equals love, they will risk getting a disease or getting pregnant," said Evert. "It's so important to show them that if you really love someone, you prove it and do what's best for them. During the single years - especially teens - that means chastity."

Evert will be coming to the Diocese of Sioux City in April thanks to the efforts of Peggy Staley, a parishioner of St. Boniface Church in Charter Oak. After taking a group of teens to see the chastity speaker in Omaha a year ago, she had a chance to witness the powerful presentation. Another mother suggested that they try to bring Evert to the diocese and Staley took on the task.

Staley noted that a quote from the promo page of Evert's book, Pure Love, sums up his message well. Evert wrote, "Some think that chastity simply means 'not having sex.' But that's mere abstinence: what you can't do and can't have. Chastity is more than that; it is about what you can do and have, right now: a chaste lifestyle that brings freedom, respect, peace and romance - without regret."

Romance Without Regret is the title of Evert's presentation that will be offered at five locations in the Diocese of Sioux City. On April 1, Evert will speak at 8:30 a.m. at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, 1 p.m. at St. Mary's High School in Storm Lake and 7 p.m. at St. Mary's Church in Spirit Lake. On April 2 he will speak at 9 a.m. at Gehlen Catholic in Le Mars and 1 p.m. at Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City.

"It's not a lecture to tell them not to have sex," said Evert. "It gives them relationship skills so they can learn how to have the love for which they yearn."

These talks are open to the public and are designed for junior and senior high school students.

Having two teenagers of her own, Staley believes that Evert's message of chastity is important for the youth.

"Everything they hear - TV, music, movies - all glorifies premarital sex," she said. Teenage pregnancy, Staley added, is the only consequence that is identified but Evert will point out the other consequences such as heartache, disease and infertility.

Randy Ricklefs, youth ministry director at St. Mary's in Spirit Lake, said they hope to pack the church for this "most sought-after chastity speaker." He would appreciate a phone call if they plan to bring a group to the presentation.

"In today's culture, there is so much confusion between what the church teaches and what the adolescents see, experience or believe to be the truth," he said. "As youth ministers, try to teach them the truth."

Evert will help spread the truth about what the Catholic Church teaches.

"We would love to have parents attend, too, because the kids are going to have some questions and then they will be prepared with answers," said Ricklefs.

Father Will Vit of St. Mary's in Storm Lake said they wanted to bring Evert to their school to enable the students to be educated on love and relationships so they are prepared to enter into them in a more mature way.

"It's a message that everyone in society can benefit from - it's not just a Catholic message or a Christian message. It pertains to anyone who is engaged in relationships," he said. "That's why we are hosting it and opening up to the community."

Kathryn Braddy of Kuemper noted that all students in seventh through twelfth grade will be there to "listen to his uplifting message embracing the virtue of chastity. We are very excited to have our students hear about this special gift that empowers them to lead a life that is pure and fulfilling and not to buy into the propaganda that society and the media put forth that contradicts pure love."

Ever since hearing Evert at the National Catholic Youth Conference two years ago, she has been trying to spread his message in west central Iowa.

Kathryn Fairchild of Bishop Heelan also saw Evert speak at NCYC and "thought his message on the theology of the body and the virtues of prudence and abstinence were really strong and very approachable to teenagers."

When she heard Evert was coming to the Diocese of Sioux, she wanted Heelan to host a presentation.

"Evert's message is important to teenagers because our culture surrounds teens in mixed messages about sexuality, and he gives them a very clear, Catholic perspective," said Fairchild. "With Evert's own life story, and his wife's story, students can see the beauty of sexuality within a loving, committed and sacramental marriage."

During the presentations, Evert said he shares his personal struggle with pornography and his wife's testimony of how she had lost her virginity and went down the wrong path.

"We challenge them with starting over and encourage them to start over," he said. "There is a lot of humor in the presentation - it's fun and enjoyable."

He recently developed a curriculum titled Theology of the Body for Teens, for Catholic school and religious education students to give them a foundation and formation to live a pure life.

To preview the presentation - go to pureloveclub.org.