Revealed: 3 Minutes with Evie Estes

Lisa M. Hendey interviews Evie Estes about a new initiative with Ruah Woods Press: a Theology of the Body curriculum for grades K-5.

Evie, congratulations on the publication of REVEALED. Please briefly introduce us to yourself and to Ruah Woods Press.

Thank you! This 2^nd edition of our K-5 segment of our complete K-12 Theology of the Body Curriculum is the product of listening to & gathering requests from educators, as well as direct teacher involvement in the development. We have aspired to create a beautiful encounter featuring ease of use without compromising the rich substance that makes Theology of the Body so powerful & truly an antidote to the confusion regarding the human person in the current culture. I was blessed to be the editor of this beautiful 2^nd edition, as I am the Production Manager, Editor, Website & Sales Support for Ruah Woods Press (a small, non-profit Catholic ministry). My past experience includes being a parenting educator at a pregnancy center, as well as a publisher & managing editor of a local family-friendly website. Of course, first & foremost though, I am a daughter of God, always-improving-Catholic, wife for 30 years to Ed & blessed mom to Jarod (22), Audrey (20) & Ayla (18).

Ruah Woods was founded 12 years ago by Tony Maas and Joe Brink as a local in-bound Theology of the Body teaching & healing ministry. Responding to the growing perception with regards to the distortion of the human person, Ruah Woods Press created a K-12 Theology of the Body Curriculum for Catholic schools, parishes & families to provide an adequate Christian anthropology of the human person.

Before we launch into this new resource, please provide us with a quick overview of Theology of the Body and why this system of thinking is so much more than the limits folks place around it.

Theology of the Body (TOB) is an integral understanding of the human person developed by Pope St. John Paul II to elucidate the total vision of our authentic identity and inherent dignity created in God’s image as male or female for love and relationship. You can think of it literally as Humanity 101—what it means to be a human person, created as a body-soul unity. Theology of the Body explains God’s blueprint for the answers to questions each of us wonder: Why am I here? What does it mean to love? How do I find real happiness? TOB is a much-needed catechesis providing a Biblical worldview for our time.

When parents first hear that their kindergartener will be learning Theology of the Body—they are like, “WHAT??!!? You are teaching my 5-year-old sex ed???” Well, it is sex ed., but not in the way the parent thinks. If we consider that sexuality is first about identity WAY BEFORE it has anything to do with activity—then one can understand that we are laying down a foundational authentic identity as a son or daughter of God for the little ones. We must know who we are (and whose we are) before we know how we are to act.

The children are learning to view themselves, others and all of creation as a gift… and that God’s perfect plan of order, design & meaning can be seen in all of nature. The children learn deep truths about God’s plan and purpose for the human person in developmentally appropriate lessons. We also do provide the schools with parent letters, a video & even little TOB Tidbits the children bring home so their parents can learn right along with them & reinforce it.

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REVEALED is your curriculum for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students? Why start this so early with children?

Young children are continuously bombarded & confused by lies about the human person in today’s cultural landscape. They are also developing their worldview (the lens with which they see the world) at a very young age. By introducing themes of Theology of the Body like The Dignity of Work, My Family/Marriage is a Gift of God, Gift-of-Self, My Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, Body-Soul Unity, Authentic Love, Vocation & so many more, the children discover the truth of God’s plan & purpose for them. The themes are very pro-life, pro-family & pro-marriage. (Yes, “marriage prep” begins in kindergarten, for those called to it)!

At Ruah Woods Press, we believe it is not only possible to immerse children in this critically important material, but that it is essential to do so. Affirming the identity of students as beloved sons or daughters made in the image of God is not only discovered verbally, but also tangibly and experientially; we have made this our mission with the creation of this newest edition of age-appropriate lessons meant to draw children into a memorable experience of divine truth and discover the innate dignity of each unique & unrepeatable human person from conception to natural death.

The beautiful curriculum is literature-based and includes such a breadth of classic storytelling. How did you decide on this approach? What went into determining the works that accompany the lessons?

Who is the greatest storyteller of all time? Who uses parables & foundational premises to teach hard lessons? Obviously, we recognize that Jesus gave us these examples of imparting hard teachings, often using farmers, seeds, birds, family, royalty, and fruit. There were hundreds of children’s books vetted and the stories chosen include analogous characters and references Jesus used. Also, children love stories & can discuss the characters’ choices & consequences in a safe way. The students remember the stories & characters throughout the school year, as the teacher can remind them & even re-visit the story, plus the children continue to bring up examples. Furthermore, the children learn to recognize TOB themes & lessons (or those contrary to) from movies & shows that they consume.

Once the teacher has read the classic literature story, the REVEALED teacher’s edition is scripted with beautiful, guided learning questions that elicit children to make their own discoveries about these truths & to remember them. “The king in the story was unhappy when he was selfish. His things did not make him happy. He became happy when he gave away his things to those in need.” Besides the literature that accompanies our teacher’s guides, there are pages of recommended books which may serve as lesson extensions included in each of the teacher’s guides.

How have people been responding to the curriculum?

Having the gift of time (because of COVID shutdowns) to develop this 2^nd edition has been such a surprise blessing. DJ Hueneman, the lead writer was able to consult with several teachers, Maria Cossell, Tina Ramundo & Vickie Geckle, who were already teaching our TOB, as well as our Theological Consultant, Dr. Joan Kingsland to create what educators had been seeking. We launched in August 2021, received the Imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in September & are on our 3^rd printing to keep up with the demand. We upgraded those who had our 1^st edition with a special rate on this 2^nd one & have had ONLY positive feedback (I am not exaggerating)!

We have many schools’ offices diocesan-wide implementing our curriculum in every school (Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, San Antonio & Detroit just to name a few) or considering it & piloting it in a handful of their schools first. Because our K-5 REVEALED segment is only 9 lessons per grade level, it dovetails & completes what the schools are already teaching, because this is truly the missing ingredient in Catholic education today. One teacher conveyed, “Many students in our circle of influence are struggling with identity — who they are — what is their purpose. If we can start with this language early with these kids — how much angst and heartache can we save them? It will also bring us as teachers back to the core of who we are — it’s easy for us to forget too sometimes. If you have ever felt any kind of ache or longing in your heart — this curriculum will help you to internalize God’s ultimate plan for you…” You can view many more of our testimonials here.

We have heard from many homeschoolers as well that our curriculum is easy to implement, self-teaching & is fodder for some beautiful moments with their children! Our curriculum offers the armor of truth our children need to combat the confusion being sown by the secular culture.

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D.J. Hueneman, a former firefighter became a chastity educator to Grades 6-12 students for a crisis pregnancy center. D.J. now shares his zeal for saving lives through his international speaking ministry and published resources. He has spoken across the world on Theology of the Body, pro-life advocacy, chastity, and the Catholic Faith and has co-authored eight books. He currently serves as the Director of Training and Formation at Ruah Woods Press in Cincinnati, Ohio where he lives with his wife and four children.

What encouragement can you offer for families who may want to implement this in their homes or recommend it to their schools or parishes?

You have no idea how many “boots on the ground” parents, grandparents &/or teachers have been the one to introduce our beautiful K-12 Theology of the Body curriculum to their school, parish or diocesan office. (Please email me, evie@ruahwoods.org, if you would like to do this & I can send you a folder of materials to hand onto your school, parish, local diocesan office). Implementation can come from the ground up or be promulgated from the top down through orthodox bishops, savvy superintendents, passionate pastors & principals.

All I can tell you is just start! Shop our store that gives detailed descriptions of the materials! Download some of our themes & sample content to get a feel for what it entails. Even experts in TOB struggle with effective vocabulary to impart its truth, beauty & goodness to children. That’s what we have done for you! I promise you can literally open & start teaching.

Of course, witnesses are the best teachers, so we do offer educator TOB training, formation & support. The amazing teachings of Theology of the Body have the power to transform our culture of death into a civilization of joyful life & authentic love, where everybody is seen as a gift! Please join Ruah Woods Press in our mighty mission to change the world!

Are there any additional thoughts or comments you would like to share?

We are just finishing building an in-house studio for podcasts, webcasts, courses, video & live productions to use the current “Roman roads” to spread these beautiful teachings worldwide with the convenience of current online media. We humbly ask for your support through your prayers & donations. Be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter near the bottom of any of the Ruah Woods Press site pages. We will be hosting a streamed online event at our new studio with Dr. Edward Sri on May 5, 2022. Keep in touch for more events, courses & TOB offerings as they become available. God bless you & your readers as we all strive to imitate Christ! Thank you, Lisa, for this opportunity to further our New Evangelization efforts through Pope St. John Paul II’s gift to our wounded world!