 |
 |
|||||||||||||
|
Home
> News & Events Archive
February 5, 2010 Chastity is not anti-sex and virginity is not a disease to be cured a group of Regina high school girls and a few of their parents were told at a February 5 presentation at Holy Family Parish. The presentation was organized by the Pure Fashion program in which girls learn about fashion, style and modesty. The presentation was titled Authentic Love: Experiencing Freedom Through Chastity. Jon Courchene and Leah Kouwenhoven of Saskatoon’s Face to Face Ministries told personal stories in their presentation about living a life of chastity. Some familiar and not so familiar statistics were quoted by the duo about the dangers of premarital sex including failure rates of contraceptives specifically condoms, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), unwanted pregnancies, damage to self esteem and emotional hurt. Kouwenhoven quoted several statistics about the prevalence of STDs not to scare the girls she said but to point out that chastity is a better and more beautiful choice. Sex is not love, Courchene said. ”If there is one thing I want you to take away from this presentation,” said Courchene, “it is that love proves itself through sacrifice.” He described Christ’s passion and death as an example of that sacrifice and His Resurrection as an example that sacrifice also brings forth life. Kouwenhoven told of her emotional turmoil when she gave away her virginity to her boyfriend in a relationship that lasted about 2.5 years after high school. “I looked happy on the outside but sometimes alone at night I would cry and I didn’t know why. I was lonely inside. I had lost a lot of my self worth.” She emphasized that the past doesn’t matter, it is now and the future that matters and a chaste life can begin now. Courchene emphasized that a chaste life brings peace and freedom from emotional bondage and he gave some practical advice about “going too far.” Anything that makes your body want to go all the way, is too far, he said. “Where can I stop and still have self control,”? A good rule he said is no hands where bathing suits go. Tim and Cheri Hameluck have a daughter in Pure Fashion. They thought it was a good presentation that gave the girls a lot of think about. Alyssa Adams and Kelly McNab are in the Pure Fashion program. Adams said the presentation made her appreciate that her body is a gift from God and it should be treated with respect. Kelly McNab said she learned that sex has more meaning and value within marriage. The session ended with the distribution of commitment cards the girls were asked to sign and keep as a reminder of a commitment to save sex for marriage. Frank Flegel  Enlarge |
|||||||||||||
|
