Family Renewal Project was established in 2016 to help “restore the family and renew the culture by educating and forming men and women to understand, embrace, and live authentic love and responsibility.” We strive to connect persons of all ages with the message of Theology of the Body through various programming and events.
1) Led by the Holy Spirit, we are faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
2) Through our Community, Courses, and Counseling, and following the example of the Holy Family, we do the slow, hard, intentional work of making disciples.
3) We help people discover their story through a customized formation experience, inspired by St. John Paul the Great’s Theology of the Body.
We make disciples by delivering truth with love, guaranteed.
President and Founder
Director and Founder
Director
Theology of the Body (TOB) is firmly rooted in Scripture and teachings handed down through the ages by Fathers and Doctors of the Church (e.g., St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John of the Cross +++). In assembling these teachings, St. John Paul II didn’t create anything new but provided language for modern man to comprehend and answer the basic questions: What does it mean to be human? How can I live my life in a way that brings me true happiness?
What does it mean to be human?
How can I live my life in a way that brings me true happiness?
Who is St. John Paul II and what is his connection to TOB?
Common Responses
Family Renewal Project is dedicated to helping you and people of all ages come to understand, embrace, and live life the way our Creator intended and become fully alive! We invite you to explore our website, participate in our offerings, and sign up to receive our bi-monthly eNewsletter. If you have questions, please contact us (see below).
When Karol Wojtyla, the cardinal archbishop of Krakow, Poland, came to Rome in August 1978 to help elect a new pope, he brought along the lengthy handwritten manuscript of a book that he had been prayerfully crafting for nearly four years. It was almost complete, and he wished to work on it, when he could, during the conclave. Page one bore the unusual title (in Polish): “teologia ciala”-“theology of the body.” The hundreds of pages that followed held perhaps the most profound and compelling Biblical reflection on the meaning of our creation and redemption as male and female ever.
After the election of Pope John Paul I, Wojtyla returned to Krakow and completed his manuscript. Soon after that, to the astonishment of the whole world, he emerged from the second conclave of 1978 as Pope John Paul Il. And his “theology of the body’-delivered as a series of Wednesday talks between September 1979 and November 1984 rather than being published as a book-became the first major teaching project of his pontificate, establishing the core of John Paul Il’s great vision of what it means to be human.
Still, it took some time for people to grasp the significance of what John Paul II had given us. It wasn’t until 1999, for example, that papal biographer George Weigel described the TOB to a wide readership as “a kind of theological time bomb set to go off, with dramatic consequences…perhaps in the 21st century.” While the pope’s vision of the body and of sexual love had “barely begun to shape the Church’s theology, preaching, and religious education,” Weigel predicted that when it did it would “compel a dramatic development of thinking about virtually every major theme in the Creed.”
From “Theology of the Body for Beginners” by Christopher West
Director of Discipleship
Content Specialist & Presenter
John is a graduate of Western Kentucky University who loves hunting, fishing, hiking, theater, videography and playing baseball.
After discerning the call to the priesthood, John transitioned from seminary to the role of discipleship leader in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Some may say “youth minister,” but after five years of dedication to youth, John realized that developing disciples was the ultimate goal.
John has attended & led pilgrimages to the last 5 World Youth Days: Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Kraków, Poland; Panama City, Panamá and he and his wife attended WYD in Lisbon, Portugal in 2023.
For over six years, John served as the only male chastity instructor in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Every school year he & one of his female counterparts would teach a multi-day course at over 40 schools (Catholic, private, and public).
John is now the first and only person in the Archdiocese of Louisville to have completed his Master’s Certification in Theology of the Body from the TOB Institute … a major accomplishment!
John married his wonderful wife, Crystal in October of 2019 and together, they welcomed their first child, their daughter Lily in 2024. As a family, they strive to understand, embrace and live Theology of the Body!
Psychoeducational Presenter/Public Speaker
Elina graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Kentucky (2014) with a degree in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience & Business. After college Elina attended the Institute of Psychological Sciences (IPS) at Divine Mercy University. IPS is a graduate school dedicated to educating and training psychologists in a curriculum that is firmly rooted in the integration of the Catholic-Christian understanding of the human person and rigorous psychological science. Elina graduated in 2016 with her masters in Clinical Psychology.
Elina has worked with adults, adolescents, and children from diverse backgrounds and helped her patients navigate mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, reactions to traumatic events, grief, and addiction. She has aided parents in strengthening their parenting skills and confidence and helped children cope with difficult emotions or life transitions through Child Centered Play Therapy. She is also experienced with helping patients struggling with homelessness, life transitions, and difficult relationships.
Elina believes that every person has great strengths and was designed with a purpose. She strives to help people uncover their strengths, improve their resilience, discover their story, and live a more healthy and happy life.
Elina and her husband, Jonathon, have five beautiful children.
In the Summer of 2021 Elina transitioned out of clinical practice. Though she no longer sees patients, she is using her extensive training and experience by speaking to various groups (in-person or virtually) on topics such as: marriage, the effects of technology, parenting, improving mental health, responding to issues of homosexuality/gender identity, postpartum depression, work-life balance, the effects of physical health on mental health, how to increase resilience, and much more!
Co-Founder & Director
Co-Founder & President
Co-Founder & Counseling Services Administrative Assistant
Director of Discipleship
Content Specialist & Presenter
Strategic Advisor
Director of Discipleship
Content Specialist & Presenter
Associate Director of Discipleship
Content Specialist & Presenter
Small Group Coordinator
Content Specialist & Presenter
Community Coordinator
Content Specialist & Presenter
Course, Retreat, & Event Coordinator
Content Specialist & Presenter
Operations Assistant
Psychologist & Clinical Director
Psychoeducational Presenter/Public Speaker
Counseling Services Administrative Assistant
Live the adventure you were made for! God has a plan for your life and calls you to live it to the fullest! We want to help you discover the story He’s writing.
Family Renewal Project provides a space to:
(1) Build authentic relationships.
(2) Serve with a purpose.
(3) Learn the truth of who they are and the love they were made for.
Family Renewal Project was established in 2016 to help “restore the family and renew the culture by educating and forming men and women to understand, embrace, and live authentic love and responsibility.” We strive to connect persons of all ages with the message of Theology of the Body through various programming and events.
Call: 502.303.1996
Email: [email protected]
Louisville, KY