Chapter 11 Court Required Notification

Love and Relationship Education

What does it mean to be “made in God’s image and likeness?” It means that we are created out of love and for love, to love and to be loved, not just spiritually but with the minds and bodies that we’ve been given. Becoming who we are means to be in right relationship with God, with ourselves, and with each other. How we use our bodies to be in right relationship with others is what holistic formation in the human person and sexuality is all about.

It is the responsibility of all of us to help form our children in the proper use of their bodies and minds in order to authentically receive and share God’s love. As in all things, parents are the primary educators of their children, so these resources are naturally geared towards them with the understanding that schools and parishes are called to support and supplement the parental roles in human/faith formation.

A logo with a star formed by five colorful overlapping petals in red, green, pink, yellow, and blue. The words "ESPIRITUAL INTELECTUAL EMOCIONAL FISICO SOCIAL" encircle the star, and "Teen STAR" is written to the right.

Teen STAR™ is a developmental curriculum, founded by Hanna Klaus, MD (Sr. Miriam Paul , MMS), that helps adolescents and young adults come to terms with their emerging sexuality and fertility and assist them in making responsible decisions. Beginning with the physical, the young person can then integrate their intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of their persona and mature into a fully integrated
human being.

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The image shows the word "LoveEd" in a bold, sans-serif font. The letters "L" and "ove" are gray, while the letters "Ed" are blue. The background is white.

LoveEd helps families, parishes and schools empower parents to teach both the theology and science of human sexuality within the context of God’s plan for love and life. It helps young people discover the beauty and the purpose of their sexuality, which is fully articulated in Catholic teaching. LoveEd doesn’t just teach the facts of life, but the meaning of life. At a time when young people are asserting their independence, LoveEd gives parents the knowledge and support they need to discuss what is often (but doesn’t have to be!) an uncomfortable topic and helps parents and their kids develop closer relationships.

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Logo of Ruah Woods Institute featuring a green tree with a red apple and leaf, next to the text "Ruah Woods Institute" in green capital letters.

Ruah Woods Institute’s K-12 foundational curriculum equips teachers and parents with church approved tools for forming boys and girls in their God-given identity. REVEALED/ROOTED brings to life Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body in the context of our modern world. Through this curriculum, children gain an understanding of who God is, who they are as image-bearers of God, male or female, and how they fit into the world.

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Logo featuring a maroon human figure in a cross shape next to the text "TOBET." Below, in smaller font, it reads "Theology of the Body Evangelization Team" in maroon and yellow-green.

The Body Matters, based on St. John Paul’s life-affirming Theology of the Body (TOB), is a teaching tool intended to assist primary educators (parents) in forming their children, and to be inserted into already-existing curricula at Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs. The Body Matters program aims to restore a right understanding of the dignity of the human person and to form families and their children in the truths of the Catholic Faith, precisely through a deeper understanding of the human BODY.

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Cycle Prep logo featuring a thistle illustration on the left and the words "CYCLE PREP" in bold pink text on the right against a black background.

A first period course that prepares daughters AND mothers for the start of menstrual cycles with science, values, and the dignity of women in mind. Recommended for ages 9-11.

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The image shows a gold logo with three ascending lines next to the word "ASCENSION" and the phrase "The Faith Formation Leader" below it, all on a black background.

In an age of “selfies” and egocentrism, YOU cuts through the noise to present an authentic view of the human person. YOU. Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body introduces teens to the truth that life is not, in fact, all about them; it is about going out of themselves to be a sincere gift
for others.

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RCL Benziger logo with a stylized cross on overlapping, colorful book shapes next to the text "RCL Benziger" and "A Kendall Hunt Company" below.

Benziger’s Family Life curriculum guides children, parents, teachers, and catechists to integrate five themes into Catholic family living: God’s gifts of family, self, life, love, and community. It presents the teachings of the Church with clarity and offers support for Catholic families.

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Text reading "Conversations about L.I.F.E." in a simple font, with "L.I.F.E." in larger, bold, beige letters and the rest in smaller, gray letters.

The L.I.F.E program is a series of downloadable lesson packages offering relationship education and safe environment training for children and adolescents with their parents. All aspects of the program are designed to encourage parent-child conversations about Love, Infatuation, Friendship, and Exploitation – as the individual child is experiencing them now, at this stage of his or her personal development.

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Additional Resources

A group of people stand hand in hand, forming a line on a beach as the sun sets over the ocean, casting warm hues in the sky. A small child is held on one person's hip, and another child stands at the far right.

Sex Education and Your Rights as Parents

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A person in a red patterned dress and hat walks through a grassy field holding hands with three children, while another adult in denim carries a child. Trees and string lights are visible in the background.

Natural Family Planning

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Contact Information

Staff

  • Director: John Prust
  • Associate Director: Janelle Peregoy
  • Associate Director: Wendy Baez
  • Administrative Assistant: Vivian Toscano

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Catholic Diocese of San Diego

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms depicts a red boat on a blue ocean, which is crisscrossed by diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is often referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, who was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic and cultural communities. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire allude to the blood of the martyrs.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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