Join this high school course for young women (grades 10-12), and help your daughter understand her beauty and personal worth in the eyes of God; the importance of cultivating virtues; how to build healthy friendships and vocations; and how an intimate connection with Jesus makes us truly beautiful.
How to get the most out of True Radiance! Discovering Your Authentic Beauty as a Young Woman with Lisa Mladinich
- Take notes as you watch each class recording.
- Feel free to access the PowerPoint provided for each week, as needed.
- Do your weekly copy work (Scriptures to save in a notebook).
- Do all Challenge assignments before moving on to the next class recording.
- Do all the readings for each week, preferably before doing the writing assignments.
- Do the written assignments before accessing the next class and save them in your journal.
- Complete any extra work assigned for that week, including viewing all video resources (unless marked "optional").
- Once the course is completed to the parents' or tutor's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
- Please sit down with a parent and fill out the SURVEY at the end of the course.
Special notes: This course for young women is offered in two forms: for middle school and for high school. This is the high school course. There is similar content taught in both courses, but at age-appropriate levels. True Radiance! Discovering Your Authentic Beauty as a Young Woman with Lisa Mladinich complements the High School "Boys to Men" course with Bill Donaghy for the young men.
Total Classes: 6
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested Grade Level: 10th to 12th grade
Suggested Credit: ½ semester Theology. For a full semester, add another theology or philosophy course
Instructor: Lisa Mladinich
Instructor Email: lisa@mladinich.com
Course Description: This course is an introduction to the rich teachings of the Catholic Church on beauty and femininity for girls in high school. In a culture that often degrades femininity and causes confusion for girls about true beauty, a healthy body image, and a positive process of maturing, the Catholic understanding of beauty is truly a Godsend. Based on the instructor's best-selling book, True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life, the students will come to understand their own beauty and worth in the eyes of God, as well as the importance of cultivating virtue, healthy friendships, and an intimate connection with Jesus in their souls.
Course Outline:
Class 1: TRUE BEAUTY – How the Church defines beauty; how beauty helps us access the intangibles of God; how God speaks through beauty; reasons that girls and women are so attuned to beauty; some of the falsehoods of our culture concerning beauty—and how to resist them
Class 2: TRUE FEMININITY – How Catholicism treasures femininity; the Blessed Mother as a role model; the feminine genius; feminine strengths and weaknesses; combating sin through cultivating virtue; what femininity means to you
Class 3: HEALTHY MODESTY – An overview of the theology of the body; our inherent dignity as daughters of God; modesty as a sign of goodness; honoring and protecting what is sacred; reverencing the gift of life; the connection between purity and love; becoming a savvy consumer of media; ways to be stylish and modest at the same time
Class 4: HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS – The purpose of friendships; self-donation as a core ideal; virtuous friendships; how to be a friend and how to have wonderful friendships that last a lifetime; friendships with the saints and Holy Souls; cultural pressures on friendship
Class 5: LIVING OUT MERCY – True freedom through the gift of mercy; living a lifestyle of forgiveness and acceptance; the healing power of the Eucharist and Reconciliation; preparing our souls for heaven; prayer commitments that bear lasting fruit sacrifice as a pathway to joy
Class 6: OUR CALLING, OUR VOCATIONS – Changing the world by keeping our eyes on heaven; praying for our future companions (spouses, friends, colleagues, sisters in religious life); taking leadership roles; diligence in education; seeking ways to serve; reverence in worship and prayer; Sacred Scripture and a Lectio Divina outlook; understanding the importance of God's individual call to our hearts; respect for the vocations of others
Course Materials: All materials are provided free by the instructor. Materials include excerpts from the instructor’s book, materials on the lives of the saints, documents of the Church, and other relevant resources.
Homework: Weekly readings and assignments, with an estimated one to two hours per week for homework outside of class time.
Answer Key: There is no Answer Key provided for this course. The students are to just write short paragraphs and commentaries based on what they are learning in the course. Parents can grade it accordingly and just simply assign the grade you seem fit for your student.
- Teacher: Lisa Mladinich