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. In November 2015, TOBET’s Episcopal Advisory Board, led by Archbishop Samuel Aquila, confirmed the need to create an original, inspiring, age-appropriate TOB program. Despite common misconceptions about TOB, The Body Matters is not a “birds-and-bees” centered program. Rather, its purpose is to form children in the faith and to combat the destructive messages they absorb from the culture. While not addressing these controversial issues directly, The Body Matters program, infused with St. John Paul’s theology, will restore the dignity of the human person and form families and their children in the truths of the Catholic faith, precisely through a deeper understanding of the human BODY