MANSFIELD—Mansfield St. Peter junior high religion teacher Angela Dillon asked a few of her classes recently how Chris Stefanick’s talk about abstinence last October impacted them. The responses were many, but almost all of the students agreed on one thing: Mr. Stefanick’s talk made good and positive impacts upon them.

One student, Morgan, says: “I remember all of the morals he told us.”

Another student says, “He was funny. He also talked to us like we are real people.”

Still another student, Evan, says: “I remember all the videos he showed us and to wait to have sex until we are married.”

This was what the St. Peter’s Respect Life Chapter (SPRLC) was aiming for in bringing Mr. Stefanick to Mansfield.

Mr. Stefanick gave three talks while he was in Mansfield. The first talk, on Oct. 3, was aimed at giving parents some guidance on how to raise Christian youth in an age where postmodernism and moral relativism hold sway. His final two talks, given to the junior high and high school students, were on abstinence.

The messages from Mr. Stefanick were well received by both the adults and youth. His amusing anecdotes were interspersed with a great deal of practical advice. When Tressa Reith, principal of the junior high and high school, raised concerns about student behavior at school dances, Mr. Stefanick’s comment about “leaving enough room between you for the Holy Spirit” left a lasting impression. Mr. Stefanick’s deft fielding of some more difficult topics, such as pornography and homosexuality, was both practical and poignant.

Talks by Mr. Stefanick were as great a success as the members of the SPRLC could have hoped for, as seen in this particularly touching quote from one of Ms. Dillon’s students: “He talked about sex and to save it until marriage. He made it fun to learn about and respect God and sex.”