GREENVILLE—The word to live by for a rising group of young adults is authenticity. As in, live your life and faith authentically each day despite the moral disarray of the world.
It is a challenge, they say, especially when a large part of each day is spent immersed in secular life.
Beth Douglas Joseph, 28, is one of those young adults. She’s a physician’s assistant at a family medical practice in Greenville.
Recently, she had a conversation with Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone about the trials of following Catholic teaching in her job. Although she always told patients she couldn’t prescribe birth control, it was often awkward.
Then, she felt a call to study NaPro Technology (Natural Procreative Technology) and it has changed her life, she said.
“It has been a really huge blessing,” she said. “I see girls come in all the time with irregular periods who want to be put on birth control … and now I can provide different options.”
She added that her knowledge of NaPro also helps during discussions about fertility issues, because she can direct people to choices supported by the Church.
She shared her story at a recent young adults’ conference on “Achieving Greatness in Daily Life”, where participants discussed how to tap into their unique qualities and use them to impact lives. For Beth, that means sharing the pro-life method of NaPro with her patients, and also her friends and family.
Newly married by about four months, her husband Josh Joseph also attended the conference. Josh spent time in discernment to be a priest for the diocese before realizing his true vocation. Now, he leads by example in his teaching job at Greenwood High School.
The couple also participates in Bible study with a group of faith-filled, non-denominational friends. Beth said they challenge and educate each other in regard to their different faiths. Some of the misconceptions she encounters stem from the reverence for Mary and the role that saints play, which people still misunderstand as a form of worship.
“It’s been very cool to open their eyes to true Catholicism,” she said, adding that they enjoy the opportunity to evangelize and sow little seeds.
