By Anne DiBernardo - Florida Catholic
Photographer: ANNE DIBERNARDO | FC
Keynote speaker Leah Darrow poses with her three-month-old baby, Agnes, and her husband, Ricky Soldinie.
CORAL GABLES | "If you want to change the world, you have to reclaim love � but first, you have to know what it is," said keynote speaker Leah Darrow to about 300 people in attendance at the eighth annual Friends of Carmel Luncheon, held March 30 at the Biltmore Hotel.
The luncheon benefits the ministries and apostolates of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, who staff St. Theresa School in Coral Gables and Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in Miami.
Before returning to the Catholic faith, Darrow was a contestant on the reality TV show America's Next Top Model, and worked as a professional model in New York. Today, she speaks to people of all ages on topics of mercy, conversion, human dignity, modesty, and chastity. She challenges her audience to reclaim love and live it out in their life.
"We invited Leah because her message that you can be beautiful and proud while being Christ-centered at the same time is geared toward the youth," said Cris Garcia-Casals, luncheon co-chair.
In attendance were several junior high school students from St. Theresa.
Darrow, an Oklahoma native, outlined the three things needed to reclaim love: know what it is, have the courage to act on it, and finally, have a relationship with love, which is Jesus Christ.
She exposed her early regrets and the events that led to her conversion. She also discussed her views about reality TV and asked people not to watch because it does not uphold human dignity.
"My pain and my brokenness should not entertain you, nor should yours entertain me," Darrow said.
Even though she came from a loving Catholic family, she admits that she did not know what love was. She contrasted authentic love � which according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is desiring the greatest good for the beloved � to its imitation � which is glitzy, glamorous, and full of empty promises which will never fill the heart.
"At 15 I made a choice between authentic love and the imitation and I chose the imitation,� she said. �I gave away something to somebody that never deserved it. I did not understand the fullness of who I was, the greatness that I had been living with Christ and I gave myself away to something that was much lower than what I was worth.�
"You are worth that kind of love, you are worth real love,� she continued. �At 15 I didn't know that God's reality is far beyond my imagination of love or my fantasy I was trying to create for love.�
When Darrow was eliminated from the reality show, she still wanted to prove her worth in the world. She continued modeling, although she slowly started to realize there is something more to life than being pretty and famous and having a lot of money.
Her epiphany came when she went to a fashion shoot for an international magazine and felt uncomfortable with the clothes they asked her to wear. She stressed that what people wear is a powerful communicator of what they believe.
Threatened with becoming �a nobody� if she did not pose with the outfit, she proceeded with the shoot. But when the flash went off, she said, she saw a profile of a man's face � whom she perceived as Jesus � looking at her hands and bowing his head in disappointment. Her hands were empty.
"I was trying to give something to somebody and I had nothing to give," Darrow said.
That moment marked a turning point in her life. She realized that God had given her many gifts and talents but she had wasted everything on herself. She got up the courage to walk out of the shoot.
She called her dad and pleaded, "Dad if you don't come get me I'm going to lose my soul." Immediately, Darrow's father got in his car and drove 2,000 miles from St. Louis, Mo., to New York City.
"I was a mess and even though I had made poor choices, my parents were always there for me," Darrow said, recalling her father's words: "But first, we go to confession. I'm here to take you home. You said you wanted to go home, the Church is home... Jesus is home."
"I got to that confessional and was so scared. I gave Christ every sick dark twisted secret," Darrow said. "I gave Christ everything and he gave me back mercy, compassion, peace and forgiveness. It's a pretty good deal."
�I believe that if we impregnate ourselves with the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can do so much to help this world,� Darrow said, speaking especially to the women present. �The world promises you comfort but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.�
She added: "The most photographed woman in the world was not a fashion model or an actress but Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta. One of the reasons why she was photographed so many times is because she loved and she understood what love is."
Darrow�s message resonated with some of the teens from St. Theresa School.
"When you are insecure about yourself you dress immodest to show people you are secure when you're really not," said Erin Udemberg, adding that the fashion industry doesn't help.
"There are a lot of kids who don't know what authentic love is because they have been baby-sat by the culture or whomever they are around and they learn from that person," said Maria Felix.
"Models are objectified. By wearing the right things we could change that and accept our beauty," said Amanda Merino.
The luncheon benefits the ministries and apostolates of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, who staff St. Theresa School in Coral Gables and Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in Miami.
Photographer: ANNE DIBERNARDO | FC
From left: Sylvia Mora-Ona, Carmelite Sister Caridad, principal of St. Theresa School, and Emily Hofer pose during the annual Friends of Carmel Luncheon to benefit the ministries and the apostolates of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Lost Angeles.
"We invited Leah because her message that you can be beautiful and proud while being Christ-centered at the same time is geared toward the youth," said Cris Garcia-Casals, luncheon co-chair.
In attendance were several junior high school students from St. Theresa.
Darrow, an Oklahoma native, outlined the three things needed to reclaim love: know what it is, have the courage to act on it, and finally, have a relationship with love, which is Jesus Christ.
She exposed her early regrets and the events that led to her conversion. She also discussed her views about reality TV and asked people not to watch because it does not uphold human dignity.
"My pain and my brokenness should not entertain you, nor should yours entertain me," Darrow said.
Even though she came from a loving Catholic family, she admits that she did not know what love was. She contrasted authentic love � which according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is desiring the greatest good for the beloved � to its imitation � which is glitzy, glamorous, and full of empty promises which will never fill the heart.
"At 15 I made a choice between authentic love and the imitation and I chose the imitation,� she said. �I gave away something to somebody that never deserved it. I did not understand the fullness of who I was, the greatness that I had been living with Christ and I gave myself away to something that was much lower than what I was worth.�
"You are worth that kind of love, you are worth real love,� she continued. �At 15 I didn't know that God's reality is far beyond my imagination of love or my fantasy I was trying to create for love.�
When Darrow was eliminated from the reality show, she still wanted to prove her worth in the world. She continued modeling, although she slowly started to realize there is something more to life than being pretty and famous and having a lot of money.
Her epiphany came when she went to a fashion shoot for an international magazine and felt uncomfortable with the clothes they asked her to wear. She stressed that what people wear is a powerful communicator of what they believe.
Threatened with becoming �a nobody� if she did not pose with the outfit, she proceeded with the shoot. But when the flash went off, she said, she saw a profile of a man's face � whom she perceived as Jesus � looking at her hands and bowing his head in disappointment. Her hands were empty.
"I was trying to give something to somebody and I had nothing to give," Darrow said.
Photographer: ANNE DIBERNARDO | FC
Keynote speaker Leah Darrow explains the three things one must do to reclaim love in the world.
She called her dad and pleaded, "Dad if you don't come get me I'm going to lose my soul." Immediately, Darrow's father got in his car and drove 2,000 miles from St. Louis, Mo., to New York City.
"I was a mess and even though I had made poor choices, my parents were always there for me," Darrow said, recalling her father's words: "But first, we go to confession. I'm here to take you home. You said you wanted to go home, the Church is home... Jesus is home."
"I got to that confessional and was so scared. I gave Christ every sick dark twisted secret," Darrow said. "I gave Christ everything and he gave me back mercy, compassion, peace and forgiveness. It's a pretty good deal."
�I believe that if we impregnate ourselves with the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can do so much to help this world,� Darrow said, speaking especially to the women present. �The world promises you comfort but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness.�
She added: "The most photographed woman in the world was not a fashion model or an actress but Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta. One of the reasons why she was photographed so many times is because she loved and she understood what love is."
Darrow�s message resonated with some of the teens from St. Theresa School.
"When you are insecure about yourself you dress immodest to show people you are secure when you're really not," said Erin Udemberg, adding that the fashion industry doesn't help.
"There are a lot of kids who don't know what authentic love is because they have been baby-sat by the culture or whomever they are around and they learn from that person," said Maria Felix.
"Models are objectified. By wearing the right things we could change that and accept our beauty," said Amanda Merino.
Photographer: ANNE DIBERNARDO | FC
Sixth and seventh grade students from St. Theresa and Epiphany schools in Miami who heard former model Leah Darrow speak at the Friends of Carmel luncheon included, from left: Gianna Esposito, Alessia Guerrazzi, Camille Castellon, Melissa Herrero, and Diber Marie DiGregorio.
