A large audience was gathered last week in the Parish Center of
Morgan Hill’s Saint Catherine Roman Catholic Church for what was
billed as
”
a family event for all ages.
”
A large audience was gathered last week in the Parish Center of Morgan Hill’s Saint Catherine Roman Catholic Church for what was billed as “a family event for all ages.”
Guest Michael Pritchard spoke on the subject “Proud to be a Catholic,” entertaining and inspiring those present, including a large contingent of teenagers.
One of the topics addressed during the quick-moving hour was anger management. “Anger held past 30 seconds is ego – let go of it,” Pritchard advised. “No one can get your goat unless you tell them where it’s tied.”
Michael Pritchard is a man of many talents and great accomplishments. Beginning with a career as a juvenile counselor at San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center, he has become a popular humorist and keynote speaker. In 1980, he won two prestigious awards: California’s Probation Officer of the Year and first place in the San Francisco International Stand Up Comedy Competition.
Offers rolled in from Hollywood, and Pritchard has appeared with performers like Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld and Whoopi Goldberg. However, he rejected the lure of a lucrative comedy career in favor of using his humor to inspire, teach communication skills, anger management, conflict resolution and overcoming stress to audiences across America.
Pritchard has developed and starred in seven educational series for PBS, among them “The Power of Choice,” “You Can Choose,” and “SOS: Saving Our Schools from Hate and Violence” (filmed after the Columbine tragedy).
He has also established the Heartland Media Foundation, a nonprofit organization which focuses on building character, resiliency, emotional intelligence, leadership skills and violence prevention. His resources have been used successfully in more than 50,000 K-12 schools.
Pritchard’s humor is reminiscent of Bill Cosby’s techniques: familiar situations, witty dialogue, the use of accents and facial expressions to drive points home. His voice is a wonderful instrument, providing his own sound effects which enhance the performance.
Although the evening was advertised for Catholics, the points made by Pritchard would be appreciated by listeners of any faith tradition.
• Fear is the little dark room where negatives are developed.
• Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered, and there was no one there.
• Courage is fear that has said a prayer.
• Life is about choices. No generation in history has had so many things to choose from: hundreds of television channels, video games, Internet sites. Being a member of a faith community can help adolescents make wise choices.
• We should not teach just tolerance and respect for those who are different. We need to teach kids to notice who is left out and to reach out to them, offering friendship and encouragement.
• Special needs kids are spies from God.
• Too many kids are studying to pass the tests, not to learn. The slogan seems to be “no child left untested.” How many times do you need to weigh a pig?
To arrange an appearance by Michael Pritchard, call 415-379-9308 or write in**@**************rd.com.
