Father John Szada, a Roman Catholic priest and University alumnus, presented to about 40 people in Willard Building Wednesday night a spiritual view on healthy loving topics such as contraception.

"We wanted to give a different perspective on what healthy loving means," said Joe Shenosky, Newman Catholic Student Association secretary and organizer of the speech.

The speech was not associated with the University's Healthy Loving Week, but the group did specifically plan it to coincide with the week.

Szada, who graduated from Penn State in 1973, is the Catholic chaplain at York Hospital and Spiritual Director of the World Family Apostlate of Fatima for the Diocese of Harrisburg. He also studies at York College.

Szada spoke on topics from birth control to drug abuse. Although the audience was mainly Newman Catholic Student Association members, the discussion became heated at times as audience members played devil's advocates.

"Artificial contraception is not wrong because the Catholic Church says it is wrong -- the Catholic Church says it's wrong because it's wrong," Szada explained.

"By simple logic, not church rules or anything else, if I choose to use artificial contraception, I am destroying, at the very root, what (the sexual act) is intended to be," he said.

Although natural family planning may be an alternative to contraception, it can often be just as bad, he said.

Szada said that when a couple uses natural family planning to avoid having a child they destroy the meaning of the sexual act. However, he said it is permissable if a pregnancy could be fatal for the mother.

Szada also said the world is now problem-filled and non-Christian.

"I feel that love is probably the most misunderstood concept in the world today. Love masquerades under so many disguises and no one seems to know what it is," he said.

This misunderstanding often results in failed marriages and sexual promiscuity, Szada said.

"Because we have lost hold of the meaning of love, what we have done is look for its best substitute, which has turned out to be sex," he said.

Audience members said they enjoyed Szada's speech.

"I think he is a very good speaker, and a very good guy. I think a lot of the things he says are accurate," said Andy Sicree (graduate-geochemistry).

"He really articulated Catholic teaching very well," Shenosky said.