Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, July 24-30, is an educational campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that celebrates God’s design for married love and the gift of life and raises awareness about Natural Family Planning (NFP) methods.
This year’s theme focuses on the joy that accompanies marital love lived fully and authentically.
NFP Week dates highlight the anniversary of Pope St. Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae vitae (July 25, 1968), which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, marriage, conjugal love and responsible parenthood.
“People often associate Humanae vitae only with the Catholic Church’s ban of contraception,” said Jennifer Fullin, diocesan NFP coordinator, “yet it says so much more about giving married love the respect it deserves. Through their mutual gift of themselves, married couples share a love which is generous, faithful and fruitful.”
Natural Family Planning methods allow couples to safeguard the fullness of married love, respecting both its unitive and procreative natures.
“Unlike contraception, NFP uses ethical methods to help married couples live God’s design for their marriages,” Fullin said. “Through NFP education, couples learn to recognize the naturally fertile and infertile times of the woman’s cycle and use that knowledge to optimize conceiving or postponing pregnancy.”
Couples wanting to learn more about the methods of NFP offered in our diocese can go online (www.columbuscatholic.org/nfp) to find basic information about NFP, the different models of NFP and suggestions for how to select a method that suits their lifestyle.
Classes are available in English and Spanish from local certified teachers who offer flexible in-person and online options.
Nationally, Catholic Couples NFP No-Cost Program (www.ccnfp.org) connects married couples with certified teachers who provide online instruction. This program partners with My Catholic Doctor, a nationwide network of Catholic professionals available to patients through telehealth, home visits and office referrals.
Specialists are available to treat women’s health issues, including PMS, abnormal bleeding and infertility (mycatholicdoctor.com/family-planning-fertility-care/).
Please join the diocesan NFP team of teachers, promoters and health professionals to spread the word about God’s design for married love and the gift of life as well as the methods of NFP. Contact Fullin at the Marriage and Family Life Office: (614) 241-2560, Ex. 3, or jfullin@columbuscatholic.org.