NFP Program, USCCB | December 2019 | Vol. 1, No. 2
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DIRECTOR'S DESK
Dear Diocesan NFP Coordinators,
Advent blessings!
As you know, Natural Family Planning (NFP) ministry exists in the Catholic dioceses as part of the Church's pastoral care of married men and women. The goal of this work is to help husbands and wives understand, accept, cherish, and honor God's gifts of love and life.
In this second issue of the NFP News Feed, we have end-of-the-year updates, upcoming NFP events--especially an interesting international conference in Africa, resources, and items of interest.
May the Lord God bless you, your families, and your ministry in this season of hope! And may you find Christ born anew in your hearts this Christmas season!
God bless!
Theresa
Theresa Notare, PhD
Assistant Director
Natural Family Planning Program
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th St., N. E.
Washington, DC 20017
202-541-3240
nfp@usccb.org
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Remember
that we will send the link for the annual diocesan NFP survey (
Profile
) in January. Please look for the announcement! We hope to have the participation of 100 dioceses. And, we intend to provide you with a ten-year report after we compile the 2019 data. As we move forward, we will shorten the survey for easier use.
Prayers are needed!
Please pray for the success of a by-invitation-only national NFP Leaders' Summit that will happen on July 8-10, 2020. Our USCCB staff and NFP consultants are hard at work on planning the agenda for the national NFP providers which we hope will strengthen NFP ministry in the country and result in more effective support for you in the dioceses.
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Family of the Americas
teacher training in the Diocese of Wichita. This three-day teacher training is in the cervical mucus method. To register, contact Martina Holmes, martina.nfp@gmail.com; 1-316-833-3333. Additional information, Becky Knapp, Diocese of Wichita,
Program Coordinator of NFP, Office of Marriage & Family Life, 1-316-685-5240;
https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org.
WOOMB International
in collaboration with PFNGC, WOOMB Benin will co-sponsor an educational conference (March 6-8) and Billings' teacher training (March 9-11) in Cotonou, Benin (west Africa). Visit the
website
and consider attending.
https://woombconferencebenin2020.com/fr/index.php
The American Academy of Fertility
Care
Professionals
will hold their 2020 meeting in Clayton, MO on July 22-25. See their website
here
to learn more.
Please send us information about your NFP events. We will feature them in this newsletter and
post them here
to share on the USCCB website!
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Did you know that the USCCB has many resources that teach about the unique nature of marriage? Podcasts, free videos, blogs, and more can be found at
Marriage Unique for a Reason
!
While we are thinking about
Humanae vitae
, Janet Smith published another useful resource called
Why Humanae Vitae is Still Right
. That would make another meaningful stocking stuffer for someone special this Christmas season!
Need a great web resource to refer your NFP couples to? Take a look at
Off the Charts
. Jenny Uebbing (from the Archdiocese of Denver) founded this amazing website to provide on-going pastoral help to NFP users. We joined just to be a part of this faithful, warm, intelligent, and extremely practical virtual community. A subscription fee is charged for full access to the community. More information? Contact
offthecharts@gmail.com
.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre
is having a sale on their video resources. The
marriage
video integrates Church teaching while featuring couples at different stages of their lives. The
NFP videos
are not method specific. They offer a general overview of the science, benefits for the couples' relationship, and Church teaching in the couples' stories (a
study guide
is also available). The
Spanish language video
features Hispanic couples and a
study guide
as well. These "oldies but goodies" are classic! They are helpful for your pastoral educational efforts. Contact
In 2020, watch for a report in this news feed about the
Diocese of Green
Bay's
new "healing prayer" training for NFP teachers. Coordinator, Todd Phillips notes that they are currently working to design training to facilitate appropriate healing prayer in diocesan NFP instruction. The goal is for their NFP teachers to also support the couple's vocation. They want their teachers to pray with and for their clients especially when the couples have medical issues, difficulty conceiving, or challenging marital issues. As a past NFP poster once said--"NFP is good for the body and great for the soul!" More later...
Are we ready to give CCL staff an
NFP prize
for most fun resources
? (
Just kidding, and ok, in this format, I really can't resist levity!
) Do take a look at their short
NFP couple witness videos
. They are terrific! I particularly like this one about how
a couple discovered NFP
. (Tn)
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NOTE: If you have been looking for
Current Medical Research on the USCCB website, past issues up to 2017 are posted
here. We are in the process of finding a new editor and do not have 2018 or 2019 issues. Thank you for your patience!
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Another reason to say "NO!" to the pill--new research shows that hormonal contraception shrinks an important part of a woman's brain (hypothalamus)
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The Diocese of Arlington launched a vibrant and "oh-so-simple" spiritual campaign that can be adapted for use in your diocese. If you are interested in the campaign contact
Thérèse Bermpohl
, Director, Office of Marriage, Family, and Respect Life.
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The Gift of Children
.
What better time than in Advent to reflect on the gift of children! Read this remarkable statement issued in November by a private group of Evangelicals and Catholics. It reminds us of the importance to treasure God's gifts to men and women and to work for Christian unity!
As we consider the gift of children, let us not forget those who have trouble conceiving. Read about a
couple's experience with infertility
in an interview conducted by a FACTS intern. If you have not done so already, find appropriate ways to offer pastoral care fo
r couples who experience infertility.
“When a child is given to his parents, a crown is made for that child in Heaven, and woe to the parents who raise a child without consciousness of that eternal crown!”
Fulton J. Sheen,
Life Is Worth Living
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Cycle Tips and Women's Reproductive Health
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NFP ministry can be hard. When we have those moments of grace however, we are reminded of why we said "yes" to the Lord God's call. Do you have a "best NFP story" that you can share with your colleagues? Send it to us and we can include it in the next NFP News Feed. We know you must have some really good stories to share!
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Thank you for your many efforts to promote God's gifts of
marriage, love and life!
May the Lord God continue to help you do His will now
and in the New Year!
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