Frank & Kathryn

Kathryn: We did not learn NFP until we had been married for almost 12 years. When we went through our Pre Cana classes there was no mention of NFP. We did not know it even existed. We were married right after college and Frank was just beginning a career as an officer in the Marine Corps. We knew the church taught that contraception was wrong, but after two children born 18 months apart within our first 3 years of married life, we felt we had no other choice.

We felt a bit guilty, but justified that we had no other alternative. We knew deep down there had to be another way, but admittedly, we probably didn’t ask as many people as we should have. So we waited and prayed for something to present itself to us.

Frank: Six years after our second child was born, we decided to have more children and so we discontinued using contraception and had our third child. Our fourth came along two years after that. We began to panic a little as the last pregnancy came to an end, because we knew it would be a hardship to have more children at that particular time. We did not want to go back to using contraception. Then, one Sunday as we were reading through the church bulletin, we noticed a blurb on Natural Family Planning: a method of family planning approved by the church. A class was being offered. Finally, our prayers were answered and our searching ended.

Kathryn: We knew the family planning that we wanted to practice was in keeping with the Church. That was important to both of us. There were many changes going on at that time: Frank needed to find a new job and career, we needed a new place to live in a new state, and my health was not so good at the time. There was a lot of stress and it was important that we had a plan that was effective, workable and stress-free. So we enrolled and went to the class.

Frank: We were surprised that there was so much we did not know about Kathy’s body; amazed that the method was so simple; happy at last that we could rely on a method that was effective and in company with the Church’s teachings; and disappointed that this method had not been presented to us before. We regularly attended Mass and were active parishioners often involved in many church activities for the past 10 years. Never before had we seen any advertisement or heard any homily or talk about NFP.

So we have been practicing NFP for over 10 years. It has changed our marriage and family life in many ways. We have a greater respect for our bodies and what they are capable of. We found that NFP has opened up new lines of communication. It has helped us communicate more effectively about our faith, our values, the importance of having God in the midst of our family and marriage and has taught us a great deal about the theology of the body. In short, it has made what we thought was a great marriage – even better.