January 2016

Smartphones as Digital Contraception?

I am still struck by a blog post from a while back written by Theology of the Body Institute educator Bill Donaghy after an incident he witnessed during Pope Francis’ visit to America. The title caught my eye — Digital Contraception — and therein he tackled with beauty and insight the ever-increasing presence of technology in our lives…

Refreshing Spot of TOB in Downton Abbey

If you are a Downton Abbey fan, I’m pretty sure you have enjoyed the romance and engagement of Mr. Carson, the butler, and Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper. But what a sweet little treat it was to watch Mrs. Hughes becoming increasingly nervous about the upcoming nuptials because she wasn’t totally sure what kind of marriage Mr.…

Want to See Abortion Naturally Decline?

Tomorrow hundreds of thousands of people will face the cold of a D.C. winter — possibly even a blizzard — to participate in the annual March for Life in Washington. I salute these good people, I truly do. I am happy to pray for them and the end of legalized abortion, indoors. Perhaps that sounds…

NFP Couples Find Natural Shift to a Healthier Life

From the Family Foundations archives How NFP & better health go hand in hand By Maria Wiering Ten years ago if you would’ve told Laura Devick she’d have chickens in her garage, the newlywed would’ve laughed. But fast forward a decade, and you’ll find three chickens behind her home in downtown Fargo, N.D. –…

CCL Hosts Bay-area Teacher Training Seminar

One of our favorite things to do is hold teacher training seminars (TTS). These weekend training sessions are a boost to everyone involved, not just the couples learning but also to the CCL staff who present and those involved in the planning and promotion. These seminars are HOPEFUL — we will soon have more certified teaching…

Women Share Why They Don’t Use Birth Control

While it can sometimes seem that women who do not use contraception are few and far between, they are out there! I recently came across this Buzzfeed article with images of women displaying their reason they do not use birth control. The reasons given are across the board with some mentioning the importance of new life, the…

The Effects of an NFP Choice

For any newcomers to natural family planning (NFP), or even those who aren’t so sold on it yet, it can seem a little puzzling. Likely even daunting. This is understandable considering our culture tells us that birth control pills and devices are the “end all-be all” of preventing pregnancy. But there is another way, and sometimes couples’ actual…

CCL and the Year of Mercy: January

We continue our prayer campaign in this Year of Mercy by remembering how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines mercy: “The loving kindness, compassion, or forbearance shown to one who offends (i.e., the mercy of God to us sinners).” In the spirit of that definition, as we pray monthly for mercy in various areas…

Feeling Burdened?

OK, we are a week into the new year. Are you being bombarded with commercials and advertisements for every kind of diet and weight loss product on the market? It only makes sense because for the next few weeks — or months — depending on how long the motivation lasts, a good number of people will be…

Overcoming the Fear of Commitment

A powerful wedding homily for a young bride and groom If you want to enjoy a beautiful wedding homily, check out this text from Father Stephen Wang, the priest who married CCL members Maria and Jake Poston, the young couple featured on the cover of our new January-February issue of Family Foundations. “He gave such…