April 2016

St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Mother’s Sacrifice

Today we celebrate the feast day of one of CCL’s beloved patron saints, St. Gianna Beretta Molla. We honor her for her respect and esteem for marriage and motherhood, and her ultimate sacrifice of choosing her baby’s life over her own. St. Gianna’s story is quite an inspiring, yet heartbreaking one. A devout Catholic, she studied…

Children’s Book: Dear Pope Francis

I seriously love this! Last month, Loyola Press and Pope Francis published his first children’s book entitled Dear Pope Francis. It’s actually the first children’s book ever published by a pope. Letters for the pope were gathered from children across the globe and 30 were selected to be answered and placed in the book. These questions ranged…

How About Some Earth Day Props for NFP?

When was the last time you were astounded by the beauty of nature? It happened to me by surprise last weekend when a friend and I stumbled upon an Earth Day Fair at a local park. To be honest Earth Day isn’t something I celebrate or anticipate, so the eco-friendly exhibitors and vendors didn’t hold…

Abstaining from Frustration

From the Family Foundations archives * * * * by Dr. Gregory K. Popcak NFP couples talk a lot about the blessings abstinence brings. Some talk about SPICE (using the abstinence times to pursue Spiritual, (non-sexual) Physical, Intellectual, Creative, and Emotional intimacy) and there is something to this. Couples who know how to manage Phase…

Facing a Phase II Honeymoon

From the Family Foundations archives * * * * For the many engaged couples enrolled in an NFP class, one of the biggest concerns is facing a honeymoon that falls during the fertile time of the cycle. That calls for a lot of prayerful discernment, especially if you were…

CCL and the Year of Mercy: April

Our apologies, readers, for missing the March Year of Mercy blog post. Have mercy on our small communications staff! 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…

Trusting God, Trusting NFP

In 1931 Jesus came to visit a young Polish nun named Faustina. He appeared to her as he did in this picture, offering a gesture of peace and pointing to his heart. The red and white rays bursting forth represent the blood and water that flowed from his pierced side and serve as the foundation…

Great Time for a Fresh Start

We are almost to the end of the Easter Octave and it’s time to look ahead. We’ve rolled away the stone that was Lent, have celebrated and rejoiced in the Resurrection, and now it is time to enter into a new beginning, a new life with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Just as Easter offers…