July 2016

Guidance for a new mom

Humanae Vitae Giving Day * * * By Janet Sahm Easter I braced myself for the day our daughter arrived in this world. I say braced because I have found the arrival of new life to be a motley mash of high emotions and tests of strength – simultaneously joyful, exhausting, wonderful, miraculous…and scary. There…

‘Humanae Vitae calls us back to our real identity’

Humanae Vitae Giving Day * * * By Archbishop Charles Chaput Humanae Vitae is one of the great moral documents of the last century because it is important, beautiful, courageous and true. And we don’t need to be theologians to see why. We just need to review the record of the last 48 years. Scientists created the…

Humanae Vitae brought me back to the Church

Humanae Vitae Giving Day * * * By Tommy Tighe As your typical cradle Catholic, I made sure to go through all the motions growing up: I was an altar server, I attended CCD and I continued to attend Mass every week even while enjoying all the fun that came with attending UC Santa Barbara.…

Humanae Vitae invites us to the fullness of God’s love

’Humanae Vitae Giving Day * * * by Ann Gundlach CCL Director of Communications Welcome to our celebration of Humanae Vitae! Many today would disagree that the message of Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae is worthy of celebration. Most people who are even aware of it tend to dismiss it as old-fashioned, as the Church…

St. Bonaventure’s contributions to CCL

Today we celebrate the feast day of a saint who was known as the “Seraphic Doctor” of the Church – Saint Bonaventure. While he may not be very widely known, St. Bonaventure contributed much as a leader to the Franciscans after being healed as a young boy through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi…

The cross of NFP: Matt & Haylee

When Matt and Haylee Glassman, of Bridgeport, Conn., got married in 2010, they had big dreams. They wanted to prove the goodness and effectiveness of NFP to their families, who do not support Church teaching on marital sexuality. “We had grand plans for how we could change the sexual culture, change our families,” said Matt,…

NaPro Technology respects life

NFP can help to both avoid and achieve pregnancy. Whether this is the first time you’ve heard it or it’s already burned into your brain, it’s a pretty helpful fact! You are learning to identify the most fertile point in your cycle, letting you know the optimal time for you to get pregnant-that’s some pretty…

Woman finds natural relief for premenopausal heavy bleeding

One of the consultants at the CCL office received a thank you call the other day. Many NFPers call into our central office with special problems and circumstances that their teaching couples, or even doctors, may not be familiar with in the context of NFP and the experts we have here are always happy…

A Beautiful Friendship

There is something beautiful about friendship between a priest and a married couple. Not only do they support each other but their respective vocations are also mutually inspiring. The priest discovers in the Christian couple a community of love in which the sacred mysteries shine within the thick of human life. The couple, on the…

The Value of Conversation Starters

Fr. Emmanuel, Nicole and Bill (a young couple preparing for marriage) discuss the value of “conversation starters” (discussion questions after each chapter). As Father Emmanuel emphasizes, the questions related to teachings and stories in Your Love Story generate the kinds of discussions between couples that not only teaches but impacts their feelings about marital love…