United in Prayer: 54-Day Rosary Novena
This June, Couple to Couple League invites all CCL staff, students, volunteers, benefactors, and friends to join together in prayer as we celebrate 55 years of teaching God’s plan for marriage and family life. Beginning June 1 at 12:15 pm ET, we will pray a 54-day Rosary Novena LIVE online, leading up to our anniversary celebration and the 58th anniversary of Humanae Vitae on July 25th, during the USCCB’s NFP Awareness Week.
For more than five decades, CCL has worked to proclaim the beauty of Natural Family Planning and the wisdom of God’s design for married love. Our mission has always been rooted in the truth so courageously defended in Humanae Vitae, the landmark encyclical written by St. Pope Paul VI in 1968. At a time of enormous cultural change, St. Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the dignity of human life, the sacredness of marriage, and God’s loving plan for fertility, while warning of the consequences of separating love from life through artificial birth control.
Yet St. Pope Paul VI was not only a courageous teacher of truth. He was also a man deeply devoted to Our Lady and the power of the Rosary.
Power of the Rosary
Throughout his papacy, he encouraged the faithful to turn to Mary as a model of Christian holiness and trust. He frequently spoke about Marian devotion, visited Marian shrines, and proclaimed Mary “Mother of the Church” at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. In his apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus, he called the Rosary a prayer especially suited for families and for meditation on the life of Christ.
The rosary is a devotion that, through the Blessed Mother, leads us to Jesus. Saint Pope Paul VI
It is fitting, then, that as we give thanks for 55 years of CCL’s ministry inspired by Humanae Vitae, we do so through prayer with Our Lady. The Rosary has long strengthened marriages, families, and hearts seeking peace amid a noisy world. Through this 54-day Novena, we ask for Our Lady’s intercession for CCL, for the couples we serve, and for future generations searching for authentic love, truth, and hope through NFP.
We invite you to join us beginning June 1 at 12:15 pm ET by praying the Rosary daily with the CCL Staff as part of this 54-day Novena.
You can sign up here for the calendar reminder and prayer intentions.
Whether you have taught for decades, recently learned NFP, supported CCL financially, or simply believe in the mission of strengthening marriages and families, your prayers matter. Together, let us thank God for the countless lives touched through this ministry and entrust the future of CCL to the loving care of Our Lady.
Share Your Rosary Story
Have you experienced the power of the Rosary in your marriage, family, or personal life? As we pray together during our 54-day Rosary Novena, we would love to hear your story. Whether it was a moment of peace, healing, guidance, protection, or answered prayer, your witness may encourage others in their faith. Please send us a few lines or a short reflection or testimony to share with the CCL community. The most inspiring story will win a beautiful CCL rosary!
Written by Martha Haenni, Assistant Editor for Family Foundations magazine, a quarterly benefit to our benefactors and supporters.