The Difference Between Information and Formation
When we were newlyweds and practicing NFP, we joined our first parish as a married couple. I was excited to learn there was a pro-life committee and eagerly joined, hoping to promote Natural Family Planning. Sadly, no one seemed interested. It would be another five years before we became a Teaching Couple. Now, 30 years later, this pro-life ministry is needed just as much.
I smile when my husband shares his perspective on learning NFP with our students. He says he “went to the library to find books about women’s health and learn a natural method of family planning.” I imagine them thinking,” Why didn’t he just Google it?” Because Google didn’t exist yet! Thankfully, we learned about the natural fertility biomarkers of mucus and temperature, and our parish had a brochure from CCL.
Today, women track their cycles on apps and receive fertility data from wearable devices. The health device industry has exploded, giving women detailed fertility information. But what do they do with it?
Information vs Formation
Fertility awareness methods can teach a woman how her body works. They are morally neutral. Natural Family Planning teaches a couple how to live with that knowledge. One provides data; the other forms a marriage.
This is why the Couple to Couple League is so vital today. Couples need more than information; they need formation in responsible parenthood. Many fertility awareness methods help women understand their cycles, but they do not necessarily guide couples in living that knowledge within marriage. The main CCL NFP class integrates the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood and the Theology of the Body, presenting fertility education within God’s design for love and life.
The couple-to-couple aspect of our classes remains essential to building strong marriages and Christian families. In a world of online answers, couples still long for personal witness. Students say they most value hearing how the Teaching Couple lives NFP. They desire strong marriages and look to those who have walked before them.
Our live classes continue to fill, with more Teaching Couples offering classes this year than in the previous five. If you were a Teaching Couple, you can teach again. We have a re-certification program to help you return quickly. Your witness is needed.
Authentic Witness
This growing desire for authentic witness in marriage is not just about learning a method—it is about forming hearts and homes that are open to life. NFP becomes more than a practice—it becomes a powerful witness within the pro-life movement. To continue to build the culture of life, I pray more couples will know and practice NFP.
Written by Stacey Nagle. Stacey and her husband, Adrian, live in Colorado and have practiced the Sympto-Thermal method from CCL since 1996 after learning while engaged to be married. She has been a Teaching Couple at CCL alongside her husband since 2003. Stacey now serves as National Volunteer Coordinator for CCL and FSI Coach and instructor.
Why is NFP so important? Take the Natural Plan course for a quick intro. Learn Natural Family Planning – as an engaged couple or as a married couple.