23 Years of Teaching NFP
The Volpes in the Philadelphia suburbs have taught NFP for 23 of their 25 years of marriage, a statistic they can hardly believe. “It’s almost like I don’t need motivation,” says Jim. “The motivation is so inherent.”
Jen learned about NFP when she converted from Methodist to Catholic in college. “My grandfather was a Methodist minister, and my mom thought I might be a minister, too,” she shares. “I really wanted to make sure in joining the Church I was not only where God wanted me to be, but that I could explain to her any questions she might have. I had to be all in, that meant all in for the Church’s teachings about NFP.”
I Can Learn
When they took an NFP class before marriage, Jim, a software engineer, was immediately struck by NFP’s design. “I walked out of the first class like ‘I love it. I’m completely on board. I’m reading the whole book. We’re teaching it tomorrow. Every woman needs to know it.’” he says. Jim adds, “You learn your wife’s favorite movie and Starbucks order… This was like, ‘this is something I can learn and understand her better.’”
For Jen, it was the first time she was truly understanding her fertility functions, the class representing a stark contrast with her high school health class. She remembers, “Our first chart looked perfect and we thought, ‘This is going to be easy.’
But it wasn’t always. After marrying, they noticed Jen’s cycles were sometimes very long, sometimes short. As time went on, they went to an NFP-physician for testing, eventually identifying polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Jim says, “In a good mood, I say, ‘God blessed us with PCOS.’ Because we’ve seen all the strange cycles, and that makes us better teachers. We were there when it was an 80 day cycle or the signs didn’t look good and we had to make a decision.”
A Blessing
The two began training to become teachers even before having a child. “Back to how much I missed in health class, I knew women were not receiving information they needed,” says Jen. “And I knew the church’s teachings on NFP were a blessing. We were still in that struggle of figuring out my cycles… But we still wanted to share this with other women.”
Today, thanks in part to NFP, the Volpes have five children, aged nine to 20. Besides helping them navigate PCOS, NFP strengthened their marital bond when Jen experienced postpartum depression after their first child.
“That was a big thing and a concern that came into play later — am I going to have this again? — and giving my body and mind time to recover,” she recalls. “We had to talk about: where am I, not just physically, but mentally, on that month-to-month basis.”
Of Lasting Value
Over the years, they’ve seen many students turn to NFP due to health-related concerns, realizing they’re affected by their environment, medications. “We know personally a few women who had dangerous blood clots because of contraceptives and were looking for something else,” they say.
They’ve found NFP valuable regardless of age. “The health benefits alone are amazing. Especially to the end of your cycling years. It can really help you know what’s going on,” says Jen.
Through young couples they teach, it’s fun to remember their early days, she adds. “To see them at the beginning of this beautiful life they’re going to have… It’s just opening up for them and we get to be some small part of that.”
So if you’re looking for the Volpes, you might find them leading a parish NFP module. “They always want someone to talk about NFP,” they say. “With 23 years experience, we’re almost always the most knowledgeable people in the room.”ted. It is our responsibility to give what once was given to us.”
Written by Savanna Duca. Original article can be found in Family Foundations magazine, a quarterly benefit to our benefactors and supporters.
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