Couple to Couple League

May Your Legacy Give Glory to God

Written by Jason Staas. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2022. Considering the lives of the Saints, it is easy to get caught up in the legacy of their thoughts, words, and deeds. For example, the heroic act of virtue of St. Gianna Molla in choosing the life of her daughter over her own, or…

CCL Volunteers Today

Written by Mike Manhart. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2022. One of the most important reasons for CCL’s 50+ years of service is our volunteers. Few organizations that depend on volunteers can match the strength and commitment of CCL volunteers. Our average length of service for Teaching Couples is 16.8 years and for Promoters…

Three Marian Images of Pregnancy

Written by S.J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. There is a temptation to grow weary of the familiar. We see so many images of the Virgin Mary that they can begin to blur and lose significance. There’s also a temptation to tire of the familiarity of domestic life, especially in a culture that devalues…

The Impact of Teaching Couples Together

Written by Jim Volpe. Originally published in Family Foundations. In marriage, two people become greater than they would be separately, joining together and leading to an abundance of life and love. It is a pleasure to work together and volunteer my time with my wife as we help other couples to have joy filled marriages…

Best Kept Secret for a Healthy Marriage

Written by Anne Marie Williams. Originally published in Family Foundations. Natural family planning played an integral role in CCL teaching couple Linda and David Ulmer’s decision to convert to the Catholic faith. Linda first learned about NFP in college during a Marriage and Family class at the Baptist university she attended, though she was told…

Responsible Parenthood

Written by Mike Manhart. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2022. By the time you are reading this, the Diocese of St Augustine, FL, will have a new bishop. A new bishop the CCL community knows well – Fr. Erik Pohlmeier. I had the honor of attending his Ordination and Installation on July 22 with…

Parenting in a Gender Confused World

Written by Anne Marie Williams. Originally published in Family Foundations CCL couples already know that our current culture is confused to the core about what it means to be a man or a woman. Many parents feel at a loss on how best to approach discussions about gender with their children in a way that…

Stress and Success in Postpartum

Written by Anne Marie Williams. Originally published in Family Foundations The postpartum period is uniquely full of the emotional highs of welcoming new life into the world as well as certain stresses like sleeplessness, round-the-clock caregiving, and adjustment of expectations between husband and wife. Couples practicing natural family planning and seeking to avoid pregnancy encounter…

Especially the Shoes…

Written by Sharon Drees, CCL volunteer. The best things in life are almost never the big things we plan for—big changes, big purchases, the gaining of great power or prestige. In my experience, the best things in life are in the little moments of love and the small details that surround them that no one…

God’s Plans and Family Planning

Interview by Anne Marie Stroud. Originally published in Family Foundations. FF: Tell us a little about how your husband Colin and you met and started out on your journey of marriage. Despite only living only an hour and a half apart, Colin and I did not meet until we were both in Florida, attending college.…