Real Couples’ Stories
Support the Church, Build the Family
By Savanna Duca for Family Foundations magazine. “This will never work,” said Stacy after meeting Sean at Franciscan University and learning they had rival football teams. Yet, with grace and hard work, the Martins have been married 22 years and have six kids, even while Stacy cheers for the Browns and Sean roots for the…
Read MoreStrong Family, Strong Church
By Savanna Duca for Family Foundations magazine. In San Francisco, Sean and Christina Sullivan are welcoming their fourth child, affectionately deemed “Baby Schmuffin” by their three girls, this fall. “While slightly unexpected, this pregnancy has brought such joy and excitement to our family,” Sean shared. “Big Sisters (10, 7, and 5) are so excited and…
Read More“Wait, Do You Only Have Two Kids?”
Written by Lisa Cotter. Originally published in Family Foundations. Can you remember the first time someone explained what the little phrase “being open to life” means in the Catholic world? I know I can. It was at youth group in high school and I remember thinking, “Okay, but I bet nobody actually follows that.” I…
Read MoreClimbing a Lifelong Ladder of Trust
Written by S. J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. You’ve probably heard of our third couple, popular Catholic writer Emily Stimpson Chapman and her husband Chris. A new-ish mom of three, Emily graced the PeakDay podcast recently to share the couple’s adoption story. When Emily and Chris married in their 40s, they hoped for…
Read MoreDiscerning in Love and Generosity
By S. J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. Discerning responsible parenting starts with prayer, but practical steps are handy too. Gabi and Marshall Boyland, an NFP teaching couple in Boise, Idaho, have a plethora of tips. The couple fell in love during college at Montana State University. While Gabi was initially skeptical about NFP,…
Read MorePrayerfully Discerning With NFP
Written for Family Foundations magazine by Celine Gaeta. Ted and Kimberly Goll live near Denver, CO, and have been a Couple to Couple League NFP teaching couple for years. Responsible parenthood has not only been an important principle for their life choices, but it is an integral part of their mission and message when teaching…
Read MoreA New Generation: Pro-Life and Pro-NFP
Written by S.J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. Part 1 of a 2 Part Series. A parent’s impact reverberates for generations. In three interviews across three states, I heard testimonies as to what a difference it makes when parents share with their children about the goodness of life and Natural Family Planning (NFP). These…
Read MoreEvangelizing with NFP and the Gospel of Life
Written by Anne Marie Stroud. Originally published in Family Foundations. Having initially come from two different faith backgrounds, Brendan and Heather Murphy found the Catholic Church teachings on NFP were an ecumenical foundation that brought them closer together. It was through the loving evangelization of an NFP instructor that they came to embrace the teaching…
Read MoreTruly Living the NFP Lifestyle
Written by Anne Marie Stroud. Originally published in Family Foundations. NFP is always countercultural, but today’s young married couples face pressures from media, friends, and even family to contracept and close the door to life. There’s definitely a gap that needs to be filled in showing newlyweds the goodness of self-gift through NFP and openness…
Read MoreNewlywed and New to NFP (Part 2)
Written by S.J. Duca. Originally published in Family Foundations. Annie and Matt are the second couple featured in this two part series, where newlyweds share about their journey to the altar, their Natural Family Planning (NFP) experience, and what excites them most about Couple to Couple League’s new PeakDay app. ( You can read the…
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