marriage Archives

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.…

Teaching Our Children to Love Jesus

Resources for Teaching Kids About Mass Written by Melissa Gorely, CCL & FSI Staff Writer Teaching our children to love Jesus present at every Holy Mass in the consecrated bread that becomes his Body not only forms them in the Catholic faith, it also reminds them of the special gift and dignity of their own…

Making Straight the Path

Written by Katie Zulanas, Executive Director. In a “post-Roe” world, we have been inspired by and are asking for the intercession of John the Baptist as we “make straight the paths” to learning and living the NFP lifestyle. From his first powerful witness, when he leapt in the womb of his mother in greeting Mary…

Life Has Won

Written by Katie Zulanas, Executive Director. As I write this, I see the proclamation “Life has won!” and there is cause to rejoice with the overturning of Roe v Wade, and in my mind some acknowledgement can be made to the steadfast work of the members of the Couple to Couple League. Despite seemingly overwhelming…

Our Family’s Journey with NFP

Originally Published in Family Foundations. Milton and Sandra Garcia share this witness talk with thecouples they teach in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Sandra is a bilingual FSI Coach as well. Sandra: We started as friends, members of the same youth group of our parish. Friendship turned into love and after about two years of dating, we…

Better Marriage Because of NFP

Originally Published in Family Foundations Colleen: I attended Catholic schools which is where I heard about the Church’s teaching against contraception and that there was something called NFP. I didn’t really understand either, but knowing the teaching laid the foundation for my moral conscience. TJ: I went to public schools but was raised in a…

The Fruits of CCL in Hawaii

Written by Anne Marie Williams You are no doubt aware that the Couple to Couple League method often leads naturally to family growth. But embracing the method’s emphasis on service and self-gift regularly yields fruitfulness, growth, and evangelization far beyond users’ immediate families, impacting whole communities and future generations. Here, is the first of a…

A New Way of Teaching with Self-Paced Students

CCL Teaching couple, Colleen O’Rourke, shares her experiences of mentoring self-paced students using the CycleProGo App. Colleen O’Rourke has been married to her husband Tom for 25 years and lives in Mason, Ohio with their 4 children, ages 15 to 22. Tom and Colleen have been teaching with CCL for 20 years, mentoring couples and…

Joy Amidst Uncertainty: A Covid Wedding

Marriage Planning “It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know it has begun. A thousand heralds proclaim it to the listening air, a thousand messengers betray it to the eye,” says the poet Longfellow. What a glorious time–to be newly in love and looking forward to beginning…

More Evidence that Periodic Abstinence is Good for Marriage

New research confirms that despite the challenge of periodic abstinence, the use of natural family planning can be beneficial for marital relationships. The study, “Natural Family Planning and Marital Chastity: The Effects of Periodic Abstinence on Marital Relationships” (Linacre Quarterly, June 12, 2020) by Richard J. Fehring, PhD, RN, and Michael D. Manhart, PhD, found…