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Diocese encourages couples to learn NFP methods

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

The Diocese of Sioux City wants to promote and bring more information to couples about Natural Family Planning (NFP).

Natural Family Planning Awareness Week is July 25-31 this year. The dates of this week highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) and mark the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother.

“We are starting to push hard to promote NFP and bring awareness to couples of the diocese,” said Sean Martin, director of religious education, family life and youth and young adult ministry for the diocese.

Natural Family Planning is a means of either achieving or avoiding pregnancy based upon a couple’s knowledge of their cyclic fertility and infertility.

“We are going to try to bring different methods of NFP to the diocese so we have more options for the couples,” said Karmen Bower, assistant director of religious education and family life. “We would also like to push education about NFP by having opportunities for people to come and learn about it in different ways.”

A proposal has been sent to Bishop R. Walker Nickless about the possibility of having parish missions focused on NFP. Martin said that he would like to send Bower to parishes to distribute information and give talks about NFP.

“What we are looking for are people who are interested in becoming teachers so that we can train our married and engaged couples,” said Martin.

He said that over the last year the segment about NFP at the diocesan engaged classes has been changed from a brief talk to an hour-long talk. At the end of the talk the various methods of NFP are promoted.

“In our society today, there is a contraception mentality, that our fertility is bad,” said Martin. “The church teaches that our fertility is a gift from God and it is very good. There is a purpose for it. There is a purpose for marriage, which is a loving union and being open to the possibility of life.”

The goal, said Bower, is to prepare couples for “holy, happy marriages. The church has everything we need to do that.”

“Part of that is educating the couples so they can become aware of the church’s guidance and to come to a full understanding so they can really live out their marriage vows in the fullest way possible,” she said.

In the diocese there are trained teachers in Carroll, Sioux City and Emmetsburg who teach the Creighton Model (CrM) Fertility Care System (Hilgers).

“We are very blessed to have them because they are medical professionals and highly trained to deal with any kind of fertility issues in a moral naturalistic way,” said Martin.

There are many other methods of NFP including Couple to Couple League (CCL), the Novuscor-Fertility Management Program and the Billings Method.

“There are groups and programming out there that will teach you how to do a particular method,” said Martin.

“We are promoting Novuscor-Fertility Management Program in which a program receives an hour training and they purchase the software application. The software charts and interprets for you.”

Other groups are also developing software to chart fertility.
The diocese recently received information from the Couple to Couple League (CCL) about their Spanish NFP program.

“It would be ideal to be able to offer that [NFP] in Spanish,” said Martin. “Perhaps one of our Spanish speaking parishes has a couple who would want to be trained to be able to teach it.”

He said it is important for married couples to learn and practice NFP because “you are truly doing what God had intended you to do. In so doing, you have a joy-filled, happy, holy marriage and experience true freedom.”

Martin and Bower are open to going to parishes to give informational sessions on NFP for married and engaged couples.

“We strongly encourage married couples to step up to be a teaching couple. If it is in their heart to be a teaching couple they can contact Karmen,” said Martin.

Bower challenges parishioners of the diocese to read Humanae Vitae and study it to come to a better understanding of the church’s teaching.

For more information or to schedule a time for Karmen Bower to give an informational talk at your parish, contact Bower at karmenb @scdiocese.org or (712) 233-7532.

NFP TEACHERS in Northwest Iowa
CARROLL
   Becky Behrens RN FCP 712.669.3510  (Creighton Model)
   Introductory sessions every  other month or by request
   Classes scheduled upon request.
EMMETSBURG
   Colleen Hart (FCP)
   Phone: 712-852-3198
   Classes scheduled upon request
SIOUX CITY
   Mercy Medical Center
   Dr. Jonathan Taylor, DO - Medical Director
      Certified Fertility Care Practioners
         Mary Egan & Donna Vondrak (CFCP)
         Barbara Dolan & Lisa Willis (RN - FCP)

One-hour introductory sessions are offered twice a month or by special request. All teaching done privately. Please call to pre-register. Phone: (712) 279.2048.