Natural Family Planning Awareness July 25-31

“To have … To hold … To honor, Natural Family Planning, Supporting God’s gifts of love and life in marriage” is the theme of this year’s National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, an educational campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to celebrate God’s vision for marriage and promote the methods of Natural Family Planning.

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a general title for ethical, natural, safe and effective methods for both achieving and avoiding pregnancy in marriage. NFP methods teach couples how to observe and interpret the wife’s signs of fertility and infertility. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, NFP methods “respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them and favor the education of an authentic freedom.” (CCC, no. 2370)

The dates of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week are July 25–31, 2021. These dates highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae vitae (July 25), which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, marriage, conjugal love and responsible parenthood.  

The Office of Marriage and Family Life joins with the U.S. bishops in highlighting the benefits of NFP as ethical methods to help married couples live God’s design for their marriages. Gabriela Ross, director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and her staff can assist couples in learning more about NFP. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the general title for the scientific, natural, and moral methods of family planning that can help married couples either achieve or postpone pregnancy, basing the NFP methods on observing the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.

NFP allows couples to freely embrace the importance of the Church's teachings on marriage and in what manner both husband and wife are called to understand and live God's design for married love—this will give them countless blessings! NFP methods promote a holistic approach to family planning which both respects procreation and has the potential to deepen the intimacy of husband and wife. Ross states, "Natural Family Planning (NFP) reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving nature of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife."

Want to learn more about the methods of NFP offered in our diocese? See, www.archindy.org/marriageandfamily or visit the NFP section of the USCCB website at: usccb.org/nfp.

Learn NFP in the comfort of your home by contacting one of the NFP providers listed at usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning/nfp-distance-learning.

The Catholic Church invites all the faithful to embrace God’s plan for married love. Learn more about these beautiful teachings which support the use of NFP in marriage at usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning/church-teaching.

Please join the diocesan NFP team to spread the word about God’s design for married love and the gift of life as well as the methods of NFP! Contact us to get involved at (812) 357-5533 or email www.info@myparishfamily.church.