Natural Family Planning

NFP Seminar: Bringing It Home

NFP Seminar: Bringing It Home

Date:     August 3, 2010      Tuesday's seminar is for those with responsibility for faith 
                                                 formation, marriage preparation, and reproductive care. 
                                                 Especially invited are priests, deacons, seminarians, youth
                                                 leaders, physicians and other health care workers and
                                                 teachers and users of all methods of NFP.

               August 4, 2010      Wednesday is a work bee for current NFP teachers.

Location:                                Diocesan Pastoral Center, Gaylord, MI

Time:                                       8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Cost:                                        $ 10.00

The goals of the seminar are to:

• broaden the knowledge base of participants regarding the theological principles, the practical aspects and clinical principals of NFP
• provide an opportunity for professional interaction
• stimulate interest and recruitment of more NFP teachers
  

Brochure and Registration 

Seminar trains new NFP instructors

Today's families are facing challenges that former ages did not have to meet.  To help address these challenges, eight women and men recently met for three days at the Dicesan Pastoral Center in Gaylord to learn how to teach the ovulation method of natural family planning.

This method is not the old rhythm or temperature method, but teaches a couple to recognize the sighs signaling fertility.  It is easy to learn and can be used to achieve or postpone pregnancy without harmful effects to the woman's body.  The Ovulation method has proven to be 98-99 percent effective in postponing pregnancy in worldwide studies with women from a wide range of educational, social and cultural backgrounds.

These eight instructors are available throughout the diocese to talk to men and women, in groups or individually to teach them the ovulation method. Unlike artificial means, it does not cost anything and the woman has the certainty that she is not harming herself or her baby.  For more information contact one of these instructors:

Alpena Vicariate-Laurie Mousseau  989.354.3019

Cheboygan Vicariate-Jennifer Bartlett  231.625.8230

Gaylord Vicariate-Rod and Kathy Bragg  989.731.1167 

Petoskey Vicariate-Janet Hagadorn  989.732.3757

Traverse City Vicariate-Greg and Elisha Robinson  231.943.4189

Hispanic Ministry-Silvia Cortes-Lopez  231.929.4738

Doctor Consultants are Jaci Fitzgerald, DO, Harrisville  989.736.6020 and Lynn Swan, MD, Traverse City 231.938.8938 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Just Semantics?

Contraception or Abortifacient Procedures

Many women appreciated the pill, the shot, the patch, and hormonal interventions because they create lighter periods. This is a result of the thinning of the lining of the uterus. Break-through ovulation occurs when using one of these devices from 30 to 65% of the time. It takes 6 to 9 days on average for the newly formed human to travel from the fallopian tube to the lining of the uterus. Unfortunately, when he or she arrives, the lining is too thin, and there is an early abortion before the woman realizes she is pregnant. The progestin and estrogen actually interfere with the pregnancy by changing the lining of the uterus so that a newly conceived child cannot implant in the womb. She might notice that her period is late or heavier than usual, that there is increased cramping, or some other sign that is different than her usual 3-5 day light flow caused by the hormonal contraception. (However, the IUD acts as an abortifacient most of the time.) The child is flushed out through the uterus and appears as a heavy period. When she learns the truth and then thinks back and prays about it, she might have an intuitive sense that she has lost a child. This new version of the pill that was now supposedly safer for the mom was clearly more dangerous for the babies being conceived.

Another woman's story:

I am very angry that my doctor never explained the true nature of contraception when he prescribed birth control. My periods are like clockwork, and when I was getting the Depo-Provera shot there were three times that my period was late. When I called my doctor's office, concerned about my late periods, the nurse explained that I should not worry and that it was normal. They assured me that I would get my period. Well, I did get my period...after my child starved to death. I found out years later how this type of contraception works, and my heart is just sick. My periods were late because I was pregnant. My period was delayed until the baby had died because it could not attach properly to my uterus to be nourished.

Unfortunately, many women who would never consider a surgical abortion now use low-dose birth control pills that may cause them to abort a new life on an average of once or twice a year. (Information taken from "The Contraception of Grief, The Genesis of Anguish Conceived by Abortifacients and Sterilization" by Theresa Burke, Ph.D

Advantages of Natural Family Planning

Resources