Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life and NFP Ministry Overview

Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, Diocesan NFP Ministry and A Year of Hope

WHO ARE YOU? A Year of Hope WHAT DO YOU OFFER? Overview of the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life and Diocesan NFP Ministry WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Program Self-Reflection, Evaluation, and Identification of Goals Taking the Long View 2

Who are you? SPES NON CONFUNDIT Hope does not disappoint (Rom 5:5) A year of hope! Marriage pursuing a lasting love, creating hope for the future! Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. (no. 1) Natural Family Planning, supporting God s gifts of love and life in marriage! 3

Who are you? A year of hope! NFP ministry must be undertaken in the spirit of hope with a focus on the beauty of what God has given husband and wife in their conjugal union with its power to procreate. Marriage pursuing a lasting love, creating hope for the future! You are planting seeds of hope in the hearts of the people you encounter in NFP ministry. The practice of a method of NFP can help husband and wife deepen their relationship with each other and the Lord God. It can help them grow in openness to bringing new life into the world and building their family. Natural Family Planning, supporting God s gifts of love and life in marriage! 4

Overview of the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life and Diocesan NFP Ministry 5

Produced by the Holy Sees Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life A fruit of the 2015 Synod on the Family which also yielded the Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris laetitia Issues an urgent call for a substantial and life- long preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage Provides pastoral programming content guidelines It is the duty of the entire ecclesial community to elaborate a catechumenal pathway for marriage preparation and to offer concrete accompaniment to couples along this path. (Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, 6) 6

In marriage, husband and wife receive a specific ecclesial mission in the Sacrament of Marriage for which they need to be prepared and accompanied. (CPML, 7) Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life Quotes connected to teachings in documents of the Magisterium Humanae vitae teaches that married love is: above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. (HV, 9) total that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. (HV, 9) faithful and exclusiveof all other until death. (HV, 9) fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. (HV, 9) 7

Marriage is a vocation The conviction from which to begin for engaged couples preparing for marriage and for pastoral workers accompanying them is that marriage is not a point of arrival: it is a vocation, a path to holiness that embraces a person s entire life. (CPML, 7) Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life Pastoral leaders need to be formed well In order to effectively implement a renewed pastoral care of married life, it has now become indispensable that couples offering accompaniment, in parishes and family movements, as well as priests, already from the time of their seminary formation, and religious and consecrated men and women, be adequately formed and prepared in mutual complementarity and ecclesial co-responsibility. (CPML, 8) 8

Formation in human sexuality as designed by God is foundational Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life Several complex issues pertaining to marital sexu- ality or openness to life (such as responsible parenthood, artificial insemination, prenatal diagnosis, and other bioethical issues) have important ethical, relational, and spiritual repercussions on spouses, which require specific formation and clarity of ideas. This is so because some ways of dealing with such issues present morally problematic aspects. Accompanying couples themselves are not always able to offer proper guidance on such issues, which are indeed extremely widespread. The involvement of people with more experience in these cases is most appropriate. (CPML, 22) 9

What do you offer? Program Self-Reflection Evaluation Identification of Goals 10

Ask challenging questions such as: - Do we clearly communicate the beauty of God s design of human sexuality with its powers to form a communion of persons in spouses and bring new life into the world? What do you offer? Program Self-Reflection - In all marriage formation programs, do we strongly integrate God s divine plan for married love and the gift of life (the Why behind no contraception ) and education in the ethical methods of NFP? & Evaluation Review your current marriage and - Do we discuss why certain things and actions like contraception, direct sterilization, pornography use, etc. can harm the marital union? NFP ministry - Do we discuss Church teaching about infertility and cover why many assisted reproductive technologies are immoral? pastoral programs - Do we have strong referral lists of specific experts who can help couples? 11

Catechumenal Pathways says about marriage preparation: What do you offer? The program should last for a period of time sufficient to allow couples to truly reflect and mature (CPML, 16) Identification of Goals Begin with marriage preparation NFP education should be part of this reflection especially because its benefits include helping spouses to plan and postpone pregnancies as well as deepen their communication and strengthen their relationship. An introduction to NFP can be integrated into a marriage preparation program. A full- course of NFP is better since it prepares couples over a sufficient period so that they can reflect and mature ! Each of the following elements should be included (without any exceptions) : Formation and Reflection Discussion and Dialogue Liturgy and Prayer Community and Celebration These elements must be part of pastoral programming! 12

Catechumenal Pathways says about marriage preparation: NFP leaders can help with education and formation about . What do you offer? aspects related to the human reality of the person and the couple which need to be properly explored: the human dynamics of conjugal sex- uality, the proper understanding of responsible paternity and maternity, and the raising of children. Catechesis and Christian teachings will help consolidate knowledge of the truth related to marriage and the formation of personal conscience. (CPML, 53) Identification of Goals Begin with marriage preparation 13

Catechumenal Pathways says about marriage preparation: Diocesan NFP education can help couples live marital chastity... What do you offer? Chastity should be presented as an authentic ally of love, not as its negation. Chastity, indeed, is the privileged path to learn to respect the individuality and dignity of others, without subordinating them to one s own desires. Chastity teaches engaged couples the times and ways of true, gentle, and generous love, and prepares them for the authentic gift of self to be lived out during a lifetime of marriage. Chastity ultimately teaches a person to be faithful to the truth of their love, in every state of life.For engaged couples, this means living chastity in continence, and, once married, living conjugal intimacy with moral rectitude.(CPML, 57) Identification of Goals Begin with marriage preparation 14

Catechumenal Pathways says about marriage preparation: NFP education can support the early years of marriage What do you offer? To summarize, the aims of accompaniment in the early years of married life are: (a) to present a mystagogical marriage catechesis exploring the spiritual and existential implications of the Sacrament of Marriage; (b) to help married couples embark upon a healthy path in their inter-personal relationship from the outset; (c) to explore in depth the themes of sexuality in married life,the trans- mission of life, and the raising of children; (d) to instill in couples the firm will to defend their marriage bond in any crisis situation that may arise; (e) to facilitate an encounter with Christ to provide an indispensable source of renewal of the grace of marriage and to foster a marital spirituality; (f) to recall the meaning of the unique mission of Christian spouses. (CPML,85) Identification of Goals Begin with marriage preparation 15

Where are you going? Taking the Long View Children & Adolescents Education in Human Sexuality, Fertility Appreciation, NFP ministry leaders can help to develop appropriate programs on human sexuality, fertility, and the virtue of chastity for children, adolescents, and their parents. and the Virtue of Chastity 16

Where are you going? Children & Adolescents Remote preparation precedes the actual catechumenal pathway. It aims, from childhood, to prepare the ground on which to sow the seeds of a future vocation to married life. The Church, with considerate maternal care, shall seek the most appropriate way to narrate to children the plan of love that God has for each person, of which marriage is a sign, and which will manifest itself as a vocational call. The happiness of entire generations depends on it. After all, the vocation to family life comprises most people in the world. To this end, a healthy Christian anthropology should be formed already in children including the first elements of human sexuality and the Theology of The Body and their baptismal identity should be developed in a vocational perspective, whether to marriage or religious life. (CPML, 27) 17

NEXT STEPS 1. Read the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life (CPML) (or at least the select sections in the NFP Programs PDF file at www.usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning/church- teaching). Make a plan 2. Reflect on your current marriage and NFP programs and consider what works, what is weak, and what is missing especially in light of the CPML s recommendations. 3. Contact your team and set a time to read, pray, reflect, discuss and identify goals to strengthen your marriage/NFP ministry efforts. 18

NEXT STEPS 4. Contact all diocesan leaders who can collaborate with you (e.g., appropriate chancery leaders, Catholic school principals, youth ministry directors, etc.). Make a plan 5. Make a plan to provide education and/or reform your leaders (paid and volunteer) in the truth of God s plan for married love and the gift of life. 6. Collect your resources (including NFP method providers, chastity/fertility appreciation curricula, lists of subject experts, etc.). 19 7. PRAY!

Remember to tell the USCCBs NFP Program staff what you need that you can t do at the local level! MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY! NFP Program United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 202-541-3240 nfp@usccb.org www.usccb.org/nfp