Natural Family Planning becomes part of Phoenix Diocese
June 20, 2008
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted has announced the formation of a new office, the Office of Natural Family Planning, effective July 1. The new office will serve as the focal point of the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding Natural Family Planning.
The new office will be staffed by the existing employees of the Phoenix Natural Family Planning Center, a separate, non-profit organization that has been promoting Natural Family Planning for the Phoenix area. The employees will remain at the current center headquarters, located at St. Mark Parish, 400 N. 30th St., Phoenix. All the normal activities of the organization will be conducted under the auspices of the new diocesan office.
“The decision to form this office is part of an overall plan to more clearly identify the Church’s teaching on NFP, marital chastity, and responsible parenthood as part of marriage and family life,” said Michael Phelan, director of the Office of Marriage and Respect Life for the Diocese of Phoenix. “Our objective is to better evangelize, coordinate information about and access to NFP programs and courses, and to communicate our mission effectively to the younger generation.”
Natural Family Planning is a way to cooperate with the natural pattern of fertility and infertility designed into our bodies by God to achieve or postpone pregnancy. NFP, unlike contraception, does not purposely cut off the possibility of conception. Rather, NFP empowers a couple to choose freely when to engage in sexual intercourse and is morally acceptable as it recognizes the inseparable elements of the unitive and pro-creative purposes of the marital embrace.
Differing from the old “rhythm method,” NFP is based on advanced science, and has been demonstrated to be 99 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy when a couple understands their fertility and practices the method correctly. Moreover, couples who live NFP in their marriages report tremendous marital satisfaction and enhanced communication.
More information on Natural Family Planning can be accessed at www.diocesephoenix.org/mfrl/MFL/nfp.html. A new web site on Natural Family Planning, which will include information on class registration and payment, will be available to the public in mid July by accessing www.phxnfp.org.
