Celebrating National NFP Awareness Week from July 19-25

God designed marriage as an "intimate partnership of life and love" (see  Gaudium et spes, no. 48). In God's design, marriage is a unique union of one man with one woman "for the whole of life" (see Canon 1055,  The Code of Canon Law). Marriage is oriented to the good of the spouses and to the creation and nurture of new human life (see  Gaudium et spes, no. 48). Making decisions therefore, about when and how many children to have in marriage is a sacred responsibility that God has entrusted to husband and wife. This is the foundation of what the Church calls, "Responsible Parenthood"--the call to discern God's will for your marriage while respecting His design for life and love.  

The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy. When learning about NFP, it is important to know that: 
Natural Family Planning  is an umbrella term for certain methods used to  achieve and avoid pregnancies.  These methods are based on observation of the  naturally occurring signs and symptoms  of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the woman's cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.

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 natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife. ( Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry)

This section of the USCCB website provides information and resources that will help you to learn about the methods of Natural Family Planning and Catholic teaching which supports its use in marriage. Many of the resources here are tailored for diocesan NFP coordinators, teachers and educators.