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Natural Family Planning Teaching

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

STANDARDS FOR TEACHING WITH NFP INTERNATIONAL
The NFP International Program is a faith-based program of instruction that is unique in one or more respects.  Its NFP teaching program includes ecological breastfeeding, the covenant theology of sexuality, moral teaching about specific behaviors, a choice-based approach to systematic NFP, a call to generosity in terms of traditional Catholic teaching, and an effort to let Christ be the primary reason for the decision not to use unnatural forms of birth control.  The unique character of the NFPI program attracts some but not all.  In what follows, we clarify these characteristics so that prospective teachers will understand the program and its potential to have life-changing effects in those who experience it.

Faith-based.  We believe that the most important question in life is this:  “Have I let Jesus Christ become my personal Lord and Savior in such a way that I submit my life to Him?”  Specifically with regard to the NFPI apostolate, “Am I willing to submit the exercise of my sexual powers to his dominion?”  We believe that we are called to let Jesus be the King and Center of our lives and to act accordingly.  We believe that God has a plan for love, marriage, and sexuality.  We believe that He has not left us orphans in a wilderness of conflicting ideas but promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Apostles and their successors throughout the ages.  We believe that Jesus founded the Catholic Church upon the apostles with Peter as their visible head; we believe He kept his promise at Pentecost and that He continues to keep that promise in our day in and through his Church.  We believe with St. Paul that we have been saved through the obedience of Christ who “became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8).  We believe that to accept on faith the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding sexual morality including birth control is not at all denigrating to one’s intelligence but is an excellent exercise of our wills illumined by faith.  That is, we believe that to accept on faith the teaching of the Church affirmed in Humanae Vitae is to accept it as the teaching of Christ Himself through his chosen vehicle. 

Such faith-based acceptance of the teaching of the Catholic Church does not diminish our respect for other reasons based on nature, science, philosophy, and theology.  Similarly, our respect for these various reasons does not diminish our respect for the faith-based decision to accept the teaching of the Church because of belief that such teaching is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit.  Truly, natural family planning is an area in which faith and science meet in a harmonious way.

John F. Kippley
Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality
Natural Family Planning, available at www.nfpandmore.org

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Natural Family Planning: NFPI Online Manual

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

One of the joys of having free instruction via the online Natural Family Planning manual is helping others around the globe. Some have contacted us for counseling; a few have been referred to us by their NFP teacher.
   We believe that our NFPI program remains the most complete program in the world. It alone, along with associates in Europe and a few other places, promotes ecological breastfeeding, supports Humanae Vitae with the covenant theology of sexuality, offers a wide variety of methodological options, and it appears to be alone in stating that certain immoral behaviors are wrong.
   We will make some changes because of our teaching experience with the manual, but essentially the content will remain the same, the same content we have taught since 1971. Our goal was to have a manual that was free, short, and easy to understand. Thus we decided to use a simple question-and-answer format.

Improved Online Manual
We used the manual for classroom instruction starting in January and have made some changes as a result of that experience. Although the content remains essentially the same, we added material to Chapters 1 and 2, and we switched Chapters 3 and 4.  A revised Index will be added later. The second most popular reason why people visit our website is to download all or parts of the manual. We encourage those who download the manual to print all four chapters on 3-hole paper for insertion into a binder. The improved online manual is still under 100 pages.

Improved Chart
The chart at the Home Page of the NFPI website has also been improved. We continue to provide this blank chart for anyone’s use free of charge. Learner couples can download on 3-hole paper and add the charts to their NFP binder.

USCCB approved: The USCCB approved our online manual and placed NFPI on their website as an approved Home Study program. This was an unexpected blessing. We are committed to the NFP movement and the approval of the USCCB meant a lot to us.

Thanks
We frequently receive thanks for our website manual when someone seeks counseling. Here are a few to share with you.

“First I would like to thank you for the extensive information available on your website. My husband and I are unable to attend an NFP class, and are now learning the cross-check method thanks to you. Thank you for making the information and charts available without cost.”

“We cannot thank you enough for following God’s plan for your life and helping numerous Catholic parents discover NFP, ecological breastfeeding, and the true beauty of natural mothering.”

“I just wanted to thank you and John for your work at NFP International. I had missed your influence at CCL and was glad to see you are still involved in the work of teaching NFP. Your tutorial on the method has been a big help to me tonight–thank you so much for making it available for free!”

“I do agree that if more NFP teachers were familiar with the Seven Standards (and even the “Six” standards once solids are introduced) that we would see more moms with postponed infertility. Couples like us are so, so blessed to have you and your husband to guide us and teach us to have a loving and fulfilling family life through breastfeeding and NFP! I really felt called by the Holy Spirit to let you know this.”

My thanks to those who have written.  I would ask every reader to pray for the NFPI apostolate and for us personally. 

Sheila Kippley
NFP International
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood (Sophia)
Natural Family Planning (e-book at this website)

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NFP: Is Breastfeeding a Problem or the Solution?

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

In the Sixties NFP materials commonly treated breastfeeding as a problem.  A mother was often told to wean in order to practice systematic natural family planning.  Unfortunately, this same advice is being given today.  We recently received a generous donation from a couple who were upset because an NFP counselor told them to wean their baby in order to practice NFP.  This is a step back to the Sixties.  I thought NFP promoters today bragged how systematic NFP could be used for all kinds of irregular cycles and situations.  So why does a counselor recommend weaning to a nursing mother?                                                            

If a mother follows the Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding, she is likely to receive an extended period of infertility.  To be sure, she certainly has to go against the culture of bottlefeeding and pacifiers and the pressure to reduce breastfeedings soon after childbirth and to get the baby to sleep through the night, etc., but John and I believe that God’s plan is an option that every couple deserves to know.  It needs to be taught to all engaged and married couples.  It is a wonderful way to plan a family.  It can be the solution for many couples.                                                               

In the meantime, what can you do if you want to help someone learn ecological breastfeeding so they can experience a longer duration of breastfeeding’s natural infertility?  You can refer them to four sources.  1.  Chapter 4 of our online manual, Natural Family Planning.  2.  Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing.  3.  Chapter Six in Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood, 4.  The Catholic Nursing Mothers League. 
   The Catholic Nursing Mothers League promotes eco-breastfeeding both for duration of breastfeeding and for natural child spacing.  As a non-cycling mother of an 20-month-old baby said about CNML:  “This group is so exciting for me.  I am so passionate about ecological breastfeeding.  I look forward to the day when there are groups sprouting up all over and more women learn about God’s plan for mother and baby!”  
   If you as a mother feel a need to help other mothers in your community or parish with eco-breastfeeding, please contact the founder, Pam Pilch, at the CNML website above.                                           

The medical profession, the churches, and NFP teachers should be teaching eco-breastfeeding as a natural way to space babies.  Then groups such as CNML, La Leche League, and the Protestant café breastfeeding support groups will have a busy apostolate supporting and encouraging mothers to keep on breastfeeding.

One-year anniversary! We began our blogging one year ago, April 23. The number of visitors has increased steadily, and this April was no exception.  The number of visits per day hit a new record six times and increased by 3000 to almost 13,000 visits.  We thank our friend and website developer, David Brecount, for suggesting that we blog a year ago.

Don’t miss this one! It’s a great article on a great subject. Katie Williams did a well researched article on a great subject: “The Madonna Chapel: Helping to Foster the Dignity of Motherhood and Breastfeeding.” Enjoy.
 
NEXT WEEK:  NFPI Manual

Sheila Kippley
NFP International
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood and Natural Family Planning (e-book at this website)

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