You have given me so much wonderful info! I will definitely be checking back with you, and giving your blog out as a reference to others.

God Bless,

Kim
Oh, and please pray for me this weekend as I do my training. Also pray for my husband that he manages to stay sane while taking care of our 6 children!

I’m glad you liked it! I loved giving it, but it was extremely distracting. As you can hear in the background, they were cleaning up from lunch in the cafeteria, and it was insanely loud. Further, the group was small that day, at least one of the group was not receptive to the message, and the mostly septuagenarians and octogenarians took turns napping during the talk!

You’re SO RIGHT that even those of us who don’t have (biological) children–you’re a spiritual mom, no doubt–we do have a responsibility to create a culture of vocation. Amen, Amen!

Your priest is not alone. Though I sound cynical about this (I’ve seen and heard some bad stuff), many priests either did not receive the formation and support in seminary, or don’t have the tools currently. Even if a priest did receive excellent formation and has the tools, isn’t not an easy step to make–at first. The best way to get his feet wet? Eh, that depends on your priest, and whether he’s a reader, a listener/watcher, and a blog person. If he’s already interested, and you’ve heard him express this, you can choose a couple of the things I mentioned. If he’s really hesitant, I’d start with one thing at a time, perhaps “Why NFP is a priority in my parish.” Always listen/ read what you give him first, so that you can relate and converse with him about it. Always follow up (not too soon) after you give him something. And always, always pray for him!

1) Prayer is the soul of the apostolate, and therefore the foundation of what you’re doing. Work on (or continue to work on) your spiritual life because you will need it. The devil hates unified and holy families and loves contraception, so be assured that you will encounter difficulty, both spiritual and personal. If you don’t have a holy and prudent spiritual director, at least make sure you have a wise person to consult about your NFP apsotolate who has experience in this area. You should never be scared because God is always with you. Lastly, contact a local monastery or convent with your NFP prayer requests–their vocation is to support you by prayer and sacrifice! (Also, contact the Sisters of Life in NY.)
2) Sharpen your own skills–read, listen to talks, and stay connected with other teachers for support and fellowship.
3) Create a little plan–remember what our Lord said about planning before you build your house. Even if you have bigger goals (larger parish usually means bigger budget) like a lecture series, retreat or NFP support group, start small and organically. How you do this exactly depends on your parish.
4) First phase suggestions: I would start with small things like little announcements in your bulletin (I’ve got some in mind), flyers for local events promoting family life type events, nice brochures (One More Soul has a few good ones, and OSV has a great one on Infertility by Janet Smith, & Jason Evert’s “Love Sex & Babies” is a must have in your brochure rack), Contraception Why Not CDs available near the brochures. Make sure you have good links on your parish web site (including me?), and that they’re easy to find. Throughout all of this, your own visibility and witness is important.
5) Second phase suggestions: give your pastor some good resources. In addition to the things I mentioned in the post. see also Proclaiming the Theology of the Body (4 talks for clergy), NFP Talks for Clergy (by CCL), and Humanae Vitae & Conscience (talk by Janet Smith). Make sure you introduce NFP outreach (www.nfpoutreach.org) to your clergymen. Fr. Habiger, despite a sort of tough, old school demeanor, has a real gift for communicating Theology of the Body/ Humanae Vitae, and teaching other clergymen how to do this.
6) Third phase suggestions: this is more in depth, but think of introducing a marriage support apostolate (Alexander House has some good options) into your parish. After all, this isn’t just about NFP, it’s about the whole person, and the whole marriage. Another idea is to start hosting Theology of the Body study groups. For sex-specific fellowship, I suggest “That Man is You” or “ENDOW” as solid programs with a proven track record with lots of support for facilitators.

Lastly, most importantly, make sure that as you implement your apsotolate deliberately, make sure it has a sacramental focus. If 80-90% of people contracept, think of how much confession and the sacrament of the Eucharist will be needed. Always tie the liturgy and the sacraments in, making a big deal out of the family holy days (Marian feast days, St. Joseph–a solemnity, the Annunciation, married saints, and more…).

That was a great talk. I’ve always thought you were a good speaker. It was a good reminder about how much everything is tied together, and why none of us can slack off in this area. Even those of us who don’t yet have children have a strong responsibility to create the culture that will foster strong marriages and strong vocations. And anyone who reads this blog regularly has had it drummed into our heads: NFP can => communication + prayer + a push towards holiness => a strong marriage. Let the vocations follow…

My priest is a good and Holy Priest. However, NFP is not comfortable ground for him, so to speak. He is really trying though! I will be the first and only NFP teacher in our parish of over 2,000 families. YIKES!!!

My question to you is….. all of this info looks great, but I don’t want to overwhelm people, so where do I start? WHich is the best for a priest who is just getting his feet wet and needs a little nudge?

Thanks for all of your entries, they are so inspiring!!