Kathleen, a WordPress blogger at So Much to Say, So Little Time, is writing an article about NFP for CCL’s Family Foundations, and is wondering if you can answer a question or two or four. (Btw, don’t put your reply in the comments. Please email Kathleen.)

| Catholic PRWire

My friend Emily, the new Family Planning Coordinator in the Diocese of Madison, just emailed the link to this commentary on the TIME article and a little bit about my work in Madison. It was posted on Catholic.org by Catholic PRWire, which found it through a press release from Chicago CCL (promoting its classes). Thanks Chicago CCL for the mention! While I don’t exclusively endorse CCL, this is a great example of harnessing buzz about NFP to promote classes. Well done, Chi-CCLers.

Time Magazine Notes Another NFP Benefit: It Keeps the Rivers Clean

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

GLENVIEW, IL (November 10, 2009) – Sexual morality isn’t the only attraction to draw couples to Natural Family Planning (NFP) these days. Those concerned with the environment are finding that NFP doesn’t pollute the waterways with synthetic hormones and other chemicals.

A recent Time magazine author related how NFP rates high for such reasons. “Like all good Catholics, my husband and I had to attend church-run marriage prep before we tied the knot last year,” wrote Kathleen Kingsbury in Time’s Oct. 26 issue.

“I was surprised, however, during the hard sell on natural family-planning, that this updated version of the rhythm method was being advertised not only as morally correct but also as ‘organic’ and ‘green.’ I was even more surprised when I found out that some of the most popular instructors of NFP — known in secular circles as the Fertility Awareness Method — are non-Catholics who praise it as a means of avoiding both ingesting chemicals and excreting them into rivers and streams.”

The article, sprinkled with terms such as phthalates and bisphenol, also looks into the use of chemicals in the makeup of sex toys and tracks a trend of earth-friendly production materials in these products.

The article also says that the Catholic Church is catching on to the organic trend. “People pay $32 for eye cream because they’re told it is good for them and the planet,” says Jessica Marie Smith, whom Time says repackaged the NFP program at the diocese of Madison, WI. “We figured we could do the same with NFP.”

Ingest, Poke and Patch

In an article on the Madison diocese’s website, “Green is the New Black: How NFP is good for your soul and the earth,” Smith, the diocese’s [former] family planning coordinator, says, “Doesn’t it seem interesting that we’ll go to great lengths to ensure our meat, dairy and other grocery products are ‘all natural’ and hormone free, but then we’ll turn around and ingest, poke or patch our bodies with all sorts of synthetic hormones, the ramifications of which we’re still discovering?”

I’m working on an article for Family Foundations again. It’s third in the series of three on NFP & Marketing, and it’s going to focus on new media. It’ll cover questions like

• What is new media? What are its forms
• Why is it important, growing and powerful?
• Where did new media come from?
• What are the benefits/ problems with new media?
• How can we use it to market, inform and fire up the grassroots movement of NFP?

Stay tuned, and keep me in your prayers. New job, new place, and (another!) move in the future are going to ramp up the stress factor.

My first in this series is in a back copy of FF, and the second will appear very soon.

[Update: the second and third articles in the series have been cancelled. Look for them in an upcoming post!]

Eternal rest grant unto her

From a reader I received this this morning:

“Would you please pray for the repose of the soul of Giselle Alderson? She is the wife of Andy Alderson, former Executive Director of CCL (The Couple to Couple League). Giselle died yesterday morning from cancer. She will be deeply missed by everyone in the CCL community, especially her 5 children who range in age from 1.5 to 18 years. Thank you.”

For CCL friends and fans, I’ll let you know when I have more information about a funeral Mass and memorial arrangements.

Update:

Visitation
Thursday, May 7, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Linnemann Funeral Home
1940 Burlington Pike
Burlington, KY 41005
Note: The Rosary will be prayed at 7:45 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial
Friday, May 8, 10:00 a.m.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church
5876 Veterans Way
Burlington, KY 41005

Cards and expressions of support can be sent either to CCL (P.O. Box 111184, Cincinnati, OH 45211) or to the Alderson home at 3017 Black Tail Way, Burlington, KY 41005.

An online tribute will be be available soon here.

CCL's New Look

Just heard that Andrew Alderson, ED for the Couple to Couple League (CCL) resigned effective March 24, 2009 to be with family during a health crisis. While Alderson  will work for CCL as a senior project manager, CCL will be looking for someone to fill this position long term.

CCL is seeking applications for the ED opening. If you know someone who is interested and qualified to fill this position, please have them contact the search team at leadership@ccli.org.