Theology of the Body
"Theology of the Body" is the working title Pope John Paul II gave to the first major teaching project of his pontificate. In 129 short talks delivered between September of 1979 and November of 1984, the Pope offered the Church and the world a rich, biblical reflection on the meaning of human embodiment, particularly as it concerns sexuality and erotic desire."
(Christopher West, The Theology of the Body for Beginners, p. 1)
The Nazareth Project is committed to providing continuing education on the Theology of the Body, on a variety of levels to:
- Parish Leaders
- FOCCUS Facilitators
- Seminarians and Clergy
- Married Couples
- By offering workshops, in-service events, conferences and symposia.
Please check our Programs and Events page for upcoming offerings.
Natural Family Planning – God's Gift to Us
Welcome to the Natural Family Planning (NFP) page of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Nazareth Project is here to enthusiastically teach, encourage and support you and stands with the Church “on the side of life.”1
We acknowledge with the Church that “a child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment.”2 Children are truly a gift from God!
In his addresses on Human Love in the Divine Plan (better known now as The Theology of the Body), Pope John Paul II acknowledged that those “are considered ‘to exercise responsible parenthood who prudently and generously decide to have a large family, or who, for serious reasons and with due respect to the moral law, choose to have no more children for the time being and even for an indeterminate period.’”3
To this end, The Nazareth Project promotes Natural Family Planning as a highly effective, maritally enriching, spiritually enlightening, and moral means of planning one’s family and we are here to help you not only to understand the Church’s teachings but to learn the NFP method of your choice and to support you in your ongoing living out of your marital promise.
The difference between contraception and periodic abstinence “is much wider and deeper than is usually thought, one which involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality”.4 This speaks to the great mystery of God’s plan for all of us!
1 The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CC) 2366
2 CC 2366
3 Pope John Paul II, The Theology of the Body
4 Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 32
Let all be convinced that human life and the duty of transmitting it are not limited by the horizons of this life only: their true evaluation and full significance can be understood only in reference to man’s eternal destiny. (CC 2371)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is NFP or Natural Family Planning?
Natural Family Planning is the general name for the various methods of family planning that are based on a woman’s menstrual cycle. A man is fertile throughout his entire life, while a woman is fertile for only a few days of each cycle during the child-bearing years. The stereotype still remains that NFP involves using a calendar to predict the fertile time. That is not what NFP is today.
A woman experiences clear, observable signs indicating when she is fertile and when she is infertile. Learning to observe and understand these signs is at the heart of education in natural family planning.
How does NFP work?
With Natural Family planning, the couple learns to observe and chart the woman’s cycle by taking classes or through one-on-one instruction with an NFP instructor. NFP can be used to achieve pregnancy or to avoid pregnancy. The couple can pinpoint a woman’s fertile time by various biological indicators. There are several methods of Natural Family Planning, and each couple can choose the method that is best suited to their particular needs. (see “Getting Started”)
How effective is NFP?
Study after study has shown NFP to be up to 99 percent effective at helping couples to avoid pregnancy. A multi-year study in China with over 900 participating couples demonstrated an effectiveness rate at better than 99%.6 Another multi-year study involving 5 countries and more than 800 participating couples demonstrated a effectiveness rate of better than 96%.7 Numerous other studies, using large numbers of couples consistently demonstrate effectiveness rates at between 95%-99%.
Who can use NFP?
Any married couple can use NFP! NFP can be used by any woman of any age at all phases of her reproductive life. You can use NFP regardless of your cycle length. You also can use the method effectively during the post-partum period, while breastfeeding, after discontinuing hormonal contraception, and during pre-menopause.
How long before we get married should we take NFP classes?
You can start taking classes at any time, but we recommend that you start charting/classes at least four to six months before you get married.
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Getting Started
NFP is actually an umbrella term for many different methods of natural family planning. In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the following methods are taught:
Marquette University Institute for Natural Family Planning—The Marquette Model http://www.marquette.edu/nursing/NFP/
Information on NFP is available from the Marquette University Institute for Natural Family Planning. MU teaches the Marquette Model which looks at mucus, temperature and the new urinary hormonal monitoring device (the Clearplan Fertility Monitor) A small fee includes 2 presentations (one month apart), all materials necessary to get started with charting and unlimited chart checks within the first year of use. Call 414-288-3854, or write Marquette University College of Nursing, Institute for Natural Planning, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881. Email muinstnfp@marquette.edu. Materials are also available in Spanish. Contact Mary Schneider, RN, BSM, NFPP or Susana Crespo, RM, BSN, NFPP (Habla Espanol). For a listing of upcoming classes please click here.
Marquette University College of Nursing Institute for Natural Family Planning has recently launched a new online study which compares the effectiveness of two fertility monitoring methods, developed by Marquette's Institute for NFP. For more information please visit: http://nfpstudy.marquette.edu
Couple to Couple League—The Sympto-Thermal Method http://www.ccli.org/
CCl teaches the Sympto-Thermal Method of Natural Family Planning. In this system a couple uses cross-checking signs of fertility: cervical mucus, waking temperatures, and changes in the cervix itself. For additional information, see the Couple to Couple League International website: . The following couples are certified to teach NFP by the Couple to Couple League. Please contact them directly for information or a class schedule:
Tony and Mary Cieszynski
1719 W. Fairview Drive
Mequon, WI 53092 262-242-6396 marycieszynski@sbcglobal.net
Creighton Model—Ovulation Method http://www.creightonmodel.com/
This is a mucus only method that uses a very specific coding system to differentiate between various types of mucus produced by the woman’s cervix when she is becoming fertile. The real learning happens at individualized private follow-up sessions provided by your professional FertilityCare Practitioners who will tailor the system to your specific needs. These one-hour sessions occur five times during the first three months of use and an additional three times over the remainder of the first year. For more information or an appointment for an introductory session call or write:
Milwaukee/Appleton:
Mary Gilpin BS, FCP
414-795-8934
marygilpin@sbcglobal.net
Elm Grove:
Christine Wurm BS, FCPI
262-271-8649
c.wurm@yahoo.com
Brookfield/Pewaukee:
Kathy Roxas BSM,. FCPI
262-271-8649
fertilitycarewi@sbcglobal.net
The Billings Ovulation Method http://www.boma-usa.org/
Natural methods of family planning are by definition those which take advantage of the biological fact that women are at most times infertile throughout the whole of the reproductive phase of their lives. The days of infertility when it is impossible for an act of intercourse to cause conception are more numerous than fertile days when conception is possible. Abstinence from genital contact during the days of possible fertility is required for the avoidance of pregnancy in all natural methods. They do not involve drug taking nor the use of any appliances, and acts of sexual intercourse are always normal.
Joe and Gina Loehr
920-929-0479
ginaloehr@yahoo.com
Northwest Family Services http://www.nwfs.org/index.asp
No longer “guess work,” Natural Family Planning (NFP) is an effective, scientifically based method of family planning that treats fertility as a normal, healthy process. Northwest Family Services teaches the Sympto-Thermal Method which is based on changes in a woman’s cervical mucus, waking or resting temperature, and cervix. These observable signs change in response to the hormones of the menstrual cycle. It only takes seconds a day for a woman to track her fertility; then the couple interprets the chart and makes a decision based on their family planning intention. NFP works through periodic abstinence during the method-defined fertile time for couples who are avoiding a pregnancy. NFP can be used effectively throughout a woman’s entire reproductive life. Regular cycles are NOT required. NFP is NOT Calendar Rhythm.
This method is available for online instruction through the Diocese of La Crosse.
Alice Heinzen
NFP Coordinator – Diocese of La Crosse
1-800-255-6226
nfp@dioceseoflacrosse.com
Hospitals offering NFP Instruction
Columbia-St. Mary Hospital in Milwaukee: Peggy Mcintyre R.N., NFPP. The hospital is located at 2323 North Lake Drive. Classes are held at St. Mary's Milwaukee campus by private ndividual appointment Monday through Saturday in room 724. Call 414-291-1750 to register. Programs offered: Marquette Model.
Dr. Cynthia Jones-Nosacek MD, NFPP/MC. Classes are held at the Northpoint Clinic, St. Mary’s Hospital. She can be reached at 414-291-1557. Training done in first session is free. There are three sessions, one month apart.
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Church Documents on Marriage and Family Life (click title for link)
Pope Pius XI, Castii Connubii (On Christian Marriage)
Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (On Human Life)
Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World)
Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families
Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (On the Value and Inviolabilty of Human Life)
Further Resources
For more information on NFP or if you have any questions about what is available in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, please contact Lydia LoCoco, Director, The Nazareth Project for Marriage and Family Formation, The John Paul II Center. Phone: 414-758-2214 or email.
Make your house - your family - another Nazareth where love, peace, joy and unity reign, for love begins at home! ~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta