RE: NFP witnesses

[Guest guest]

Hello Fr. Tom,

I'm so impressed.  How wonderful.  One More Soul group is seeking stories of couples who have used sterilization and changed their minds.

 

I teach NFP in land.  Where are you located?

 

I will think of sending my story along.  We chose NFP from the beginning.

Peace and blessings!

Therese , RN

 

For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception.  Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who  thanked me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit.  Condemnation is never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it was in coming.  I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live their sexuality " naturally " ,who are willing to tell their stories anonymously, perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit. Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity. Please refer them to my personal email.  Fr. Tom Bartolomeo

--

Therese , RN, FCP*

*FertilityCare Practitioner

www.potomacfertility.org

" your cycles, your fertility, in your hands "

[Guest guest]

Hello, Fr Tom, et al,

A former CD--"Family Planning Choices"--is now only available as an MP3 download at: http://onemoresoul.com/catalog/family-planning-choices-mp3-p755.html. I pray it will be helpful to you. You could put the link in your bulletin for easy access.

Thanks and blessings.

Steve Koob, Director

One More Soul

PS The NFP Method providers have a continuing stream of testimonials. You may have NFP-couples in your parish that would be happy to speak to the congregation after Mass. Or contact NFP-Outreach for an NFP Seminar.

To: nfpprofessionals From: tom.bartolomeo@...Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:42:01 -0600Subject: NFP witnesses

For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception. Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who thanked me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit. Condemnation is never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it was in coming. I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live their sexuality "naturally",who are willing to tell their stories anonymously, perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit. Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity. Please refer them to my personal email.

Fr. Tom Bartolomeo

[Guest guest]

Hello, Fr . Tom,

I am Fr. Habiger OSB, and work with Fr. Dan McCaffrey and NFP Outreach. When I give an NFP Parish Weekend, I proclaim from the pulpit God’s plan for marriage, spousal love and family. After the last oration, I ask the congregation to be seated, and then a couple, who live NFP, comes to the microphone and gives a brief (5-7 minutes) personal testimony to the many values that NFP has brought into their marriage and their relationship. They speak with the authority of real life. Invariably these couples get a spontaneous applause from the congregation. You might consider doing this in your parish on the weekends when you address the topic of contraception and sterilization.

Fr. Habiger OSB

mhabiger@...

For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception.  Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who  thanked me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit.  Condemnation is never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it was in coming.  I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live their sexuality " naturally " ,who are willing to tell their stories anonymously, perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit. Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity. Please refer them to my personal email. 

Fr. Tom Bartolomeo

[Guest guest]

Thanks Fr Matt, and blessings to you.SteveTo: nfpprofessionals From: mhabiger@...Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:27:16 -0600Subject: Re: NFP witnesses

Hello, Fr . Tom,

I am Fr. Habiger OSB, and work with Fr. Dan McCaffrey and NFP Outreach. When I give an NFP Parish Weekend, I proclaim from the pulpit God’s plan for marriage, spousal love and family. After the last oration, I ask the congregation to be seated, and then a couple, who live NFP, comes to the microphone and gives a brief (5-7 minutes) personal testimony to the many values that NFP has brought into their marriage and their relationship. They speak with the authority of real life. Invariably these couples get a spontaneous applause from the congregation. You might consider doing this in your parish on the weekends when you address the topic of contraception and sterilization.

Fr. Habiger OSB

mhabiger@...

For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception. Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who thanked me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit. Condemnation is never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it was in coming. I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live their sexuality "naturally",who are willing to tell their stories anonymously, perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit. Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity. Please refer them to my personal email.

Fr. Tom Bartolomeo

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

In the parish where I went to Mass tonight the priest preached an ambiguous

sermon about the HHS mandate. He asked the congregation to come up and give

their reflections at a microphone below the pulpit. I don't feel comfortable

with interactive homilies and but I felt like I couldn't let it go.

The priest said to rely on the Holy Spirit. I remembered the post on the NFP

list so I just prayed and tried to be as honest as possible. I realized that

the only story I had to give was really my own since I am not an authority in

any sense.

When I came home I tried to type up what I said. I'm not totally sure but I

think this is pretty much it. If you want to use it for something public please

let me know first. Also please let me know what I said that I shouldn't have.

This was a totally unexpected thing and I had not prepared to speak.

peace and prayers,

Jean

Like many other women I did use contraception, beginning in high school. I

wasn’t always Catholic. In fact my mother was a fourth generation only child

and that pretty much tells you about how my family felt about contraception.

After college I became a Catholic. I worked for a short while answering

letters for Dorothy Day ( in this parish you all know who she was.) I didn’t

know her very well. In fact the only two things I remember she said to me were

“You write very sensitive letters†and “Can’t you bring me anything but

stale bread?†That was supper. But I did read a much of what she’d

written. You know early in her life she had worked with the Wobblies, the

International Workers of the World, who had a saying that stuck with me:

“They don’t care how much you pray as long as you pay.â€

I came back from the Catholic Worker, married a Jewish man, and a year later we

had a child. As a Catholic I was trying to “get my head together.†After

our daughter was born I had a truly horrible depression. So bad that I decided

to get sterilized. The only reason I didn’t do it was that I had a dream that

I died during the operation. When the day came I just didn’t go.

By the time my baby was eight or nine months old I was still struggling. That

Easter there was an article by the Bishop in our Catholic paper that birth

control was a serious sin. I was in agony over it. I prayed. I went to

confession. I learned how to use natural family planning. It was difficult.

Over the years I continued to use it and had one more child. Women often do

need to space their babies. I taught NFP to other women. Through my involvement

in the prolife movement I learned about how some contraceptives can cause early

abortion. The morning after pill- there’s no doubt- causes it more often.

What’s more contraception isn’t good for women. There are physical side

effects. There is spiritual harm. NFP isn’t perfect. It isn’t always easy

to use. It doesn’t always work perfectly, but it is effective and it empowers

women. It puts God first in your marriage.

Over the years I was hounded by doctors again and again to use contraception.

One of my last doctors was practically apoplectic. Women are often coerced

under the pretense of education. I know first hand the pressure to use

contraception or be sterilized never lets up in our society.

For the last 30 years or so I have worked in Catholic schools, and I presently

work in one, quite far away from here, in order to have prolife insurance. I

still believe that what the Wobblies said was true “They don’t care how much

you pray as long as you pay.â€

Finally I think it is important for us to pray, to read the Catechism, to

understand the doctrine of the Church. I believe in natural law. I believe in

what the Church teaches about this issue. You can choose not to believe in

Gravity. You can choose to ignore it. You can criticize it. But if you step

out a ninth story window, gravity will still take you straight to the sidewalk.

To: nfpprofessionals

From: mhabiger@...

Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:27:16 -0600

Subject: Re: NFP witnesses

Hello, Fr . Tom,

I am Fr. Habiger OSB, and work with Fr. Dan McCaffrey and NFP Outreach.

When I give an NFP Parish Weekend, I proclaim from the pulpit God’s plan for

marriage, spousal love and family. After the last oration, I ask the

congregation to be seated, and then a couple, who live NFP, comes to the

microphone and gives a brief (5-7 minutes) personal testimony to the many values

that NFP has brought into their marriage and their relationship. They speak

with the authority of real life. Invariably these couples get a spontaneous

applause from the congregation. You might consider doing this in your parish on

the weekends when you address the topic of contraception and sterilization.

Fr. Habiger OSB

mhabiger@...

For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception.

Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who thanked

me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit. Condemnation is

never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it

was in coming. I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live

their sexuality " naturally " ,who are willing to tell their stories anonymously,

perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including

family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit.

Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity.

Please refer them to my personal email.

Fr. Tom Bartolomeo

[Guest guest]

Dear

What a beautiful testimony! Thanks be to God for giving you the courage to get up and speak and the Holy Spirit for guiding your words. They truly tell a compelling story, honest and real, one that many can relate to I am sure. In many ways, it probably had a a greater impact on other parishoners, coming from a woman who has dealt with these issues in her daily life than a priest who can only speak to it from the theological perspective.

As a doctor, sadly, I am not suprised that you were hounded by your doctors to use contraception. Unfortunately, pharmacetuical companies have a huge influence on what we learn in medicine and we are told time and time again about the numerous health "benefits" of contraception, without learning about all the harms - including an increase risk of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke and heart attacks. Did you know that the World Health Organization classifies the combination estrogen-progesterone birth control pill as a Group 1 carcinogen, placing it in the same category as tobacco, due to the increased risk of breast, cervical and liver cancer associated with the combo OCPs? Now, the government wants us to pay for these as a "preventive service" - unbelievable!

Unfortunately, medical students and other health professionals learn almost nothing about NFP and so we cannot educate or support patients who choose to use these methods. Personally, even though I was raised Catholic, I never heard about NFP, either in church or in medical school and so I thought artificial contraeption was the only option for patients. Fortunately, in my residency I had a colleague who introduced me to the ovulation based methods of NFP and the more I learned, the more I felt angry. The foundations of NFP are rooted in a couple's reproductive physiology and as you said, this information can really empower women. Therefore, I believe this basic information should be provided to all women, starting at an early age, and not to do so is a huge disservice.

Clearly, we need to educate more people about NFP and other fertility awareness based methods (FABM) of family planning. Some of my colleagues, including other members from this list serve, have created a collaborative - the FACTS (Fertility Appreciation Collaborative to Teach the System) to help educate health care professionals, especially those in training about the beneftis and effectiveness of (FABM). If anyone is interested in learning more about us, please feel free to go to: http://www.fmec.net/projects/project.php?project_id=6395 However, it is is also importnat to educate more lay people. Therefore, thank you again for displaying such bravery and sharing your story.

Sincerely,

Marguerite Duane

To: nfpprofessionals Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2012 7:36 PMSubject: RE: NFP witnesses

Dear Friends,In the parish where I went to Mass tonight the priest preached an ambiguous sermon about the HHS mandate. He asked the congregation to come up and give their reflections at a microphone below the pulpit. I don't feel comfortable with interactive homilies and but I felt like I couldn't let it go. The priest said to rely on the Holy Spirit. I remembered the post on the NFP list so I just prayed and tried to be as honest as possible. I realized that the only story I had to give was really my own since I am not an authority in any sense. When I came home I tried to type up what I said. I'm not totally sure but I think this is pretty much it. If you want to use it for something public please let me know first. Also please let me know what I said that I shouldn't have. This was a totally unexpected thing and I had not prepared to speak.peace and prayers,JeanLike many other women I did use

contraception, beginning in high school. I wasn’t always Catholic. In fact my mother was a fourth generation only child and that pretty much tells you about how my family felt about contraception. After college I became a Catholic. I worked for a short while answering letters for Dorothy Day ( in this parish you all know who she was.) I didn’t know her very well. In fact the only two things I remember she said to me were “You write very sensitive letters†and “Can’t you bring me anything but stale bread?†That was supper. But I did read a much of what she’d written. You know early in her life she had worked with the Wobblies, the International Workers of the World, who had a saying that stuck with me: “They don’t care how much you pray as long as you pay.†I came back from the Catholic Worker, married a Jewish man, and a year later we had a child. As a Catholic I was trying to “get my head together.†After our daughter

was born I had a truly horrible depression. So bad that I decided to get sterilized. The only reason I didn’t do it was that I had a dream that I died during the operation. When the day came I just didn’t go.By the time my baby was eight or nine months old I was still struggling. That Easter there was an article by the Bishop in our Catholic paper that birth control was a serious sin. I was in agony over it. I prayed. I went to confession. I learned how to use natural family planning. It was difficult. Over the years I continued to use it and had one more child. Women often do need to space their babies. I taught NFP to other women. Through my involvement in the prolife movement I learned about how some contraceptives can cause early abortion. The morning after pill- there’s no doubt- causes it more often. What’s more contraception isn’t good for women. There are physical side effects. There is spiritual harm. NFP isn’t perfect. It

isn’t always easy to use. It doesn’t always work perfectly, but it is effective and it empowers women. It puts God first in your marriage.Over the years I was hounded by doctors again and again to use contraception. One of my last doctors was practically apoplectic. Women are often coerced under the pretense of education. I know first hand the pressure to use contraception or be sterilized never lets up in our society.For the last 30 years or so I have worked in Catholic schools, and I presently work in one, quite far away from here, in order to have prolife insurance. I still believe that what the Wobblies said was true “They don’t care how much you pray as long as you pay.â€Finally I think it is important for us to pray, to read the Catechism, to understand the doctrine of the Church. I believe in natural law. I believe in what the Church teaches about this issue. You can choose not to believe in Gravity. You can

choose to ignore it. You can criticize it. But if you step out a ninth story window, gravity will still take you straight to the sidewalk.To: nfpprofessionals From: mhabiger@...Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:27:16 -0600Subject: Re: NFP witnessesHello, Fr . Tom,I am Fr. Habiger OSB, and work with Fr. Dan McCaffrey and NFP Outreach. When I give an NFP Parish Weekend, I proclaim from the pulpit God’s plan for marriage, spousal love and family. After the last oration, I ask the congregation to be seated, and then a couple, who live NFP, comes to the microphone and gives a brief (5-7 minutes) personal testimony to the many

values that NFP has brought into their marriage and their relationship. They speak with the authority of real life. Invariably these couples get a spontaneous applause from the congregation. You might consider doing this in your parish on the weekends when you address the topic of contraception and sterilization.Fr. Habiger OSBmhabiger@...On 2/8/12 3:42 PM, "gotomb" wrote:For priests the most sensitive homily subject today may be contraception. Sadly, when I have preached on the subject I was grateful to those who thanked me for speaking on it which is often avoided from the pulpit. Condemnation is never the issue but conversion which I assume may be as long in receding as it was in coming. I am looking for family stories of husbands and wives who live their sexuality "naturally",who are

willing to tell their stories anonymously, perhaps emailing me directly at tom.bartolomeo@...--stories including family benefits, conversions or insights which I may repeat from the pulpit. Some of these stories and observations may be very moving in their authenticity. Please refer them to my personal email. Fr. Tom Bartolomeo