Diocese of Covington - Messenger at 402 E. 21st Street, Covington, KY 41015 US - NFP now requirement for marriage preparation

A new diocesan policy for couples preparing to be married in the Catholic Church takes effect Jan. 1, 2009. It is an addition to already existing requirements for engaged couples and is one of the first policies resulting from the diocesan Synod ratified by Bishop Roger Foys two years ago.

The new policy requires that engaged couples attend a certified Natural Family Planning (NFP) course, typically scheduled one evening for three months in a row. (See complete schedule at family.covingtondiocese.org.)

The existing requirements include meeting with the parish priest and attending a marriage enrichment program, such as Engaged Encounter, Living Marriage as a Sacrament, or Evenings for the Engaged.

NFP refers to the practice of achieving or avoiding pregnancies according to an informed awareness of a women's fertility, according to the website. In the diocese, NFP courses are presented by the Couple to Couple League.

The diocesan Family Life Office and director Marianne Bosch announced the new policy last week. Earlier, details had been made available to diocesan priests through their deanery meetings.

Ms. Bosch said that a directive in the “Gospel of Life/Respect Life” Synod document states, “The Diocese of Covington will require each couple planning a wedding in the diocese to complete a certified natural family planning (natural fertility awareness) [NFP] course as part of marriage preparation. This requirement is not fulfilled by attendance at a one-time lecture on natural family planning. It is fulfilled only by full participation in a certified course.”

Msgr. Michael Due, vicar general and pastor of St. Benedict Church, Covington, said that while the policy is part of the plan to implement Synod directives, “the main reason we have developed this policy is that it is in line with the teachings of the Church.”

“It’s an area that a lot of people don’t know about or understand — what natural family planning is, what it entails, and its benefits. It is actually an opportunity for the couple to come even closer together in their married life.

“But if they don’t know about it and haven’t been presented information about it before, it is an important aspect they are missing. So the important point in putting this out from the Family Ministry Office is so more people can know about natural family planning, what it is and how it can actually make their marriage better.”

Giselle Alderson and her husband Andy, as members of the Couple to Couple League, have met with dozens of engaged couples over the last eight years and have encouraged the use of NFP, which they have practiced for the last 18 years of their 22-year marriage. The Aldersons are one of three couples who have scheduled three-night NFP sessions throughout 2009 that fulfill the new Family Ministry Office policy.

NFP is “simply learning to read the language of the body, the measurable and identifiable signs of fertility,” Mrs. Alderson said. They tell engaged couples of the physical advantages, such as avoiding any potential damage from contraceptives, and the potential for greater spiritual intimacy and respect for the other.

“NFP leads to the total gift of self,” Mrs. Alderson said. “We don’t take each other for granted any more.”

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