Marriage Preparation (Pre-Cana) / Marriage Enrichment

You have two choices: an in-person full-day Saturday session, or an on-demand session available for you to work on at your own pace and concluding with a Saturday one hour Zoom session. Available in English or Spanish.

Pre-Cana Marriage Preparation to help you and your fiancé prepare for your life together as husband and wife. Our in-person retreat is an alternative program that fulfills the Pre-Cana requirements of the Archdiocese of New York and other Dioceses. Catholic Engaged Encounter of Lower Hudson Valley has been supporting engaged couples for over 45 years. “A Wedding is a Day, A Marriage is a Lifetime®”

Your parish may offer a local Pre-Cana program. In this case, you may follow the guidelines provided by the parish.

Because of marriages’ importance, the archdiocese requires and regulates an intentional marriage preparation process. Our goal is to help you to grow in love and be open to God’s graces in preparation toa happy and fulfilling marriage. There are several components to this:

• To determine whether you have the basic elements of a psychological, intellectual, moral and legal capability for marriage and family life
• To foster a clear awareness of the essential characteristics of Catholic marriage: unity, fidelity, indissolubility, and fruitfulness
• To offer an opportunity for deepening your personal faith and to help you discover of the value of the sacraments and the experience of prayer
• To offer practical advice and assistance on married love, including marital communication and overcoming challenges
• To provide education and support on Catholic values concerning human life and married sexuality, in keeping with the authentic teachings of the Church.

According to the Canon Law (the law of the Church), for a marriage to be valid:

• At least one of the spouses must be a baptized Catholic (Confirmation is not required, but recommended. Reach out to your officiant if you are interested in RCIA.)
• The wedding must be celebrated in Catholic church in the presence of a Catholic priest/deacon/bishop and two other witnesses
• The spouses must be free to be married (e.g., no prior valid marriages)
• They must be psychologically mature and capable of consenting to the marriage
• They must understand the nature of Catholic marriage (i.e., exclusive, permanent, and open to having children)

A marriage that doesn’t follow the Canon Law requirements (e.g., a civil marriage) is not valid in the eyes of the Church. If you are civilly married, and would like to be married in the church you can! Find more information about convalidation here.

Under the regulations of the archdiocese, the spouses must also meet several times with the priest/deacon who will be witnessing their marriage, and they must attend a marriage preparation program. Find out more here.

Marriage is a sacred covenant between a man, a woman and God. It is a tremendous gift and a visible sign of God’s love and commitment to His people (Eph 5:31-32). This sacred relationship is the foundation of the family and society and the life of the Church. This  public act is celebrated as part of the Church’s liturgy and introduces couples into a  new and special stage of life in the Church. It creates a permanent and faithful bond between husband and wife and establishes significant rights and responsibilities between a couple and, eventually, their children.

Because marriage is so  important, the Church wants to make sure couples are properly prepared and fully aware of what is involved. . The Church’s special obligation to take care of the spiritual health of all of God’s people informs this robust and intentional preparation process.

As a result, marriage preparation is regulated and overseen by Canon Law (the Church’s universal law),  the archdiocese, liturgical rules and pastoral requirements of individual parishes and priests.

Our goal is for couples to enter this process with an earnest and open heart and  face issues and answer difficult questions of critical importance in advance of their marriage. These conversations, often with priest/deacon, are intended to open lines of communication and hopefully avoid problems in the future ultimately resulting in a firmer sense of confidence in their love and in the love of God.

If you’re Catholic, you’ll need to have the following documents:

• A certificate of baptism, dated within six months of your wedding date
• Evidence of your first communion and confirmation if applicable
• If you’re not getting married in your home parish, your freedom to marry must be established by either a statement of “no notations” (prior valid marriages, religious vows, etc.) on your baptismal certificate (e.g., that there are no prior valid marriages, no religious vows, etc.) or a letter from your pastor

If you’re a non-Catholic Christian, you will need evidence that you were baptized (e.g., a recent baptismal certificate). Some priests/deacons will ask for a letter from a parent or other adult stating that you are free to be married (no prior marriages).

You will usually be asked to have these documents at the time of the Pre-Marital Interview (PMI). See question 13 for more information.

A marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic, can still be a sacramental marriage. The preparation process for the marriage remains the same except the Catholic spouse must obtain a formal permission from his/her bishop for the marriage. This is formally called “dispensation” due to “disparity of worship”.

The priest or deacon overseeing your marriage preparation will help you obtain any documents you may need. If your home parish is not within the Archdiocese, please contact them to obtain these documents.

The processing and approval of these dispensations take time, so you should start the process early (at least 6 months before the wedding is recommended.)

Please see the answer to the following question if you are curious about getting married outside of a church.

You should also be aware that there can only be one marriage ceremony. If the wedding is celebrated in the Catholic church, the priest presides, and a non-Catholic minister can offer prayers and ask a blessing on the couple. If the wedding takes place in a non-Catholic church, the minister presides, and a priest/deacon may be present to offer a prayer and blessing.

The Catholic spouse is also under serious obligation to ensure their children are raised in the Catholic faith — indeed, during one of your interviews with the priest/deacon who is overseeing your marriage preparation, the Catholic spouse must make a formal promise to that effect, and the other spouse must be made aware of that promise.

It is crucial to have open and honest communication about differences in faith and what that may mean for your future lifestyles. The robust marriage preparation process should start those conversations and help mitigate and avoid potential problems that they may cause. There are many wonderful and strong interfaith relationships in which the couples, based on their love and mutual respect, grow closer to God and each other; this is what we wish for you. Holiness is the goal, and a married couple with religious differences can still get there — and be joyfully married as well — by helping and supporting each other.

The answer to the question depends on whether a marriage is between two Catholics, between a Catholic and another Christian or between a Catholic and a non-Christian.

Marriage Outside of a Church — Between Two Catholics

Under Canon Law, a marriage between two Catholics must be celebrated in a parish church. The only exception is for a marriage in a Catholic chapel if one of the spouses is a student, graduate, faculty member, or has some other significant connection to the institution. Permission must be requested from the local pastor. Your priest/deacon will help you obtain permission.

Under the regulations of the Archdiocese of New York, permission is never granted for a marriage between two Catholics to be celebrated in such places as parks, restaurants, catering halls, hotels, cruise ships, or the beach.

Marriage Outside of a Church — Interfaith Situations

Out of respect for other faith communities, permission can be obtained for a wedding to celebrated at another house of worship. The Catholic spouse must obtain a “dispensation from canonical form” (a release from the formal requirements that the wedding occur in a Catholic Church, witnessed by a Catholic priest, deacon or bishop) from his/her bishop. Your priest/deacon will help you to obtain this dispensation from the Chancery Office. Obtaining the dispensation can take time, so you should start the process early.

Permission can only be granted for a wedding between a Catholic and another Christian outdoors or in a non-religious location only if the circumstances merit special permission, reserved to the judgment of the Chancery. However, permission may be given for a wedding between a Catholic and a non-Christian in a non-religious building if there are truly extraordinary circumstances.

Because the Catholic Church recognizes marriage as a permanent and sacred bond between a man and woman “until death,” a person cannot enter into a second marriage while his or her previous spouse is still living.

Yet, certain personal and spiritual elements required for a valid marriage may have been missing before the previous wedding ceremony took place. After an annulment investigation, the Church may conclude with moral certitude that no valid marriage had taken place, and the parties are free to marry someone else.

The Annulment process can bring tremendous self-healing to individual whose marriage ended in divorce.  It is best to contact your parish priest to begin the annulment petition process, and he will direct you to next steps.  For additional information on annulments, visit this article.  In the Archdiocese of New York, you can also visit our website here, or contact us via email [email protected] or call 646-794-3200 for more information.

If you’re getting married outside of the Archdiocese of New York you should speak to the priest or deacon who will be witnessing your marriage about your marriage preparation. Often, they will be satisfied if you attend a marriage preparation program here. They also may ask you to work with a priest or deacon here regarding your marriage preparation (e.g. he may ask that a priest in your local parish do a Pre-Marital Interview). See question 13 for more information.

The spouse who is a native of the archdiocese will have to make sure certain documents are sent to the priest or deacon who will be officiating the marriage. Your local priest will send the necessary documents to the other diocese after having the Chancery Office endorse them with the archdiocesan seal.

Any dispensations or permissions required by Canon Law must be granted by the bishop of your home diocese.

For various reasons, a couple may have chosen to marry civilly instead of getting married in the Catholic Church.  No matter the circumstances, we eagerly invite you to bring your marriage into the Catholic Church!  The process to do this is called convalidation.

Even if there is not explicitly wrong with or negative about your family life and marriage dynamic, there is a tremendous beauty and strength in a Catholic and sacramental marriage that we encourage you to explore.  As spouses, you can enter into a deeper and more grace-filled relationship with each other and with God by having your marriage convalidated by the Church.

Convalidation is a relatively simple process, particularly if neither of the spouses was in a prior marriage before joining their current partner.  If one or both of the spouses was in a prior marriage, the partner in the earlier union must have died, or the Church must have issued a declaration of nullity (commonly called an annulment) before the convalidation process can begin.

In either case, the first step is to contact a local parish or your own parish, and make an appointment to thoroughly discuss your situation with the pastor or his delegate and determine the steps to follow.

Despite common misconceptions, the Church does not promote or permit couples to move in together before they are married. This is not without good reason, though. Studies show very clearly that living together is not good marriage preparation, but instead hurts relationships:

• The divorce rate for couples who have lived together is much higher than for other couples (some studies report that couples who lived together before marriage are twice as likely to divorce within the first ten years of marriage).
• In the case of men who have lived with a series of women, the divorce rate is even higher.
• The longer the couple lives together, the higher the divorce rate.
• Couples who cohabit typically have worse communication and conflict resolution skills than those who do not, and a reduced sense of commitment.

Because of the moral and spiritual problems, speak honestly and openly to your priest/deacon about the situation. Go to confession, and seek God’s forgiveness and healing.

Take a serious look at your motivations and expectations about marriage considering the current state of your relationship. Ask yourself: Am I really ready for a life-long, exclusive commitment? Am I feeling pressured to get married because of my current situation?

The best thing is to move into separate living quarters and be chaste until your wedding night. If that’s not possible because of financial concerns, you can still agree to be chaste until marriage.

The question of prenuptial agreements frequently arises today. These agreements are basically a contract between prospective spouses about how their property and other rights will be handled within their marriage and how they would be handled in the event of a divorce.

The Catholic Church does not have a blanket prohibition against prenuptial agreements. There may be some cases where they are perfectly legitimate. For example, if a widow with adult children marries a widower who also has adult children, a prenuptial agreement can be a legitimate way to preserve the inheritance rights of each spouse’s children to the property of the prior marriage.

In most cases, however, prenuptial agreements are a bad idea, and may even call into doubt the validity of the marriage.

When a couple enters into a prenuptial agreement, they implicitly foresee the break-up of their marriage,  It suggests their consent is to be married until it doesn’t “work out,” and that they are more committed to their possessions than to the marriage. This is not compatible with Catholic marriage. . For a marriage to be valid, the couple must both fully understand what indissolubility means and they consent to it.

Our advice is that couples should avoid prenuptial agreements. We would also recommend that couples talk seriously about why they would contemplate a prenuptial agreement and whether they are truly ready to make the commitment to a full, permanent marriage.

Yes.  It is your responsibility to obtain and present a valid marriage license to the priest/deacon who is presiding at your wedding before the marriage ceremony. For more information about the current requirements for a marriage license, visit the  website of the New York State Department of Health.

This is the meeting at which the priest/deacon will make sure all Canon Law requirements have been met. This brief process is another way we ensure open lines of communication and speak to the priest/deacon about anything on your mind.

Many people desire a blessing from the Holy Father in anticipation of their wedding and marriage. For information about how to obtain this blessing, click here.

Contact your officiant for a personalized selection of readings and music selections. You can find popular reading selections on this site. Find Archdiocesan guidelines for the music here.

Marriage preparation is not limited only to the required courses. We should never want to  stop learning how to love each other better.

There are many opportunities for marriage enrichment, through various programs like the one-day Celebrate Marriage Day or a Marriage Encounter Weekend retreat.

Don’t forget that the family that prays together, stays together.

There are lots of ways to grow together spiritually, such as praying together as a couple and celebrating the liturgy together.  For other opportunities and programs see the Family Life Office Marriage Enrichment webpage.

Mentoring engaged couples and lending a helping hand in the marriage preparation process will also help you grow closer by sharing your lives with engaged couples. After you have been married for a while, call us at 646-794-3188 or email us at [email protected] and find out how you can help.

Sometimes the more familiar term NFP is used along with, or in place of, the term FABM or Fertility Awareness.

NFP is the general term for the scientific, natural and moral methods of family planning that can help married couples either achieve or avoid pregnancy.  It highlights that couples do not use artificial barriers (e.g., condoms) or chemicals (e.g., the birth control pill) to prevent pregnancy, and it intends that both spouses share responsibility for the decision of achieving or avoiding pregnancy.  The couples accept fertility as a normal state of health and share responsibility for family planning by modifying behaviors according to their intentions.

In the strictest sense of the term, the FABM encompasses merely the scientific/biological aspect (that these methods are based on an understanding of one’s fertility).  As such, the FABM can be used as a natural family planning method, but it can also be used for monitoring a woman’s reproductive health.

The difference is that an FABM doesn’t require both spouses to share responsibility for the decision of achieving or avoiding pregnancy (but many couples choose to share this responsibility.) While some couples who use FABMs also use condoms or other forms of contraception in addition to using an FABM, NFP excludes the use of artificial barriers (e.g., condoms) or chemicals (e.g., the birth control pill) because the use of these to suppress fertility violates God’s plan for married love.

Learn more about this in Married Love and the Gift of Life, here. En español. 

More than ever – women are interested in understanding and tracking their cycles to monitor and manage their “overall” health.  They are enabled by both apps and new medical technology, and one of the major forces of change is that the medical world is now identifying a woman’s fertility (ovulation & menstruation) as her 5th vital sign.

With the rapidly expanding landscape of fertility apps, monitors, and sensors, you may be questioning if these technologies are approved by the Catholic Church and if they are safe and effective. Some of these technologies can be of great assistance to couples in avoiding or achieving a pregnancy while still living out God’s plan for marital love.  But the couple needs to learn about the science of fertility and do the required research.

If you use one of these apps or devices, the same Church teachings apply. When you detect that you are fertile, you either abstain from having sex (if you don’t want to get pregnant) or you engage in sex, open to the possibility that God will bless your union with new life.

God’s plan keeps Him this involved in your marital intimacy. Using any type of artificial barrier keeps God out of the equation, and this is what Church teaching disagrees with.

FEMTECH, or Female Technology, refers to the use of more advanced technologies in women’s health, such as using advanced learning algorithms and AI-based analysis, wearable sensors, and other new technologies.  And while the FEMTECH industry is exploding with new opportunities for women, it continues to build on the original NFP foundations.

There are many new support groups emerging on Facebook and there are many faithful Catholic women and men managing their fertility according to God’s plan and sharing their stories via social media. Try searching Facebook for “Catholic and NFP.”

Finally, if couples want to consider any of the new technologies, we strongly suggest the following:

• Take a formal NFP or FABM course from a certified teacher and complete the designated curriculum, either online or in person. This is key to successful use of the technologies.
• Do your research! This is a growing and changing area that affects your lifestyle. Some apps, sensors and monitors work better than others, and most work with specific NFP methods. One app the Family Life office endorses is the FEMM app, but feel free to contact our NFP Specialists for additional information.
• Understand the commitment to daily practice you need to make. for NFP to be effective. It requires consistent use, mutual motivation and loving cooperation.
• Understand the risks and impacts of any of these methods failing. Can you always be open to the possibility of bringing new life into this world?

Talk to your spouse about NFP and fertility awareness, pray, and make a faith-filled and Christ-centered decision, respecting God’s design for married love.

NaPro TECHNOLOGY

Infertility presents couples with an unexpected cross. Marriage is inherently called to bring forth new life, and those couples unable to conceive suffer from this unfulfilled, natural human desire. There is hope. The Creighton Model FertilityCare^TM System, used in conjunction with NaPro TECHNOLOGY – a medical approach cooperating with natural hormonal balance of the human body, can increase a couple’s potential to conceive a child.

Updated websites for the Manhattan and St. Peter’s Gianna Centers are listed below.

Gianna Centers – Healthcare for Women

The Gianna Centers provide comprehensive gynecologic primary care and specialized fertility and family planning techniques to uncover the causes of infertility for all women. Some Gianna Centers offer NaPro TECHNOLOGY, which is the natural alternative to assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization. NaPro TECHNOLOGY is a Church-approved fertility treatment in accordance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. Staff by friendly, licensed professionals, the Gianna Centers esteem woman’s healthcare and they remain deeply committed to honoring a woman’s dignity and the sanctity of human life.

Area Gianna Centers that offer initial consultations for infertility and recurrent miscarriage and provide NaPro TECHNOLOGY include the Centers listed below. For more information or to schedule an appointment at one of the Centers, visit their website:

Catholic Health Services of Long Island Centers:

• • New York City Gianna Center in Manhattan
    Website: www.chsli.org/gianna-center

• • Long Island Gianna Center in Babylon, NY
    Website: www.chsli.org/gianna-center

• • Rockville Centre Gianna Center
    Website: www.chsli.org/gianna-center

Saint Peter’s Gianna Center (Somerset, NJ) Website: https://sppanj.com/services/gianna-center/

MorningStar Family Health Center (Clinton, NJ) Website: www.morningstarfhc.com

Gianna Center of Albany Website: www.giannaofalbany.com

SPRINGS IN THE DESERT

Springs in the Desert is a Catholic apostolate founded by Kimberly Henkel, PhD and Ann Koshute, MTS. Their shared experience of infertility and the isolation it breeds led them to found this ministry to provide spiritual and emotional support and accompaniment to those carrying infertility’s heavy burden. For more information visit www.springsinthedesert.org.

Monthly Support Group at the Manhattan Gianna Center

The Manhattan Gianna Center for Women’s Catholic Healthcare (15 East 40th Street Ste. 101) offers a FREE monthly support group on the third Thursday of each month. These meetings allow women to discuss their feelings with other women who are also struggling with infertility. Reading material on infertility is provided and discussed. Any woman can attend; they do not need to be patients of the center nor Catholic. Please call (212) 481-1219 for more information. Some meetings are cancelled if turn out is low, so be sure to contact them ahead of time.

Additional Articles and Resources

• • New Hope in Infertility by Dr. Anne Nolte, M.D.

• • Embracing the Cross of Infertility by Dr. Marie Meaney

• • Facing infertility: A journey of faith, hope and love by Mary Louise Kurey

• • Dealing with Infertility: A Guide for Catholics by Julie Kelemen

• • The Infertility Companion for Catholics by Angelique Ruhi-Lopez and Carmen Santamaria

• • Infertility Journey by Jeannie & Bruce Hannemann

• • Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology: a statement published by the USCCB, November 17, 2009.

• • Catholic Infertility Prayers

• • General Infertility Prayers

St. Gianna Mass

The St. Gianna Mass is a beautiful liturgy celebrated for couples who have or currently are struggling with infertility or recurrent miscarriage. Gathered in a solidarity of hope, couples are invited to experience the healing graces of the Eucharist, followed by fellowship and an opportunity to meet a healthcare professional from the Gianna Center for Women’s Healthcare.

NFP/FABM Educators are listed below according to the method taught to achieve or postpone pregnancy. Most offer classes, both online and in-person that cover the science and biology, how to use the method, the Church’s teaching, and basic charting.

While there are many effective NFP methods and instructors available, the three methods of NFP that the Archdiocese of New York supports include the Cervical Fluid methods, the Sympto-Hormonal methods, and the Sympto-Thermal methods listed below, along with the independent organizations who provide training in these methods.

Cervical Fluid Methods

The Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) is based on a woman’s daily observations of cervical fluid (also known as cervical mucus). For additional information on the BOM, visit: http://www.factsaboutfertility.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/BillingsPEH_REV3.pdf

For training options available, visit the following sites:

• learnnfponline.com by The Marriage Group, LLC
• boma-usa.org by BOMA-USA
• St. Augustine Foundation’s “Catholic Couples NFP” no-cost program.  For more information, visit CCNFP.org or call 888-899-8884.

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS) is a comprehensive method for tracking a woman’s fertility by teaching her to understand the cervical fluid or mucus observations throughout her cycle. The Creighton method also serves as a tool for evaluating and monitoring a woman’s reproductive and gynecologic health through the new science of Natural Procreative (NaPro) Technology. For additional information on the CrMS, visit: http://www.factsaboutfertility.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/CreightonPEH.pdf

For training options available, visit the following sites:

• Gianna Centers (Manhattan and Long Island):  chsli.org/gianna-center
• St. Peter’s Gianna Center (Somerset, NJ): saintpetershcs.com/Services/Gianna-Center
• MorningStar Family Health Center (Clinton, NJ):  morningstarfhc.com/
• Gianna Center of Albany:  giannaofalbany.com/
• Creighton Fertility Care Services: lifertilitycareservices.com/class-descriptions
• FertilityCare Centers of America: fertilitycare.org

Sympto-Hormonal Method

Sympto-Hormonal Methods (SHMs) incorporate cervical fluid observations with a second sign, for example, urinary metabolite hormone levels, to identify days of fertility. The SHMs that we endorse include:

FEMM (Fertility Education & Medical Management) teaches women the link between hormones and health, and helps them to understand and identify ovulation as a sign of health. Women learn how to identify normal or abnormal health patterns, as well as how to use this information to manage their fertility (achieve or avoid pregnancy). FEMM can also be used as a method of natural family planning. 

To view and register for classes, visit https://femmhealth.org/classes/ where you will find longer day sessions and shorter segmented sessions (same content is provided in different approaches).

The FEMM app assists women and couples in tracking their health and fertility data, as well as physical and emotional symptoms. The app provides individual, personalized information and feedback, helping women to know:

• the average length of their cycle
• quality and length of their bleeding
• point of ovulation at each cycle
• fertility window and more

Currently available in English and Spanish, the app can be downloaded for free from the Android and Apple stores. 

For your information, here are some website and social media links:

• www.femmhealth.org
• www.femmhealthapp.org
• www.facebook.com/FEMMHealth

The Marquette method of NFP helps women and couples to find their fertile window and understand the woman’s menstrual and reproductive health by interpreting biological signs of fertility.  These signs of fertility are manifested in the activity of reproductive hormones found in urine, changes in cervical mucus and/or fluctuations in basal body temperatures. The purpose of using natural biological signs of fertility is to help women and couples to identify the day closest to ovulation and accurately estimate the fertile window.

The Marquette Method (MM) uses a hand-held electronic fertility monitor (such as ClearBlue) to measure hormones levels (at home) in the woman’s urine.  The monitor helps the woman estimate the beginning and end of the fertile time in her cycle. The information from the monitor can be used with observations of cervical fluid, basal body temperature, or other biological indicators of fertility.

For further information, and to find instructors (in-person and online), here are some websites and social media sites you can visit:

• https://www.marquettemethod.com/
• https://www.mmnfp.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/296532714516862/
• https://www.vitaefertility.com/marquette-method-explained/
• https://www.marquette.edu/nursing/natural-family-planning.php
• St. Augustine Foundation’s “Catholic Couples NFP” no-cost program.  Visit CCNFP.org or call 888-899-8884.

Sympto-Thermal Methods

The Sympto-thermal Method (STM) is based on a woman’s observations of her cervical fluid, basal body temperature (waking temperature), and other biological signs (e.g., changes in the cervix). A woman records the characteristics of her cervical fluid secretions and monitors the basal body temperature, which rises after ovulation. Couples cross-check these two primary signs and follow specific guidelines to determine the beginning and end of their fertile days. For additional information on the STM, visit: http://www.factsaboutfertility.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SymptoThermalPEH.pdf

For training options available, visit the following sites:

• Couple to Couple League International: ccli.org/learn-nfp-from-ccl/
• Symptopro:  symptopro.org
• SymptoPro Course with Kindara Bundle:  symptoprokindara.lmscheckout.com

FACTS (Fertility Appreciation Collaborative To Teach the Science) is a group of physicians, healthcare professionals and educators working together to provide information about natural or fertility awareness-based methods of family planning within the medical community.

Different FABM/NFP methods are based on the different physical signs or biomarkers that change throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle.

FACTS provides additional information about these signs, and about FABMs and NFP methods.  Visit their charting webpage at: org/what-is-charting/

NOTE:  Any reference on the FACTS website that allows use of an artificial barrier such as a condom, or any contraceptive, is not in alignment with Catholic teaching.

NATURAL WOMANHOOD is a non-profit dedicated to promoting fertility charting as a way to promote health, self-knowledge, relational intimacy and effective family planning. Its mission is to encourage women to understand their fertility cycles by charting them, not just for family planning, but also for health benefits and empowerment. They exist to change the common belief that contraceptives are the only way to avoid pregnancy or to treat certain women’s health disorders.

OFF THE CHARTS – – Want a great web resource for on-going pastoral help?  Consider joining this faithful, warm, intelligent, and extremely practical virtual community.  A subscription fee is charged for full access to the community, but you can cancel at any time. For more information, visit  the Off the Charts website at www.offthechartsnfp.com, or contact them directly at [email protected].

These are licensed physicians and healthcare providers who support and/or promote the use of Natural Family Planning and FABM methods.

MyCatholicDoctor Foundation

(MyCatholicDoctor makes Catholic healthcare accessible throughout the United States by using video-based consultation, a referral network of faithful healthcare professionals, and a unique financial model that aims to accommodate different healthcare payment methods.)

FEMM

femmhealth.org/telehealth/ and femmhealth.org/medical-providers/ are sites that can help you access affordable and convenient medical care. FEMM trained doctors and healthcare providers work with you to diagnose and treat underlying conditions and restore health.

Creighton Method Physicians

Dr. Anne Nolte, MD, FCMC, Family Practice

(specializing in the Creighton Method – FertilityCareTM)

Gianna Center (NY) – Catholic Healthcare for Women

15 East 40th St. (just West of Madison Ave) Suite 101

New York, NY 10016

Phone: 212-481-1219

Email: [email protected]

Website: chsli.org/gianna-center

Dr. Monika B. Potocki (Medical and Surgical Naprotechnology and Gynecology)

Saint Peter’s Gianna Center

59 Veronica Ave, Suite 202

Somerset, NJ 08873

Phone: (732) 565-5490

Website: saintpetershcs.com/Services/Gianna-Center

Dr. Jean Golden-Tevald, DO, CFCMC, FCP

(specializing in the Creighton Method – FertilityCareTM)

FertilityCare Center

54 Old Hwy 22

Clinton, NJ 08867

Phone: (908) 735-9344

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.morningstarfhc.com