News

Elizabeth Ministry to teach NFP for Diocese

By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent

The Natural Family Planning (NFP) ministry of the Green Bay Diocese has been delegated to Elizabeth Ministry International Resource Center, Appleton.

Mary Stubler, diocesan family life educator and consultant for marriage, said the diocese's decision to outsource NFP to Elizabeth Ministry means it will receive the time and attention needed "in terms of spreading the good news about natural family planning."

"They have more people power to do more promotion, motivation and education."

Jeannie Hannemann, founder of Elizabeth Ministry, says that her group benefits as well, since "we will be able to expand our offerings in the area of fertility awareness."

Three people - Mary, Sarah and Joanne - were trained in NFP in November for Elizabeth Ministries, and will soon be certified through the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Development Plan.

Stubler explained that "all trainers in the diocese must be in alignment with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' development plan." This means they meet certain training and background requirements and are prepared to address the issues and concerns of couples who come to them.

"Couples who plan natural family planning have strong marriages; their communication is enhanced. Their family life is enhanced," Stubler added. "We need to make sure natural family planning is on couples' radar screens. For many people, it is an unknown."

Hannemann said that NFP "looks at all the aspects God has given us for learning and understanding when fertility and infertility occur in a woman's (menstrual) cycle and the rules husband and wife can apply whether they are trying to achieve or postpone a pregnancy."

She added that NFP is "99% effective and 100% natural. If a couple is trying to postpone pregnancy, they will find it is more effective than birth control pills. There are no negative side effects."

Natural family planning helps a couple understand the bodily signs that indicate a woman is fertile, Hannemann said. Methods Elizabeth Ministry uses to train couples include sympto-thermal - based on bodily temperature and signs - and sympto - based on bodily signs.

Sue Costello, women's health educator at St. Mary's Hospital's A Woman's Place in Green Bay, has been an NFP teacher for years. She wants people to understand that NFP is not the old rhythm method.

"Rhythm does not work," she said. "It is a calendar method. Scientifically, it was a good idea. (But) the problem was that a woman's cycle is not always regular."

According to Costello, who has taught NFP for 15 years at St. Mary's and, before that at St. Vincent Hospital, "natural family planning is so healthy ... physically, emotionally and spiritually, because it respects women's bodies. It respects their feelings."

Hannemann agrees, saying that a big benefit of NFP is that it "really allows people to become co-creators of new life with God's plan. It follows God's plan on how a man and woman are to give themselves totally to one another. Every act of marital embrace should be such that it is unitive and open to procreation."

Elizabeth Ministry is planning another training session for September. Persons interested in becoming NFP trainers, or learning more about it, can contact Elizabeth Ministry at (920)766-9380 or email nfp@elizabethministry.com.

Costello teaches couples individually, starting with an introductory class that explains natural family planning. During the remaining four sessions, she explains the details of the method. She can be reached at St. Mary's Hospital, (920)498-4200 or at (920)499-7742.