Helping married couples to deepen conjugal love and achieve responsible parenthood is part of the Church's total pastoral ministry to Catholic spouses. Fulfillment of this ministry includes both education and pastoral care. This means "instilling conviction and offering practical help to those who wish to live out their parenthood in a truly responsible way" (Familiaris consortio, 35). Education in Natural Family Planning (NFP) is an aid to living the truth and beauty of God's plan for married love and the gift of life in marriage.
USCCB NATIONAL LIST OF PROVIDERS Note not all providers listed meet the USCCB's Standards for Diocesan NFP Ministry. Those that do meet the standards are identified.
STANDARDS FOR DIOCESAN NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING MINISTRY Diocesan Natural Family Planning services must be based on the Church’s doctrine and moral teaching, as well as on the accumulated wisdom of the sciences.
• Instruction on Catholic teaching regarding men and women as made in God’s image and likeness; the nature of human sexuality (including male and female complementarity), the virtue of chastity, the proper formation of conscience, the nature of marriage, conjugal love and responsible parenthood, the value of children, and the importance of the family especially as the foundation of society and the domestic church.
• Instruction on human fertility and procreation including a fundamental education of the fertility cycle and how to interpret the physiological signs of fertility.
• A process for enabling couples to understand motivation and other factors that affect their decision making with regard to responsible parenthood.
• Formation in recognition of the value of moral commitment and spirituality that reinforces human decision making while integrating wholesome attitudes toward human sexuality, chastity, marriage, parenting, and family life as designed by God.