Religious/Personal

Newlyweds’ Miscarriage Forces Change in Family Plans

They had to get the abstinence thing right

(Feb. 14, 2011) Natural family planning (NFP) teaching couple Jessica and Bill Purtell of Villa Hills, Ky., felt well prepared when they got married, but some unexpected challenges changed their plans.

Some were small, like when Bill realized his towel folding techniques weren’t up to snuff. “I hadn’t lived with anyone before, so my towels started getting unfolded and refolded.” He said. “But I’m pretty laid back. I liked Jess then and I still like her now, and I’d been looking forward to being married to her.”

Good Marriages Begin with True Love and Much Work

A good marriage prep class is well worth it.

True love is a mutual gift shared between two people for their lifetime. Fortifying this love takes work but it is well worth it!

When engaged couples make plans to marry in the Catholic Church, they are asked to attend several different types of marriage preparation programs, and sometimes that even includes classes in Natural Family Planning (NFP). While it may not seem worthwhile at the time, this preparation is a worthy investment of time and money before entering into a lifelong promise.

Newlyweds Need to Get Over the Bumps in Marriage

Newlyweds can expect some bumps in marriage.

The below abridged article, by Roxane B. Salonen, is from the January-February 2011 issue of “Family Foundations,” the publication of the Couple to Couple League International (CCL). CCL is the leading organization providing Natural Family Planning (NFP) instruction in the United States.

The article opened with a discussion of the importance of perseverance among newlyweds in working with each other’s differences.

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Staying the course in such matters is important, says veteran husband Michael Castagno of East Norriton, Pa. “Marriage is really about being preoccupied with the welfare of the other person,” he said.