Free National Family Planning Awareness Week Events Set for Falmouth and Beyond Next Week
Free Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week special events are set for Falmouth, Freeport, Gray, and Yarmouth. All Catholics and non-Catholics are welcome.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a safe, effective way to help a couple determine when sexual intercourse can and cannot result in pregnancy. It fosters authentic marital love, respect, honesty, and couple communication. It also fosters trust in God and an authentic marital spirituality that deepens the couple's relationship with Christ and his Church.
Here is a schedule of events to which all are invited:
Sunday, July 23
Fr. Steven Cartwright, pastor of the Parish of the Holy Eucharist, will celebrate Mass and speak about NFP at St. Gregory the Great Church on 24 N. Raymond Road in Gray at 8:30 a.m. followed by a group Rosary.
Monday, July 24
“Contraception: Why Not?” will be presented at Holy Martyrs Church on 266 Foreside Road in Falmouth at 6:30 p.m. The live talk and Q&A session will be facilitated by Professor Janet E. Smith, a nationally acclaimed NFP expert. Professor Smith will discuss how contraception has fundamentally altered our understanding of the meaning and purpose of sexuality, leading some to view babies as an unwelcome consequence of sexual intercourse rather than as a gift.
Tuesday, July 25
“Let’s Taco ‘Bout It” will be held at Holy Martyrs Church at 5 p.m. Sarah Chamberlain, a local NFP teacher, will field questions from those gathered as well as anonymous questions submitted to the week’s website (www.pothe.org/nfp). Childcare will be available, and tacos will be served!
Thursday, July 27
A Men’s Night will be held at Pat’s Pizza, located on 791 Route 1 in Yarmouth, at 7 p.m. The parish’s “That Man is You!” group will host attendees in a casual discussion about marriage, self-discipline, and more. Anonymous questions can also be submitted at the link above.
Friday, July 28
Read the stories of 19 Catholic couples in Fletcher Doyle’s Natural Family Planning Blessed Our Marriage and then gather at Sacred Heart Church, located on 326 Main Street in Yarmouth, at 7 p.m. for a chat with the parish’s coordinator of family life, Kalee Gwarjanski.
Saturday, July 29
A closing Mass will be held at 4 p.m. at St. Jude Church on 134 Main Street in Freeport (confession opportunity at 2:30 p.m.). Following the Mass, enjoy “Parents’ Night Out” as parents can enjoy a date night in downtown Freeport with parish-provided childcare. Kids will enjoy a pizza party in the parish hall, and all ages are welcome.
In addition, a live novena will be conducted on the parish’s Facebook page starting on July 21 and many resources will be made available for interested parties. To learn more about the above events, the week, or NFP, visit www.pothe.org/nfp.
