Seven Considerations while Navigating Infertility
Simple Supplements

Simple Supplements
Provided to assist with
personal enrichment or to
complement presentations
given by teachers, homilists,
youth ministers, etc.
Scripture
- Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-8, 25:21;
- Judges 13:2-24;
- 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, 18-21;
- Psalm 34:19;
- Psalm 61:2-5;
- Isaiah 55:8-9;
- Luke 1:5-25, 36-37;
- Romans 12:12-13, 15
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
499-501
From the Popes
- Pope St. John Paul II. Homily, Mass for the Families, February 13, 1982. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana,
1982. No. 3 (third paragraph).
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. Donum vitae (Instruction on Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice
Vaticana, 1987. II. Interventions upon Human Procreation, §B, No. 8.
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. Instruction Dignitas personae (The Dignity of a Person). Vatican
City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008. Nos. 12-23, 28-30.
USCCB Resources
- Webpages
- Infertility
- Reproductive Technology
- Natural Family Planning
- www.foryourmarriage.org
- Begotten
not Made: A Catholic View of Reproductive Technology
- Reproductive
Technology (Evaluation & Treatment of Infertility): Guidelines for Catholic
Couples
Listed on "Infertility" under "Resources for Catholic Couples." - Life-Giving
Love in an Age of Technology
Teaching document from the U.S. bishops. 20 pp. Item #1070. (Order)
Saints
- Sts. Joachim and Anne: "Tradition holds
that these saints struggled with infertility and were childless for decades."4
- St. Rita of Cascia: Patron saint of
infertility
Real People, Real Life
- "We felt so hopeless at times. Words can't even
explain this experience of loss. Fortunately, our marriage only grew stronger,
because we were there for each other and continued to rely on God."5
- "As I became more educated on what IVF entails, I realized
the wisdom and beauty of the Church's teaching in upholding my dignity as a
woman and in safeguarding my personal health."6
Did You Know?
There are medical options for addressing
infertility that follow Church teaching and have rates of pregnancy that are
statistically significantly higher than in
vitro fertilization (IVF).7
Intercessions
For
married couples experiencing
difficulty conceiving a child:
May
they find solace in the
compassionate
sensitivity of others;
We
pray to the Lord:
For
those longing for a child of their own:
May
they find consolation in God's tender care,
and
peace in the assurance of his loving plan;
We
pray to the Lord:
For
those whose hearts ache
for
a child of their own:
May
they experience the Lord's presence
and
be filled with his peace;
We
pray to the Lord:
Related Works of Mercy (Spiritual / corporal)
- Comfort the sorrowful.
- Instruct the ignorant.
- Counsel the doubtful.
- Pray for the living and the dead.
1 USCCB, "Infertility" United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/resources/infertility.cfm (accessed June 10, 2016).
2 USCCB, "Reproductive Technology" United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/reproductive-technology/index.cfm
(accessed June 10, 2016).
3 John M. Haas, Ph.D., S.T.L., "Begotten Not Made: A Catholic View of Reproductive
Technology", USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, 1998, https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/reproductive-technology/begotten-not-made-a-catholic-view-of-reproductive-technology.cfm
(accessed June 10, 2016).
4 "Married Saints: St. Joachim & St. Anne," https://www.marriageuniqueforareason.org/2012/07/26/married-saints-st-joachim-st-anne/
(accessed June 10, 2016).
5 USCCB
Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, An Adoption Love Story (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
2014).
6 USCCB Secretariat of Pro-life Activities,
Life-giving Love in an Age of Technology (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2009).
7 Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, "Infertility", NaProTechnology.com,
https://www.naprotechnology.com/infertility.htm (Accessed April 15, 2016).