Report
Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning Profile 2002 Summary
In December of 2002, 190 Profile questionnaires were mailed to dioceses. Ninety-three or 49 percent of the dioceses completed and returned questionnaires. As in previous years, the data indicates that certain aspects of NFP programs remain relatively unchanged with slight improvement in a few areas.
When viewed nationally, diocesan NFP programs vary from almost nonexistent to comprehensive. Some dioceses have very strong educational programs that integrate NFP into all educational efforts on human sexuality, marriage, and family life. Through hard work and dedication, other dioceses have made tremendous strides in improving the quality of their NFP programs in order to be certified as meeting the Standards for Diocesan NFP Ministry. But across the nation, as one diocese improves its NFP program, another experiences a reduction in program size through teacher loss, budget cuts, and/or diocesan restructuring. The fact that NFP is often viewed as a marginal pastoral concern becomes painfully clear when one contrasts the number of Catholic marriages performed in the U.S. with the number of couples who have attended a full course of instruction in NFP.
Finally, the pastoral question that must be asked when examining each diocesan NFP effort is: Can couples who wish to be faithful to Church teaching on responsible parenthood readily get the NFP support they need? The answer to this question will determine how best to plan and support local diocesan NFP ministry.