Diocesan Partners

Wow, CANFP has been around as long as I have been an NFP teacher and that means I have been a member of CANFP for 27 years now! And what a joy it has been to be affiliated with CANFP for all these years.

My husband and I first learned and used the Billings Ovulation Method of NFP when we got married back in 1978. We were so amazed at the beauty of using NFP that after our four planned pregnancies, with the children all in school, I decided to go to school myself and became a Billings teacher, completing my course work and be certified in February of 1993.

And it was just a month later, March 1993, that I attended the first ever CANFP conference held in Santa Clara. It was so exciting to be with so many other NFP teachers and supporters! As a new Billings teacher, mom to three young children, and living in rural Humboldt County, I really appreciated the support I received from CANFP and the members. At the conference I was able to network with other teachers and listen to speakers to learn more about the wonderful world of NFP and meet the Drs. Billings! What a thrill!

Throughout the years my husband, Deacon Dave, and I have been involved with teaching about NFP in a variety of settings: marriage preparation classes, Engaged Encounter weekends, RCIA, diocesan conferences, workshops with priests and deacons, and of course in teaching the Billings Ovulation Method to many couples. It has been a wonderful experience for us both. And as a bonus, Deacon Dave gets to talk about NFP in his homilies.

Attending the CANFP conferences has always been a way to boost my knowledge and enthusiasm for teaching Natural Family Planning. And the conference celebrating 50 years of Humanae Vitae in 2018 was just fantastic and so memorable for all of us. We were so motivated by what we experienced there that when we got home we began planning and organizing, with the help of Shelia of CANFP, our own mini, in-diocese Humanae Vitae conference for the deacons in our Diocese of Santa Rosa.

After we both thought we were “retired,” Dave was ordained a deacon in 2016 and we thought we would settle into a quiet life in our parish. But as you know, God has His plan. Our bishop, Bishop Robert Vasa, called us one day and asked us to consider being the co-directors of the newly formed Marriage and Family Life Office for the Diocese of Santa Rosa. It didn’t take us too long in prayerful reflection (“Heaven help us!”) to say yes!

One of the first tasks Bishop had for us was to update the marriage preparation policy for the diocese. With his avid support we added a separate NFP introduction class as one of the required components of the marriage formation process. CANFP has been so helpful in providing many wonderful resources we have made available to both the priests and deacons of our diocese when we have made presentations to educate them on the beauty, simplicity and health benefits of NFP. We are so fortunate that Bishop Vasa supports CANFP that we have a diocesan membership each year.

CANFP has been a great and trusted resource for me throughout the many years I have been a member and I am so grateful for the support they provide me as an NFP teacher, user, and staff member promoting NFP in the diocese. CANFP has been and continues to be a vital link for me in the world of NFP, especially now in my role working in the Marriage and Family Life Office.

Thanks CANFP for all you have done and continue to do to support Natural Family Planning.