FIRST NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING CONFERENCE FOR CLERGY AND RELIGIOUS HELD IN GOA

The DFSC conducted the first of its kind in Goa and India a Deanery Conference on Natural Family Planning for Clergy and Religious Sisters on the 25^th of August 2014. This conference was held at the Holy Trinity Parish Hall, Benaulim for the Deanery of Benaulim from 4pm to 8pm. The conference had in attendance all together 18 Priests and 14 Religious Sisters. The first session for the conference was delivered by was conducted by Valentine and Ana Coelho, Directors of Couple to Couple League, India Branch. They strongly put forth the view of how the Clergy/Religious could talk NFP in their day to day life. Being well accepted leaders of the Church they had and commanded the authority to do so, they stressed. Various examples and teachings of the Church were used by them to drive home the point: Teaching NFP from the Pulpit. The next session was conducted by Mrs. Agusta Cardoso, Coordinator of the Department of Responsible Parenthood, DFSC. Quoting from her experience of practicing and teaching NFP for over 22 years, she along with Dr. Roshan Nazareth, helped the audience to get a firsthand experience of how the NFP session is conducted. They were also demonstrated how to do Personal and practice charts. The whole conference ended with a sumptuous fellowship dimmer organized by Rev. Fr. Rocklin, the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Parish, Benaulim, which was well appreciated by all. They participants left for home with a copy of the CD entitled “God’s Plan for Love and Life in the Family” brought out by the DFSC. The DFSC would like to thank in a special way, the Dean, Rev. Fr. Candido Fernandes, the first time Dean, Dean of Benaulim Deanery, who took the initiative and pains to see that the conference had a good attendance. Fr. Kennet Teles, Director, DFSC, in a special way, wholeheartedly thanks all the participants for their wholehearted participation in the conference.