TIPS TO CELEBRATE STATE NFP AWARENESS WEEK 2014 20TH TO THE 26TH OF JULY 2014

It is never too late to plan your celebration of Parish Natural Family Planning Awareness Week!

The 46^th anniversary of Humanae Vitae is an occasion and call to celebrate the

Parish Natural Family Planning Awareness Week!

20/07/2014

Sadea Kallacho Sollavo Aitar

SOIMBA PORMONNEM KUTTUMB YEUZONN PROCHARACHO DIS

(4^th Natural Family Planning (NFP) Propagation Day)

“Celebrate and reverence God’s vision of human sexuality.”
‘Discover Natural Family Planning’

NFP disache somarombhnenk Misachea Sevadhormak Vixoy

“JIVIT BODLUNK SOEG MELLTA TO PALLUN BAPACHEA RAJEANT VOCHUM-YA”

SPREAD THE WORD IN THE PARISH

• PPC Ex-co/PAT/CAT could organize NFP campaign. Insert some matter on NFP in your Parish Bulletin. If  the parish has a Parish Family Service Cell, the animators could  organize a meeting  with married couples to discuss NFP.

Be a presence in the parish. Display this year’s NFP poster and other educational materials in your parish.

• Priests could schedule NFP couples or teachers to provide a brief life witness at the end of the Sunday Mass that launches NFP Awareness Week. The DFSC could be contacted for NFP Couples.

Include NFP Awareness Week announcements in parish bulletins.

• You can link to the USCCB’s NFP website  to know more about the same.

PRAY

• Mass
• Dear priests do use the Homily Notes and for Mass throughout the NFP Awareness Week. ‘Amcho Sevadhorm’ has brought out the NFP Sunday Liturgy.
• Plan a celebratory Mass in your Parish. The State level celebration will take place at Se Cathedral Parish, Old Goa with the inauguration of the first official Parish Family Service Cell (PFSC).
• Plan a special Mass of thanksgiving for your NFP teachers and couples.
  • Eucharistic Adoration
  • Take all of your petitions to Christ in the Eucharist!
  • Plan an evening (morning or afternoon) of Eucharistic Adoration in a parish.
  • Consider using meditative readings from Blessed John Paul II (e.g., Familiaris Consortio or Theology of the Body) and Catholic teachings to design your time of Adoration.
  • Make sure Confession is available.
    • The Rosary
    • Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary that married couples may live God’s design for life and love!
    • Encourage group Rosaries for specific marriage-NFP building intentions.
    • Consider obtaining pledges from individuals throughout the parish  who will pray the
    • Rosary for specific intentions of the diocesan NFP ministry team.
    • Plan a special Rosary for your NFP teachers during National NFP Awareness Week.
    • Plan a special Rosary for NFP families. Have the children participate!

• Novenas
• Novenas are wonderful prayers that focus the mind and heart on particular intentions for nine days. There are many novenas that can be used to focus prayer on the strengthening of marriage and NFP ministry.
• Encourage individual and group recitation of a novena for special marriage and NFP intentions.
• Consider urging your NFP teachers to take up a novena for intentions you all agree on.
• Use the USCCB’s novenas to Saints Anne and Joachim as well as to the Blessed Mother under the Feast of the Annunciation for your Marriage and NFP intentions.

• Retreats
• Consider hosting a day long, half-day or evening retreat for engaged and married couples.
• If you wish to attract families, plan activities for children and youth.
• Plan a retreat for young adults about “marriage readiness” that helps them reflect on the sacrament of marriage, the virtue of chastity and the life-respecting methods of NFP.
• Include NFP couple witness talks and inspiring presentations by health care professionals on the science and benefits of NFP for married couples (see for example the Diocese of Charleston: http://www.themiscellany.org/index.php/news/4071-nfp-retreat-set-for-april-28).

EDUCATE

• NFP Introductions
• Introductory sessions on the science and ethics of NFP are easy to provide for a wide-range of audiences. One or two people competent in the science and methodology of NFP as well as Catholic teaching which supports their use in marriage is all you need. Add an NFP witness couple and the circle is completed! In fact, many NFP teachers and their spouses are able and willing to provide such content!
• Schedule NFP Introductions at SCC’s, in Catholic hospitals, at the PPC meet, Animators meet or meeting of Associations.
• Meet with a popular Catholic physician to collaborate on providing an NFP Introduction to his colleagues and staff.
• Contact local nurses as they could be good promoters of NFP.

 Send at least 2 from among spousal couples/married women/doctors/nurses/teachers in your Parish to undergo training in NFP so that they can be Resource persons in your Parish. Remember: The Diocesan goal is at least

• NFP Parish Missions
• An NFP Parish Mission is a unique spiritual event. It combines education, catechesis, prayer and the celebration of the sacraments (the Eucharist and Reconciliation). It not only requires speakers competent in NFP science and ethics, but also a priest to address the spiritual reality of married love and the gift of life as well as to celebrate the sacraments.
• PPC could discuss the same with the Priests in the Parish to consider hosting an NFP Parish Mission.
• For further information to plan a parish mission, contact the Director of DFSC or its office.

• Guest Speakers
• Invite a known NFP expert to speak in your Parish.

• Local NFP conference or seminar
• The DFSC has planned NFP Deanery Conferences for Priests and the Religious in the deanery. Ask your Dean to book the same at the earliest.  Contact the Director, DFSC with 3 dates to finalise the same. The DFSC plan to cover up all the Deaneries by Dec 2014.

• Catholic Hospitals
• Have a meeting of the local Catholic Hospitals to see how they could teach/promote NFP to the patients visiting them, specially the Pregnant and Nursing mothers.
• Ask the hospital’s ministry if you can display this year’s NFP poster with other NFP educational resources. Include the presence of an NFP teacher who can be on hand to answer questions at the display.
• Work with the proper authorities to establish NFP classes in the Catholic hospital.

CELEBRATE

• Host a “Celebrate NFP” picnic or “family fun day” in your parish.
• Host an appreciation dinner for NFP teachers and promoters.

 Acknowledgement : www.usccb.org