Denver Catholic

12 AUGUST 12-25, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Around the Archdiocese A place for reconnecting With God. Come for a day or week. Book your next retreat with us! 719-258-1600 For Tour or Reservations www.eltesororetreat.org C F & C S N C A M A D For more information cfcsDenver.org MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 12801 W. 44th Avenue Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 424-7785 ST. SIMEON CATHOLIC CEMETERY 22001 E. State Hwy. 30 Aurora, CO 80018 (720) 859-9785 ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER FUNERAL CENTER Serving the greater Denver area (303) 425-9511 Start planning today: Funeral | Cremation | Cemetery | Family Estates BY THERESE BUSSEN N atural Family Planning (NFP) is an integral part of family life for many Catholics, helping them achieve, avoid or space pregnancies. But the benefits of NFP don't just apply to fertility; for one couple, and perhaps others as well, it was life-changing. Steve and Eileen Michalczyk had been married for seven years and at that time, their marriage "was falling apart." She had heard from a friend at church about NFP, so they sat down and talked about it; after that, she and Steve decided to take a class, feeling ready to "try anything." Learning about NFP saved their marriage — it opened them up to God's plan for man and woman, both individ- ually and together, as well as how God fits into that relationship and into the overall plan for family life. "The biggest reminder for me was that God has a plan, and if you're not an active and willing participant in that plan, you're going to struggle," Eileen said. Steve was as equally moved by what he learned about God's role in their mar- riage and his role as a husband and father. "We're a gift from God to each other. Together, we're no longer 'her' and 'I,' it's 'us.' It opened me up," Steve said. "It forced us to have time together, to re-look at our marriage with new eyes and remember that it's between three of us, not just Steve and I, and to put God back into our marriage, and finally, to trust God," Eileen added. Eileen and Steve are just one couple who experienced a change of heart in learning NFP; but its benefits don't end there. The practice of NFP has also helped people immensely in learning about their fertility and overall health, even treating underlying issues that may have gone unnoticed. "One of the things I love about NFP is that it enables a woman to be an integral part of her own healthcare," said Cait- lin Burnett, a registered nurse and NFP instructor at Bella Natural Women's Care in Denver. "Instead of coming to a doctor, wondering what's going on, we're able to provide valuable information that can help our doctors and nurse practitioners treat women more ežciently. "A woman's chart can bring us so much information, like risk for early miscar- riage, severe PMS, limited mucus lead- ing to infertility, abnormal bleeding that could indicate fibroids or other uterine conditions," Burnett continued. "NFP and more specifically, NaPro Technology, seeks to find the root of the problem and treat it in a way that preserves fertility and remains open to life." NaPro Technology, or "Natural Pro- creative Technology," works with the body's natural procreative cycles to enhance its function and was developed through the research of the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Neb. Practicing NFP led Carrie Keating, NFP and marriage specialist at the Archdiocese of Denver, to the Pope Paul VI Institute to diagnose her infertility. "My initial charts didn't look like the typical example charts. It was my first indication that starting a family may be a challenge for us," Keating said. After diving more into the Church's Women's health and a deeper faith: The benefits of NFP For more information on NFP in the arch- diocese, visit arch- den.org/ eflm/nfp. The biggest reminder for me was that God has a plan, and if you're not an active and willing participant in that plan, you're going to struggle." EILEEN MICHALCZYK " Queen of Peace Catholic Parish Gives thanks to the Lord for the vocation of deacons and offers prayers and sacrifices for their faithful ministry. "You deacons have much to give... You are the guardians of service in the Church: service to the Word, service to the Altar, service to the poor." - Pope Francis

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