MADISON — The Diocese of Madison is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae vitae (Of Human Life) written by Blessed Paul VI, with a special event on Saturday, July 21, featuring guest speaker Dr. Janet E. Smith, one of the world’s leading experts on Humanae vitae and related topics.
Tag: Humanae Vitae
Protecting children: In learning from its mistakes, Catholic Church can be role model
Ten years ago in Dallas, Texas, in June of 2002, the United States Catholic bishops passed their Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. It was a bold move to deal with the sexual abuse of minors by priests and prevent such abuse from happening again.
As we learn more about the sex abuse scandal at Penn State and reports of incidents involving pornography, rape, and sexual abuse at other colleges and universities, it might be wise for our society to pay attention to how the Catholic bishops have dealt with these issues.
We must protect religious freedom and live our faith
To the editor:
Thank you for publishing Bishop Morlino’s letter concerning the January 20 HHS mandates which violate freedom of religion. Thank you, Bishop Morlino!
As far as I am concerned, this is a wake-up call to Humanae Vitae.
To give or not to give: The marital question
In a recent column, David O’Brien, the associate director of religious education for lay ministry in the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala., recounts the story of Agnes and Jake, devout Catholics who conceived and delivered four children during the first five years of their marriage.
Agnes described how Jake, “wanted to be a good father and husband, and he couldn’t see how that could happen if we continued to have more children. In short, he was getting a vasectomy.”
Spouse no longer open to life
Agnes had a strong Catholic formation, and understood that married couples should not engage in sexual acts that have been intentionally blocked or “rendered infecund.” She struggled with Jake’s new stance, and dug her heels in.
She wondered how she could possibly be an authentic witness to the Gospel “if within my marriage, I was no longer open to life? How could I minister to other women and encourage them to be bold in their faith if I wasn’t living it myself? And what do I teach my children about marriage and sex when their father and I weren’t aligned?”
Personhood amendment promotes helpful discussion
To the editor:
The introduction of a personhood amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution provides a wonderful opportunity to engage our neighbors in the critical question of how we treat young people in our state.
Many citizens have not been exposed to the joyful message of hope found in the encyclical Humanae Vitae of the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, and do not realize how contraception poisons our culture and even the intimate relationships of spouses.
A divine design: Natural Family Planning
MADISON — “Marriage and Natural Family Planning . . . A Divine Design” is the theme of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, being promoted July 19 to 25 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The aim of this week is to focus attention on Natural Family Planning (NFP) methods and Church teachings which support their use in marriage.
This year also concludes a year-long observance of the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae (issued July 25, 1968), which articulated Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love, and responsible parenthood.
Lecture packets for parishes available for Humanae Vitae discussion
The Diocese of Madison observed the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae with a variety of efforts. People in the diocese have an opportunity to continue the discussion as well.
Speaker shares story of journey from life as a ‘cafeteria Catholic’
Patty Schneier’s mission to spread the word about her conversion came about with a dream.
St. Thérèse lecture series
Meet W. Bradford Wilcox. He’s one of the best sociologists you’ve never heard of, and he will be taking some time out of his fall teaching schedule at the University of Virginia to give two lectures in Madison October 23 and 24.