July 26, 2018 - ‘Humanae Vitae 50’

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

www.catholic-sf.org

Serving San Francisco, Marin & San Mateo Counties

July 26, 2018

$1.00 | VOL. 20 NO. 15

‘Humanae Vitae’

As a resource for our readers, Catholic San Francisco presents this special package on the 50th anniversary of “Humanae Vitae,” the encyclical issued by Pope Paul VI 50 years ago almost to the day. The section reprints the paper’s recent nine-part series on the anniversary and includes current national perspective on the encyclical’s impact along with a glimpse of how The Monitor, the official newspaper of the archdiocese at the time, covered the news in 1968. For extra copies, please email your name and address to csf@sfarchdiocese.org, subject line: HV 50, or call (415) 614-5639.

‘Humanae Vitae’: Still controversial, still church teaching after 50 years In the initial installments of Catholic San Francisco’s series on “Humanae Vitae,” Ed Hopfner, director of the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life, reviewed the encyclical and Dr. Mary Davenport wrote on the topic of our modern understanding of fertility.

Later installments considered a variety of perspectives, beginning with modern science but also including cultural and sociological aspects, dynamics of the couple’s relationship, concerns about fertility, infertility and childbearing and the theology which underlies the document. The articles were posted on catholic-sf. org as well as on a special archdiocesan web page at sfarch.org/HV.

For this 50th anniversary, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone has asked us to look at both the encyclical and its teaching on love, sexuality, marriage and fertility and procreation, and the ‘serious role’ married couples play in God’s plan.

I

n July 1968, not long after the Summer of Love in San Francisco, Blessed Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“On Human Life”), sometimes known as the “birth control encyclical.” It was greeted within less than 24 hours by an unprecedented statement of rejection on the front page of The New York Times, headed “Catholic experts in strong dissent” and signed by nearly 100 Catholic theologians.

In the 50 years since the encyclical was issued it has remained one of the most controversial documents Ed Hopfner in Catholic Church history.

Even Pope Benedict XVI thought that the encyclical could have been improved, since he said it failed to explain the “why” of the church’s teaching though Pope St. John Paul II later did so in his Theology of the Body. On the other hand, Pope Francis has repeatedly insisted that “we need to return to the message of ‘Humanae Vitae,’” most recently in his own apostolic exhortation in a follow up to two synods on the family “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”).

In his earlier groundbreaking encyclical on the environment, “Laudato si’,” Pope Francis reminds us that authentic human development “presumes full respect for the human person, must also be concerned for the world around us and ‘take into account the nature of each being.’” Care for the environment means care for each other, and our respecting our own human nature, the pontiff writes in the 2015 encyclical.

In particular, the Holy Father writes in “Laudato si’,” we must acknowledge “the relationship between human life and the moral law, inscribed in our nature and necessary for the creation of a more dignified environment.” We must recognize that

(CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)

Pope Francis blesses a pregnant woman after delivering his Christmas wishes to Vatican employees and their families during a special audience Dec. 21 in Paul VI hall at the Vatican. “man has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will” and that “our body itself establishes us in a direct relationship with the environment.” Thus, the acceptance of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home.

In “Amoris Laetitia,” Pope Francis reminds us that “in a particular way, the encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’ brought out the intrinsic bond between conjugal love and the generation of life.” Marriage is ordered not only to the unity of the couple, but to a love that goes outward, most often in the bearing and raising of children. While marriage and childrearing are often challenging, Pope Francis

encourages “the use of methods based on the ‘laws of nature’” since these methods “respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them and favor the education of an ‘authentic freedom.’”

As a loving father does, he insists that “greater emphasis needs to be placed on the fact that children are a wonderful gift from God and a joy for parents and the church.”

What makes Blessed Pope Paul VI’s short document of barely a dozen typewritten pages so hotly contested? It makes several predictions - have the last 50 years supported or contradicted Pope Paul’s forecast? Is Pope Francis correct, that “the teaching of the encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’… ought to be taken up anew, in order to counter a mentality that is often hostile to life…” Is “Humanae Vitae” still relevant in a culture of hookups and Tinder?

Blessed Paul VI begins the encyclical with the words, “The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships.” For this 50th anniversary, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone has asked us to look at both the encyclical and its teaching on love, sexuality, marriage, fertility and procreation, and the “serious role” married couples play in God’s plan.

This series will consider a variety of perspectives, beginning with modern science, but also including cultural and sociological aspects, dynamics of the couple’s relationship, concerns about fertility, infertility and childbearing, as well as the theology which underlies the document. I also encourage you to read the document itself – most estimates are that barely one Catholic in 100 has actually read it, yet it is short, profound, and well worth the time invested.

Ed Hopfner is director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

First published in the Feb. 8, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

HV2 ‘Humanae Vitae 50’

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

The science of fertility Dr. Mary Davenport

N

FP (natural family planning) relies on a woman’s own observations of her signs of fertility. By learning her unique biological markers, she can be empowered to both achieve and avoid pregnancy, as well as attaining a higher level of health throughout her entire reproductive life.

Modern NFP has come a long way from the old rhythm method of the 1930s. The calendar rhythm method calculated a woman’s fertile and infertile periods according to cycle length. However, the rhythm method has failure rates of 20 percent per year in preventing pregnancy because of variations in a woman’s cycle. In contrast, modern NFP relies on a woman’s own observation of her biomarkers such as cervical mucus and temperature. In 1968 Pope Paul VI in “Humanae Vitae” called upon “men of science” to develop a “secure regulation of births founded on the observance of natural rhythms.” In recent decades there has been a flourishing of the science of natural fertility by scientific organizations. Sometimes the names FAM or FABM (Fertility Awareness Methods or Fertility Awareness Based Methods) are used more or less interchangeably with NFP; NFP usually implies abstinence at the fertile time to prevent pregnancy.

For NFP/FAM to be effective, it is important to identify the fertile and infertile times in the cycle. The time of fertility begins with the rise in estrogen production from the ovary that occurs after the end of the menses. The cervix (mouth of the womb) opens somewhat, and cervical mucus becomes identifiable, more copious and eventually stretchy. The pituitary hormone LH rises and triggers the release of the egg from the ovary. Most NFP methods use a variation of these criteria to determine a “peak” day of the highest fertility. Following release of the egg, the ovary starts to secrete progesterone, which thickens the cervical mucus and raises the body temperature. If pregnancy does not occur, the hormones decline, temperature falls, and menses follow with the start of a new cycle.

The different methods vary by the signs that are followed and charted to determine the beginning and end of the fertile phase. Methods typically take into account the one-day survival of the egg after it is released, and sperm survival of up to five days in ideal conditions. The Billings, FertilityCare (Creighton) and Family of the Americas methods rely on observations of cervical mucus to determine the onset of fertility, and determination of the “peak” day to determine ovulation. The symptothermal method taught

by Couple to Couple League can include several signs, but relies heavily on temperature rise.

The Marquette Method relies on direct measurement of urinary hormones by dipsticks placed in a hand-held computer (ClearBlue Fertility Monitor). The FEMM method is mainly a mucus method but users can incorporate other cycle characteristics.

Of equal importance to avoiding pregnancy is the value of NFP to facilitate achieving pregnancy. Up to 20 percent of couples have problems with infertility, so the cycle observations in NFP can be very helpful. Research has shown that cervical mucus and urinary measurement of the LH hormone are the most useful signs for detecting the timing of ovulation. NFP can be used in conjunction with medical and surgical therapies to heal disorders causing infertility. The most research on NFP and infertility has been done at the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, correlating the FertilityCare NFP system with diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

Training programs in both hormonal and surgical therapies in NaProTechnology (Natural Procreative Technology) have educated hundreds of health care providers in effective therapies.

Mention must also be made of the many smartphone apps developed to prevent pregnancy and enhance fertility. They vary widely in quality, and some are inaccurate and misleading. The best apps are connected to well established NFP and FAM organizations. FACTS, an organization promoting all NFP methods and NFP education, recently did an excellent review of current apps.

Also, although apps can be useful for charting, no app or web site can replace an experienced

(CNS photo/Paul Haring)

New spouses exchange rings as Pope Francis, celebrates the marriage rite for 20 couples during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in 2014.

For NFP/FAM to be effective, it is important to identify the fertile and infertile times in the cycle. The time of fertility begins with the rise in estrogen production from the ovary that occurs after the end of the menses.

NFP teacher in helping a couple navigate an NFP method.

All methods of NFP have the virtue of avoiding major and minor risks associated with artificial contraception. To name a few, NFP users avoid increased risk of serious cardiovascular complications such as stroke, pulmonary embolus and thrombophlebitis attributable to the pill and other hormonal contraception, as well as higher rates of breast cancer. Because they reject aggressive promotion of the IUD (intrauterine device), NFP users avoid uterine perforation, elevated rates of pelvic infections, and painful, heavy menses. Women who undergo surgical sterilization can experience heavy or irregular periods from hormonal abnormalities from the interruption of the blood supply to the ovaries, and undergo more

hysterectomies. So in addition to avoiding problems associated with contraception and sterilization, NFP users are potentially graced with better physical health in addition to experiencing the spiritual, ethical and relational benefits of NFP with their spouse.

Dr. Mary Davenport is a physician in El Sobrante with more than 20 years of experience, a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, medical director of the Magnificat Maternal Health and has specialties in holistic and integrative medicine and NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology). Mary L. Davenport, MD, MS, FACOG, CFCMC. https://drmaryldavenport.com.

First published in the Feb. 8, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

‘Humanae Vitae 50’ HV3

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

Mariana and Carlos: One couple’s unexpected path into the Catholic Church Mariana Lopez and Carlos de la Torre have been married for eight years. As part of their marriage preparation, they came to learn about church teaching on marriage and natural family planning.

Carlos: “I will call off the wedding” – was the first thought that came to my mind when I realized how serious Mariana was about using NFP. The wedding date was three weeks away.

She had mentioned earlier in our relationship that when she got married she wanted to use NFP. I always thought she would later change her mind. We had already taken our NFP class as part of the marriage prep, and as we were reviewing Mariana’s charts prior to the wedding, I realized there would be many days of abstinence.

Mariana: Carlos and I came from very different religious backgrounds.

I was a cradle Catholic and he was raised in a Protestant family. Both of us were very passionate about our faiths. We believed marriage was a lifelong commitment, so we knew we needed to find a solution to the differences that separated our faiths.

Carlos was OK with us getting married in the Catholic Church. Little by little we tackled each of the differences that separated us without converting either one of us to each other’s religion. But I never thought contraception would be a deal-breaker for him.

Carlos: When I met Mariana I was very attracted by her beauty and by her strong convictions. And I also wanted to “save her” from Catholicism. Growing up I never heard anything against contraception, not even in the evangelical churches I attended. My mom had a bad experience with the pill. She would always complain about bad headaches.

For this reason, I didn’t want my wife to take the pill. I thought probably a barrier method was the way.

Mariana: Growing up, I always knew contraception was wrong. It was very clear to me that abortifacient methods were seriously wrong, but I never understood why other methods were wrong. Carlos thought this was something I could give in on, but even though I didn’t have all the arguments to explain it, I could not go against my conscience. Our relationship was on the rocks, I prayed to God to help me understand the church’s teaching. I started looking for resources on the Internet, but couldn’t find anything compelling.

Carlos: A few days after the biggest argument we have ever had in our relationship, I decided to accept NFP and move forward with the wedding.

Why? Because I loved her, I wanted to marry her and I didn’t want Mariana to do anything to her body. Barrier methods were the only option left for me, but they didn’t fully convince me.

It seemed wrong to have a barrier with my wife. NFP after all seemed the option left for us, but once I had all the children I decided I wanted to have, then I would convince Mariana to let me get the vasectomy, even though I knew the church also was opposed to it.

Mariana: When Carlos had this change of heart, I felt so happy to realize he was willing to sacrifice on this for me. During the first years of our marriage, using NFP was very challenging. I felt very lonely, I wanted

(Courtesy photo)

Mariana Lopez and Carlos de la Torre with their children, Miguel (in lap), Daniel and David.

Resources to consult with teachers and physicians for help with NFP Billings: www.boma-usa.org

FEMM: https://femmhealth.org/

Couple to Couple League: www.ccli.org

FertilityCare (Creighton): www.fertilitycare.org.

Family of the Americas: www.familyplanning.net

Marquette: https://nfp.marquette.edu/

Additional resources: Naprotechnology: www.naprotechnology.com/ NFP Research: http://restorative-reproductive-medicine.com/ understanding fertility: https://verilymag.

to prove to Carlos that the method worked. It was hard to make the case for NFP when most of the NFP teaching couples or the families portrayed in the Family Foundations magazine, always had so many kids – I thought this method must not work. But slowly we started to experience some changes in our perception of NFP. Carlos: I love Mariana and I always try to treat her in a loving way, but I wasn’t convinced about NFP, so I didn’t get much involved with it. Deep inside I was waiting for the method to fail, to prove my point and to be able to tell her so. But to my surprise, the method never failed and it was working perfectly to space our kids. Slowly my thoughts about NFP started to change, the arguments about NFP disappeared and I began to see the benefits of using it. Abstinence periods enabled me to know Mariana better. NFP was helping keep the flame of physical attraction between us, which I think is very important to keep the marriage united.

Mariana: Four years into our marriage we came across great Catholic reading resources and podcasts. Our passion and love for God started to move

com/2015/08/menstruation-charting-cycles-ovulationfertility-awareness-creighton-model-reproductive-healthinfertility-hormones review of smartphone fertility Apps: www. factsaboutfertility.org/rating-of-fertility-apps-avoiding/

higher in our priorities. This gave us a better understanding about God’s plan for marriage. We read a book based on St. John Paul II writings about marriage and love. I was amazed by his wisdom.

Everything about NFP started to make sense. We began to see God work in our marriage in a new and exciting way.

Carlos and I would talk for hours about everything we were learning.

Carlos: I was specially blown away by the teachings behind theology of the body, I never thought so deeply about how valuable a person is. We are created in the image and likeness of God and NFP truly respects the value of a person – soul and body. Ironically, now contraception seemed so wrong to me.

My perception about family and children changed as well. Now I could see why there would be families using NFP with a large number of kids, not because the method didn’t work, but because they had understood the precious gift a life is! Today I can say that NFP has been one of the most important factors for the happiness and healthiness of our marriage.

Mariana: Looking back I think my

perception of NFP early in our marriage was also wrong. I was following it by obedience to the church, but deep down I thought of it as another contraceptive method. Now I understand with NFP I am not in control of my body, and we allow God to act in our marriage and through prayer discern the best time to have children. I can say that our marriage would be so different if it wasn’t for NFP. We have been blessed with three handsome boys, and we are excited to keep discovering what God has in store for us.

Carlos: I want to finish with what probably is the biggest impact NFP has had in my life: I feel that I’m on my way to becoming Catholic. NFP has been one of the hardest things for me to understand from the Catholic Church, but now after six years, I believe. I just need a little more time to understand some of the church’s teachings, but in my heart I feel that they will also be right.

On Jan. 7, 2018, Carlos received his first Communion. He was confirmed in the Catholic Church on Feb. 10.

First published in the March 8, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

HV4 ‘Humanae Vitae 50’

E

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

The great good of natural family planning

ngaged couples face a barrage of decisions.

Beyond the selection of the dress, cake and sparkling wine, there are party favors and invitations, not to mention the photographer and the honeymoon. Some decisions, of course, warrant more thought, discussion and prayer; this includes decisions about family planning. When considering their options, couples should be sure to learn about natural family planning. There are several methods of NFP but all of them teach the couple to identify the fertile time in deacon bill the wife’s cycle, empowering turrentine the couple to postpone pregnancy by abstaining during the fertile time or to seek pregnancy by using the fertile time.

NFP has many advantages over other forms of family planning. When properly used, it is as effective in delaying pregnancy as hormonal contraception, without the side effects. It is also effective in helping couples conceive when they desire a baby, and aids couples who struggle with infertility to identify the underlying causes so they can conceive naturally. It is environmentally responsible, very inexpensive and surprisingly simple to learn. It creates no artificial barriers between husband and wife but fosters communication and mutual respect. Couples who use NFP often report higher marital satisfaction, resulting in a significantly lower divorce rate.

Ultimately, however, NFP is not merely one option among others but it is the choice that aligns with God’s beautiful plan for marriage and it thus provides benefits of a whole different order. Pope St. John Paul II has taught that God created humans with bodies so that we can use them to make his invisible love visible and tangible in this material world. We do this in many ways but marriage is a paradigm, a shining example, of sacramental love; that is, love which uses physical things to express spiritual realities. The act proper to husband and wife is not merely meant to satisfy impulses but has been endowed by God with meaning and creative energy to deepen the bond and, sometimes, to so unify husband and wife that they become one flesh in the conception of a child. In the mysterious math of divine love, one plus one becomes three.

God enables couples to share in his highest act of

(CNS photo/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard)

A family prays during a March 4, 2018, Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. creation, the creation of a new person, called to eternal life.

When couples tinker with God’s design, however, cutting short the act itself, or altering the reproductive system with any form of sterilization or contraception, they, in effect, deny the sacramental character of their bodies. Into the very act which is meant to embody a total gift of self, there is introduced a kind of withholding of self.

Probably every couple in the world would use NFP except for one challenge: NFP requires a couple to refrain from sexual intimacy during the fertile time if avoiding pregnancy. Most of the time, this abstinence is not too hard and it does have some positive effects. Many couples report, for example, that periodic abstinence keeps their marriage fresh and Pope John Paul II observes that we cannot give ourselves away to another in love until we have gained control over ourselves. From the Christian point of view, the practice of NFP is similar to the requirement that we always tell the truth or that we help the poor. Most of the time we can tell the truth or help the poor without too much sacrifice, but we must do these things all of the time whether they are easy or not.

The great good of NFP is that it allows couples to extend the rule of reason to the management of their fertility in cooperation with God and to share in the

rich graces of God’s beautiful plan for marriage.

Marriage has been designed to reflect the self-gift of Jesus to his bride, the church, who receives this gift and gives herself completely in return to Jesus.

In this mutual love, the people of God, through the waters of baptism, are born. Marriage has also been designed to reflect the Trinity. The Father gives himself completely to the Son, who receives this self-gift and gives himself completely to the Father.

The love between the Father and the Son is the third divine person, the Holy Spirit. To sum up, NFP opens the way for the true glory of marriage, reflecting the community of the church and the community of the Trinity. It extends the rule of reason and encourages spouses to develop self-discipline, which facilitates the total gift of self and openness to life and to God. It reduces the risk of divorce, fosters mutual respect and deepens the bond of husband and wife.

Deacon Bill Turrentine and his wife, Patricia, have taught NFP with the Couple to Couple League for 32 years.

Deacon Turrentine recently wrote a book titled “Your Love Story: A Guide to Engagement and Marriage,” which is available from the Couple to Couple League at https://ccli.org/store/yourlovestory/.

First published in the march 29, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

Family planning in the 21st century

M

odern natural family planning methods are very effective, and are safer alternatives to hormonal birth controls. By observing physical signs and symptoms that change with hormonal changes throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle, modern NFP methods can be used fairly accurately to predict a woman’s fertility. In essence, women can choose to abstain from intercourse during predicted time of fertility and choose to have intercourse during predicted time of infertility to avoid pregnancy. elisa yao, md Unfortunately, most people and most physicians are not familiar with modern NFP methods as medical schools do not teach about these methods. Thus most physicians associate NFP with the calendar or rhythm method, which was introduced nearly 100 years ago (and superseded in the late 1950s). However, it should be noted that the rhythm method was the most effective means of birth control at that time, as hormonal birth controls were not yet available.

The modern NFP methods include Billings Ovulation Method, Creighton Model and Symptothermal Method. Briefly, the first two methods involve noting the presence or absence of cervical secretions, and to further characterize the secretions’ color, texture and stretch. STM, on the other

hand, combines basal body temperature, cervical methods, cervical position and/or historical data to identify the fertile period.

With BOM and CrM, the unintended pregnancy rates within one year of perfect use are both only 0.5 percent, whereas with typical use, the rates are 3-22 percent. With no planning, the rate of unplanned pregnancy rate is 85 percent. A World Health Organization study of nearly 200 typical use pregnancies, found that 70 percent of these unintended pregnancies were caused by a purposeful departure from method rules, and another 17 percent due to inaccurate application of the rules.

Interesting, a randomized trial involving nearly 1,000 women in China (where there was a strict one-child policy and with severe repercussion if policy was violated) reported that even the typicaluse pregnancy rate with the BOM was 0.5 percent and it enjoyed a higher adherence than the copper IUD to which it was compared. Certainly it seems how motivated the couples are at adhering to the method instructions makes a significant impact on typical use pregnancy rate.

With the STM, the rate of unintended pregnancy within one year of perfect use is 0.3 percent, but with typical use ranges from 0.2-20 percent, according to older studies. With both BOM and STM, more recent international studies show progressively lower unintended pregnancy rates.

Learning these modern NFP methods does not require a high level of education. In fact, studies conducted by the WHO indicate that 93 percent of women, regardless of their education level, are ca-

pable of identifying and distinguishing fertile and infertile cervical secretions. And with the China study mentioned earlier that exhibited extremely high effectiveness of the BOM, 63 percent were peasants and 22 percent were laborers (largely illiterate).

In conclusion, with adequate motivation, the modern NFP methods are safe and effective alternatives compared to hormonal birth controls. Additionally, the modern NFP methods can also be used to achieve pregnancy and can provide useful information to address various women’s health issues ranging from premenstrual syndrome to infertility.

NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology), which uses CrM as its foundation, can be just as effective as in vitro fertilization in helping infertile couples achieve live births, according to a 2008 paper published in the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine. The aim of NaProTECHNOLOGY is to restore the normal function of the woman’s cycle, instead of suppressing it as with hormonal contraceptives or to overstimulate it as in IVF. Dr. Elisa Yao grew up in the Bay Area, attended Lowell High School, graduated from UC Berkeley and completed her medical degree at UC Davis. She is board certified in integrative and holistic medicine as well as physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is completing her training in NaProTECHNOLOGY, which aims to restore normal function of woman’s health. www.elisayaomd.com.

First published in the Arpil 12, 20118, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

‘Humanae Vitae 50’ HV5

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

G

Human ecology and family planning

enesis 1:31 tells us “God looked at everything he made, and he found it very good.” Our world has been created with a beautiful balance to bring forth life, or, as in “Laudato Si’,” “the book of nature is one and indivisible.”

In human ecology, God created our reproductive systems with an intricate balance of hormones that produces a window of fertility about a quarter of the time in a healthy woman.

The balance of fertility allows most of the month for a connection between dr. lynn keenan unitive husband and wife without the expectation of a child.

For couples using natural family planning and trying to postpone a pregnancy, the time of fertility becomes a time to grow the relationship in other ways, to reinforce that it is the person, not the act, that is the treasure. Like day and night, or the cycle of the moon, or the changing of the seasons, each time period has a purpose. Yet while it would be odd to think of having a permanent summer or winter, when it comes to the ecologically balanced menstrual cycle, control of a woman’s body has been taken for granted, in fact nearly expected, in our culture.

One of the most common ways to control a woman’s fertility is with hormonal contraception, with synthetic estrogens and progestins. Initially this was tried with natural hormones, but they are naturally broken down quickly in a woman’s body, so she would have to take a pill four times a day to suppress fertility. With the change to

synthetic sterilizing hormones, by the addition of a carbon-carbon triple bond (which our bodies don’t have enzymes to break down), very low doses can have high potency to reliably suppress fertility. For the body to clear this chemical, a protein is attached, glucuronide, to essentially give it a ticket out of the body through the urine.

Where does it go after that? Mostly to our water treatment plants.

Interestingly, E.Coli, which is quite plentiful in water treatment plants, will remove the glucuronide and return the synthetic hormones to active status. Concentrations that can affect wildlife have been detected up to 60 miles downstream from a water treatment plant. Concentrations vary at treatment plants, but in the U.K. (where many of the studies have been done), three of seven plants measured ethinyl estradiol (EE2 – the synthetic hormone in the pill) between 0.2-7 ng/L. Although natural estrogen breaks down in about three days in a water treatment plant, the synthetic EE2 can persist in the sludge.

Several changes have been found in the environment related to EE2. Male rainbow trout exposed at 0.1 ng/L rapidly develop protein that should only be found in female fish making eggs. A single dose of 2ng/L of EE2 can retard the development of testes by 50 percent in male trout. Other fish have similar dosage responses; in one study, complete sex reversal (male fish becoming female) took place after exposure to 2 ng/L. Even courtship behaviors have been shown to change with estrogens in the water, with females less attracted to the male fish at levels of 0.5-1 ng/L. There are generational effects as well. A study

by Zha, exposed minnows to EE2 at 0.2 ng/l, which resulted in increased mortality. The next genera-

tion of minnows showed no male developed to maturity if still exposed to 0.2 ng/l. Adult female minnows of the second generation were mated with unexposed/healthy male minnows and no fertile eggs were produced. Many surface waters have concentrations of EE2 in the 0.2 ng/l level which caused the profound reduction in fish reproduction.

Although the studies in animals show gender effects at low levels, little is known about the impact on humans. However, a study by Margel compared type of contraceptive use in females to areas of highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality.

The highest rates of prostate cancer occurred in the areas of the highest hormonal contraception, as opposed to the areas with higher non-hormonal contraception, suggesting the sterilizing hormones do have an effect on the health of the community.

Many people do not understand the scientific advances in modern methods such as NFP. These are great choices to support responsible parenthood without harming the environment. In “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis teaches us: “The acceptance of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the father and our common home, whereas thinking we have power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to care for it and to respect its fullest meaning, is an essential element of any genuine human ecology”.

Lynn Keenan, M.D., is president of the executive board of the California Association of Natural Family Planning.

First published in the april 26, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

Natural methods help overcome infertility Valerie Schmalz Catholic San Francisco

Rose Oaferina had had three miscarriages when someone from her church introduced her to natural family planning and to an obstetrician with an expertise in NFP. This year, Oaferina’s daughter Hanami Wong, 7, will receive her first Holy Communion, a child who is the joy of her parents’ life.

“I have been very blessed,” said Oaferina.

Dr. Elise Yao “struggled for five years to become pregnant.” Today, after teaching herself NFP and using it to chart her cycles, the expert in holistic medicine and her husband have a 2-year-old daughter.

“They obviously don’t teach it in medical school,” said Yao about NFP. “As an MD I did not know I was not ovulating in most of my cycles. I just assumed every woman ovulates every cycle.”

Yao and Oaferina’s experiences demonstrate how much more education is needed before the method becomes mainstream.

Yao graduated near the top of her class from Lowell High School in San Francisco; graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors with a degree in molecular cell biology from UC Berkeley; earned her MD from UC Davis, completing her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at UC Davis Medical Center. She is board-certified in American Board of Integrative & Holistic Medicine and American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. She also is an expert in acupuncture.

Today, Yao is a practitioner of holistic fertility treatments. She is part way through the extended training to be a practitioner of NaPro Technology, developed at the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha, Nebraska.

“It is such a shame it is not more well-known,” said Yao. “And taught in medical school.”

There are several methods of natural family planning, all of which use a woman’s biological markers to identify times when her body is fertile.

The Billings method was developed initially by Australian Dr. John Billings in 1955, and refined in concert with his wife, Dr. Evelyn Billings. It tracks cervical mucus changes to determine fertile times.

Rose Oaferina and family A similar method, developed by Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D., is Natural Procreative Technology (or NaProTech) and the associated fertility monitoring Creighton method. It uses biological markers to identify both healthy and diseased aspects of a woman’s reproductive physiology to treat infertility.

“I was having a problem conceiving,” said Oaferina, and when they conceived, Oaferina miscarried. “My husband and I were very frustrated as you can imagine.”

On top of that, Oaferina’s relationship with her obstetrician/gynecologist was lacking. “Last time I had a miscarriage, she was not very empathetic with me.”

A nurse friend who teaches the Creighton method gave a presentation at Oaferina’s parish. Oaferina started using the Creighton Model FertilityCare system to track markers that occur during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Her friend helped her get in contact with El Sobrante OB-GYN Dr. Mary Davenport, an expert in Creighton and NaPro Tech.

(Courtesy photo)

Davenport, “a very wonderful doctor,” ran blood tests and discovered Oaferina was low on progesterone, a hormone necessary for a pregnancy to continue, and prescribed natural progesterone supplements. Yao also discovered she needed progesterone supplements.

Davenport also helped Oaferina with her other medications, including helping her control her blood sugar and hypothyroidism.

“After that I was able to conceive within less than a month’s time,” said Oaferina.

“That inspired me to study NFP myself,” said the East Bay resident, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Fremont. She took a one-week Billings ovulation method course and hopes to begin teaching the method soon. “I’m trying to get more people involved in NFP in my parish.”

Valerie Schmalz is director of the Office of Human Life and Dignity at the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

First published in the may 10, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

HV6 ‘Humanae Vitae 50’

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

NFP ‘changed everything’ Valerie Schmalz Catholic San Francisco

Lisa and Jack Murphy did not start out their married life using natural family planning. In fact, they saw nothing wrong with the birth control pill, even though NFP was brought up at their Engaged Encounter. “We weren’t paying attention,” Lisa Murphy said.

Through a series of circumstances, the Holy Spirit, Lisa says, the couple found themselves using NFP. The family lives in Mill Valley, but has been involved with telling other couples about their experiences through Bill and Pat Turrentine, who are NFP teachers at St. Dominic Parish.

“It changed everything. It changed our marriage. It changed how we viewed sex ourselves and, even though it was just quote unquote ‘birth control,’ it affected how we saw sexuality,” Lisa said.

Jack Murphy said when the couple speaks about their experience, “we always make a point that it’s amazing we live in this part of the country where everyone is super focused on health and well-being.

“Meanwhile, all these women are doing pretty tough things to their bodies – or at least putting their bodies through a lot of hurdles,” Jack said.

“This is the most organic, natural thing you could be doing as a woman other than nothing at all. And all it is, is paying attention to the natural biorhythms of your body.”

The Murphys had two children, but Lisa had some precancerous cells discovered after the first baby so she shifted from taking hormonal birth control

Lisa and Jack Murphy and family to an IUD. (The pill has been implicated in increased risk for some kinds of cancer.) Jack always wanted four children, but coming from a traditional Catholic background in Long Island, he thought of NFP as an easy way to end up with 10 children, Lisa said.

“When my youngest child was about 2, I started to feel a tug at my heart,” Lisa said, and told her husband, “I think we are called to have more kids.

He said, ‘no, we can’t afford another kid.’”

(Courtesy photo)

“We were in very different places. I said to him I won’t bring it up. Promise me that you won’t close your heart,” Lisa said. Meanwhile, about three quarters of a year later, “I discerned God saying to me, ‘How can you say you want more kids if you are 99 percent blocking me from blessing you?’”

Lisa began researching NFP on her own, reading books. “I was really convicted by them.” She felt she should talk to her husband. “I think it was the Holy Spirit. He said, ‘you

are clearly right. We have been clearly brainwashed by our culture and this is wrong and we should stop.’”

They found the Couple to Couple League and met the Turrentines.

Along the way, the Murphys decided to have another baby, because they felt it was right “rather than just looking at the physical metrics of finances.”

“He is almost 4. We have continued to use NFP,” and times have been rocky financially. But the Murphys are convicted of the power of NFP to help their faith and their marriage.

“I think especially for me as a woman, it makes a huge difference to really respect the power I have in my body for life,” Lisa said.

“We see it as a more cooperative relationship between us and God,” Lisa said.

Before, said Jack, “My perspective was I never needed to be involved.”

Today, Lisa texts her temperature to her husband and he records it so that they are both taking time out of their day to monitor her fertility. “As a guy not only does it tune you into your natural cycle and tune you into your wife,” Jack said. “It enlists a man.”

The couple is open to discussing this very personal turn their marriage has taken because others’ testimony affected them, Lisa said. “A friend had shared in a moms’ group that she used NFP. I remember thinking she was crazy. When I started discerning, that was who I turned to. That’s why I am not shy to talk about it.

“It’s such a big deal.”

First published in the may 24, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

‘Greatest power to move people’ in ‘hard truths of our faith’

I

recently received a letter from a young Catholic husband and father in which he observed: “Peers of mine who are converts or reverts have specifically cited teachings like ‘Humanae Vitae,’ ‘Familiaris Consortio,’ and ‘Veritatis Splendor’ as beacons that set the church apart from the world and other faiths.” What he Archbishop suggests might Salvatore J. seem counterCordileone intuitive, but it is borne out by experience: The church does not grow by going along with the world, but by confidently proclaiming the truth about the human person revealed by Christ.

This proclamation is now at odds with dominant sexual mores, which see no real differences between men and women other than a few incidental anatomical factors. And so the sexual revolution, coupled with new types of contraceptives and their widespread use, was supposed to liberate women so that they could enjoy sexual pleasure without the inconvenient consequence just as freely and frequently as men. But, as the #metoo movement is demonstrating, somehow it didn’t work out that way. What went wrong? Let’s begin with looking at how the human body is designed.

Every system of the body is complete unto itself: The digestive system

processes nourishment for the body and then stores and discharges the waste, the nervous system sends signals between the brain and the rest of the body, the cardiovascular system pumps blood throughout the body that is replenished with oxygen from the pulmonary system, and so forth. But there is one system of the body that is not complete unto itself: the reproductive system. For that system to achieve its end it needs the complementarity of the reproductive system of the opposite sex.

This points to the sacramental meaning of the human body: God created us for communion, not isolation, and this truth is borne out by our understanding of the meaning of human sexuality.

We must, then, always maintain a deep respect for the body, and honor it for the purposes for which God designed it. And here is where I believe we get to the root of the problem of so much moral and cultural corruption and confusion that Blessed Paul VI foresaw in “Humanae Vitae.” What I’m referring to here is the time-honored teaching of the church regarding the properly ordered relationship between the two ends of marriage, the primary end being the procreation and education of offspring, and the secondary end being the unity and mutual good of the spouses. The Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, “Gaudium et spes,” did not directly speak of primary and secondary ends, although one could infer it from its treatment of the nature and purposes of marriage: It uses the term “ordained for” only with reference to the procreation and education of children, which it calls the spouses’

“ultimate crown” (n. 48). However, it did also emphasize the end of the unity and mutual good of the spouses. So how are we to understand this?

Beginning again with the design of our bodies, we can say that objectively, at the level of our being, the procreation and education of children is primary.

However, on the subjective level – that is, psychologically – it doesn’t quite work that way, for when someone sees a member of the opposite sex to whom that person feels attracted, that person feels a spontaneous urge to unite with the other person because of the attractiveness seen in the other person, without first giving thought to children or, for that matter, any other consequences of such a relationship. That is to say, the impulse that one feels in this attraction is an impulse toward the other person and being united to that person him/ herself, and not initially an impulse toward having children with that person, which is something that comes later as a consequence of their union.

The primary end of marriage forces a couple to live beyond themselves, to live for another. They cannot ignore the demands that childrearing places on them (someone has to get up in the middle of the night when the baby is crying!). If they were to live primarily for their own mutual good, they could easily deceive themselves into believing that they are thinking of their spouse when actually they are just satisfying their own desire.

This is a difficult truth for some – probably many – people to accept. But that is my point: It is precisely the hard truths of our faith, those which the culture ignores and even despises, that have the greatest power to move people

to conversion and be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, only this has the power to bring about true conversion, in which one encounters the person of Jesus Christ, comes to know and love him, and thereby attain eternal salvation. This is what that young father who recently wrote me discovered, and many other young people in our church as well.

The worst thing we could do, if we truly want to fulfill our purpose as Catholics, is to downplay the demanding parts of discipleship, those teachings where we encounter the most resistance and even hostility in the culture. How could we do such a thing, if we are convinced that this is true, and for the true good of all people? Of course, we need to find attractive ways to present these truths; we must begin with that respectful encounter to which Pope Francis is continually urging us.

We must cherish and affirm the other for his or her unique humanity. But we must encounter others with the hope of being able to share this treasure with them in a way that will help them to become truly happy by being aware of God’s presence and living in a way that pleases him.

While we give thanks to God during this 50th anniversary year of “Humanae Vitae” for the prophetic vision of Blessed Pope Paul VI, let us remember that there are many people waiting to know the peace, freedom and authentic happiness of this truth of our human nature, and that we are the ones whom God calls to proclaim it to them in word and, most especially, in deed.

First published in the june 21, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

‘Humanae Vitae 50’ HV7

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

Four ways NFP is different from contraception

O

n the 50th year anniversary of “Humanae Vitae,” let’s take a moment to consider the differences between NFP and contraception.

Some people think they are essentially the same because both are used by couples who want to have sexual intercourse but who don’t want to have a baby. But it dr. janet smith is not just the intention that determines the morality of an action – it is also the means used. How do these means differ?

Health effects

Contraception: The various forms of hormonal contraception have a multitude of bad physical side effects, among them an increase of risk in breast cancer and strokes. Many women suffer from an increase in irritability and depression, weight gain and a decrease in libido. Moreover some of the hormonal contraceptives prevent an embryonic human being from implanting in his or her mother’s uterus.

It is not surprising that hormonal contraception has so many bad side effects; after all, it fills a woman’s body with synthetic hormones that suppress a woman’s natural hormones.

Natural family planning: NFP has no bad physical side effects. None. Nada.

In fact, a woman who knows how to chart her cycles has a treasure trove of information that helps her and her physician understand any problems she may have with fertility and all the health problems that come with hormonal imbalance, most of which can be treated by changes in diet and by vitamin and mineral supplements.

Relationship effects

Contraception: The availability of contraception leads many men and women to engage in sexual relationships with persons they may not know well, they may have no intention of marrying or parenting with, and sometimes persons they don’t like. Even when they have contraceptive sex with those whom they believe they love, the use of contraception can seem to make unnecessary such conversations as “What happens if our contraception fails?” That question alone can often put a relationship in danger! Contraception facilitates cohabitation which for most is bad preparation for marriage.

Natural family planning: NFP does not encourage promiscuity but requires stability. NFP fosters and requires chastity. Only mature and committed individuals can manage the periodic abstinence required by NFP. Those who have not had sex before marriage find NFP easier to use than those who have been sexually active because they have shown their love before marriage by abstaining and thus associate abstinence with love rather than deprivation. And

they generally have a larger “tool kit” for showing love and affection – such as going for walks, dancing, cooking with each other, and just cuddling.

All this nonsexual time together has facilitated strong communication skills which is one of the important glues for a relationship.

Social consequences

Contraception: The bad consequences of widespread contraception use are enormous, among them a great increase in, unwed pregnancy, single parenthood, abortion and divorce.

Families headed by a single parent suffer more poverty and hardship than married families, and the children have many more difficulties achieving success in life and relationships.

Natural family planning: Couples who use NFP almost never divorce.

Imagine: almost never divorce. It is not simply using NFP that strengthens a marriage but it is what it takes to use NFP successfully that strengthens a marriage; self-discipline; commitment; communication; mutual agreement on goals; generosity; and a love for God’s gift of sexuality.

Moral differences

Contraception: Those using contraception are engaging in an act that has a natural consequence that they are doing a great deal to attempt to thwart. Those who use contraception treat fertility as a defect and put their desire for pleasure above God’s desire for souls. They want to engage in a potential life-giving act and prevent

it from being life-giving. Moreover, contraception greatly reduces the meaning of the act – an act that by its very nature is meant to express complete self-giving – and what expresses complete self-giving or commitment better than saying to another “I am willing to be a parent with you”?

Natural family planning: The sexual act is an act that speaks a language; it says: “I make a complete gift of myself to you. I wish to entwine my life completely with yours. I want only what is good for you. I am willing to be a parent with you.” As “Humanae Vitae” states, “God entrusted spouses with the extremely important mission of transmitting human life, whereby they perform a great service for him.”

Spouses cannot create new human life without God; the male provides the sperm; the female the egg, and God provides the soul. It is God who decided to give women (as is in nature as a whole) a period of time to rest their bodies, when new life cannot be conceived. But he claims the fertile period for himself – for the task of bestowing the great gift of immortal life. Couples using NFP respect God’s plan for sexuality.

Dr. Janet E. Smith holds the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

She is the author of “Humanae Vitae: A Generation Later” and of the “Right to Privacy” and the editor of “Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader.”

First published in the July 12, 2018, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

‘Humanae Vitae’ said rooted in respect church has for human dignity Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON – Fifty years ago, an encyclical was released affirming a long-held teaching of the Catholic Church, yet it became one of the most controversial encyclicals in recent church history.

Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“Of Human Life”), subtitled “On the Regulation of Birth,” reaffirmed the church’s moral teaching on the sanctity of life, married love, the procreative and unitive nature of conjugal relations, responsible parenthood and its rejection of artificial contraception.

Blessed Paul in “Humanae Vitae” said that the only licit means of regulating birth is natural family planning. In the document, he asked scientists to improve natural family planning methods “providing a sufficiently secure basis for a regulation of birth founded on the observance of natural rhythms.”

At the time of its release, it was greeted with protests and petitions.

But the 50th anniversary has been marked by conferences, lectures and academic discussions as theologians, clergy, family life ministers and university professors have explored what its teachings mean for the 21stcentury church.

Blessed Paul issued “Humanae Vitae” as artificial contraception, particularly the birth control pill, began to become commonplace. In

(CNS)

(CNS photo)

Left, is the cover of a 50th anniversary edition of “Humanae Vitae” with related papal texts and published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Blessed Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical reaffirmed the church’s moral teaching on the sanctity of life, married love, the procreative and unitive nature of conjugal relations, responsible parenthood and its rejection of artificial contraception. Right, Blessed Paul VI is seen in this portrait made in early 1969. the United States, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Enovid – the pill – in May 1960 after tests on nearly 900 women through more than 10,000 fertility cycles showed no significant side effects.

Initially, many thought the pope might support the use of artificial contraception, especially after a majority of members on a papal commission studying the issue approved

a draft document in 1966 endorsing the principle of freedom for Catholic couples to decide for themselves about the means of regulating births.

The document proposed that artificial birth control was not intrinsically evil and said under specific circumstances, Catholic couples could use contraceptives in good conscience. It was supported by 64 of the 69 commission members who voted on it,

including nine of its 16 episcopal members.

The document was intended for the pope only, but it was leaked to the press, which heightened expectations of a major change in church teaching.

Blessed Paul rejected the majority’s recommendations and, instead, decided to uphold traditional church teaching on artificial contraception.

The text of the document thanked the commission experts but added that the pope thought its proposed solutions “departed from the moral teaching on marriage proposed with constant firmness by the teaching authority of the church.”

Opposition to the encyclical erupted throughout the church after the document’s release. Some clergy in the U.S. and Europe openly voiced disagreement and thousands of lifelong Catholics left the church.

Among the most prominent opponents were 87 teaching theologians from American seminaries and Catholic universities. They responded with their own statement, arguing that because the encyclical was not an infallible teaching, married couples in good conscience could use artificial contraception and remain faithful Catholics.

Father Charles E. Curran, then an associate professor of theology at The Catholic University of America, was one of the most visible U.S. leaders of the group who opposed the teaching. see ‘humanae vitae’, page HV8

HV8 ‘Humanae Vitae 50’

Catholic san francisco | July 26, 2018

‘Humanae Vitae’: Rooted in respect church has for human dignity FROM PAGE HV7

An attempt by Catholic University officials in spring 1967 to dismiss Father Curran for his stance that Catholics could dissent from the church’s noninfallible teaching that contraception was morally wrong resulted in a student strike. The priest was reinstated quickly, ending the strike.

In 1986, the Vatican declared Father Curran unfit to teach Catholic theology because of his dissent from certain church teachings and he was eventually removed from his position at Catholic University.

Father Curran, currently the Elizabeth Scurlock university professor of human values at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said that while “Humanae Vitae” upholds traditional church teaching, for decades the use of artificial contraception among Catholic couples has been similar to that of non-Catholic couples without church consequences.

“From my prejudiced perspective, the present situation proves that the Catholic Church accepts dissent,” Father Curran said recently. “It’s not infallible teaching,” he said of “Humanae Vitae.” “Everybody knows that contraception (practice) is about the same for Catholics and non-Catholics.”

Despite the outcome, Father Curran said the existing “gap between the teaching of the church and the practice of the faithful” is not a good situation because it has led to widespread loss of credibility for church teaching.

“In a sense it (the encyclical) is even more important today especially because if the Catholic Church cannot engage on contraception it is never going to engage in any other sexual

(CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

In this 2013 file photo, a family is seen on their family farm in St. Leo, Kansas. issue or any other issue, such as the role of women in the church,” Father Curran said.

For defenders of “Humanae Vitae,” however, the enduring relevance of the encyclical is a testament to the truth of its message. While it is not infallible teaching, it is still the official doctrine of the church, requiring assent by all Catholics unless it is modified.

“Perhaps the most surprising thing about the encyclical ... is how reports of its imminent death were continually exaggerated,” wrote Helen Alvare recently for Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive! religious education series.

The law professor and pro-life advocate attributes this to the flaws of

the birth control revolution and to a deeper appreciation of the “Humanae Vitae” message.

“Over time, as the sexual revolution played out and contraception failed to live up to its billing, fair observers began to note a positive or prophetic thing or two about ‘Humanae Vitae,’ along with its surprisingly accurate read of human nature,” she wrote.

Janet Smith, who holds the Father Michael J. McGivney chair of life ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, told CNS the encyclical’s opening line – stating that “the most serious duty of transmitting human life” stems from the call of marriage – is the basis for church teaching on the family.

The difficulty facing the church is

that young people generally view sex as a pleasurable experience shared among consenting partners, she said.

However, in talks around the country Smith has encountered young people who “see the meaninglessness of casual sex,” creating an opening to explore the message of “Humanae Vitae.”

“It’s a growing movement of young people who are interested in being 100 percent Catholic,” she said.

Alvare echoes this assessment: “’Humanae Vitae’ took sex seriously, far more seriously than the contemporary world, for all of its talk about sex.”

In April, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput told a Catholic University of America symposium commemorating the encyclical’s anniversary that it is time for the church’s teaching on marriage, abortion, human sexuality and artificial contraception to be embraced as God’s will for the faithful.

He explained that the teaching is rooted in the same respect for human dignity that guides its work for social justice and care for poor people. “’Humanae Vitae’ revealed deep wounds in the church about our understanding of the human person, the nature of sexuality and marriage as God created it. We still seek the cure for those wounds. But thanks to the witness of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict, Pope Francis and many other faithful shepherds, the church has continued to preach the truth of Jesus Christ about who we are and what God desires for us,” the archbishop said.

“People willing to open their eyes and their hearts to the truth will see the hope that Catholic teaching represents and the power that comes when that truth makes us free,” he added.

From the Archives “Humanae Vitae” was major news in the months after Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical on July 25, 1968. Here is a glimpse of coverage in The Monitor, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco at the time. The samples show a statement by Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken, from the Aug. 1, 1968, issue; and a headline and photo, from the Oct. 3, 1968, edition on a symposium on the encyclical featuring presenters professor J.T. Noonan, author/scholar; Sally Cuneen, co-founder of Cross-Currents A message from magazine; Father Antoninus Archbishop Joseph McGucken Wall, OP; and Father Joseph Wall, SJ. Catholic San Francisco thanks Chris Doan, the archdiocesan archivist, for retrieving these items from bound copies of The Monitor preserved at the archives at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park.

A symposium on the newly issued “Humanae Vitae” drew a capacity crowd.

A news report on the symposium

(Images courtesy Chris Doan, Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco)