The Diocese of Winona-Rochester observed the start of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week by reminding people about the Church’s beliefs about reproduction and marital love.

“Today marks the start of Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week,” the diocese posted online. “The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is an original gift from God to humanity. Although sin entered the world damaging the marital relationship, this gift was not lost but redeemed by Christ and raised to a sacrament (see Eph 5: 28-32; see also Mt 19: 4-6).”

The Catholic Church abides by Natural Family Planning (NFP), a practice that is built on the foundation of marriage as a gift through which spouses can share in God's procreative love, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains. NFP celebrates fertility as a priceless gift that should not be rejected through contraception, which they view as a man-made suppression of the gift of fertility.

Relying on NFP in family planning does not mean that married couples leave the size of their family up to chance. Married couples can engage in fertility education and practice sexual intimacy when the woman is naturally infertile, without violating the purpose of marital intercourse. Contraception is an assertion of one's belief that he or she should have total control over the creation of life, rejecting God's design, the bishops say.

“So unique is this relationship (marriage) that the marital union makes of husband and wife ‘one flesh’ (Gn 2: 24),” the diocese said in its posting. "Procreation, Scripture teaches, is a gift from God (Gn 1: 28). When spouses conceive new life, they participate in the Lord God's creative power. This is an awesome privilege and sacred responsibility!”

Popes have reiterated this message over time.

In 1996, Pope John Paul II said, "Using the natural methods requires and strengthens the harmony of the married couple, it helps and confirms the rediscovery of the marvelous gift of parenthood, it involves respect for nature and demands the responsibility of the individuals.”

The USCCB in a Facebook post made reference to something Pope Francis said.

”God is love. Authentic love, as Pope Francis wrote, ‘makes us rise above ourselves’ (AL, 95). That is because God wants men and women to share in His love. That is why God created us in His image! God created humanity as male and female,” the bishops said.

“Human sexuality is woven into the fabric of each man and woman,” it said. “Human sexuality carries within it the two-fold powers of love and life—it has a “nuptial” meaning. Human sexuality is to be safe guarded. It must not be abused. Human sexuality is lived in its fullest in the marriage between one man and one woman. In order to become good stewards over God’s gifts of love and life, married couples can use the methods of NFP. The methods of NFP are authentic family planning in that they can be used to attempt conception or postpone it. Nothing is done to harm or reject God’s gifts!”