Please find below some resources to enrich your marriage and life with your spouse and God, including through engagement, marriage, divorce, choosing life, abortion regret, Natural Family Planning and more.
A Wedding is a Day, a Marriage is a Lifetime! Catholic Engaged Encounter Inc. is a community of Catholics serving engaged couples by sharing their experiences of living out the values of a sacramental marriage.
They host weekend retreats for engaged couples incorporating presentations, self-reflection, and couple's dialogue.
Local Chapter: Catholic Engaged Encounter of Tucson
Contact: Martin and Delia DeSoto
✉ amiramyl@gmail.com
✆ 520-954-3856
Website
Dynamic Catholic’s free questionnaire will spark incredible conversations that celebrate strengths and highlight opportunities for growth between engaged couples.
Website
The FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Inventory is a comprehensive, user-friendly tool for use by lay individuals, couples, and professionals who are helping couples prepare for marriage, and who become trained as FOCCUS Facilitators.
The FOCCUS Inventory is designed to help engaged couples appreciate their unique relationship, learn more about themselves, and discuss topics important to their lifelong marriage.
Website
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a weekend for married Christian couples who value their relationship and desire a richer, fuller life together. Attend a Marriage Encounter weekend and learn the tools needed to keep your marriage strong.
The emphasis of Worldwide Marriage Encounter is on communication between husband and wife, who spend a weekend together away from the distractions and the tensions of everyday life, to concentrate on each other.
This is a time for you and your spouse to be alone together. To rediscover each other and together focus on your relationship for an entire weekend. Every marriage deserves that kind of attention!
Contact: Werner and Annie Mammen
✆ (520)869-9910
✉ werner.annie.mammen@wwme.org
Website
El Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial (Worldwide Marriage Encounter) es la organización de enriquecimiento matrimonial fundamentado en la fe más grande del mundo. Nuestros programas han enriquecido y transformado la vida de parejas casadas y sacerdotes por generaciones. Ofrecemos una experiencia de igual a igual, generalmente durante un fin de semana, donde las parejas casadas y los sacerdotes pueden hacer una pausa y reflexionar en privado sobre el significado de sus vocaciones y aprender herramientas para nutrir su amor. Nuestra misión es proclamar el valor del matrimonio y las órdenes sagradas en la Iglesia y en el mundo.
Website
Marriage Retorno means turning toward God as a couple. The goal of Marriage Retorno is to provide an atmosphere, a context, in which the couple can open themselves, both as individuals and as a couple to a dialogue with God through Scripture. It is a weekend prayer experience for husband and wife, facilitated by a married couple and a Catholic priest. It provides participating couples with an opportunity for a renewal of their relationship as a couple with God.
Contact: Werner and Annie Mammen
(520)869-9910
✉ marriageretornocpr@gmail.com
Website
Nowadays, "date nights" are popular across our country. Couples taking time out to have fun together is important, very important. But, there’s more.
10 Great Dates offers you Great Dates that are not only fun but also help you build and strengthen your relationship for the long haul.
Website
Dynamic Catholic has developed this tool to help you and your spouse have fruitful conversations about your relationship so you can grow together.
This free inventory includes a questionnaire and resources for marriage enrichment. You are encouraged to revisit the inventory throughout your marriage to take a pulse of your relationship.
Website
The REFOCCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory is a packet of five questionnaires that a married couple can use and score by themselves, as part of a weekend retreat, or in five weekly evenings in which the general topical areas are discussed with other couples.
REFOCCUS is ideal for married couples who wish to spend time and energy on their relationship, but desire a little direction and skill-building assistance in doing so.
Website
Retrouvaille is for couples with marital problems that want marriage help. Those who are considering marriage separation and those who are already separated or divorced are encouraged to consider the Retrouvaille Program. There is always hope of reviving your relationship.
Retrouvaille begins with a weekend experience in which couples are helped to re-establish communication and to gain new insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple.
Contact:
✆ 1-800-470-2230 or (520) 444-8968
✉ 4003@retrouvaille.org
Website
Hope and Healing for the Catholic Family! You are not alone. There's no such thing as "Catholic divorce" but the bad news is Catholics do civilly divorce.
Surviving Divorce is there to help and encourage healing through the Sacraments where you'll personally encounter Christ - with all His love and tender mercies. And that's the REALLY good news.
Contact: Felicia Klein
✆ (520) 425-6529
✉ csdtucson@yahoo.com
By Rev. Julius Ntalo, OCD. Father Ntalo is a certified Natural Family Planning instructor with a degree in Public Health, previously based at Santa Cruz Parish, Tucson.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us the teaching on marital relations, that sex is a gift with a two-fold purpose: 1) union / bonding; 2) procreation / babies (CCC 2363).
The regulation of birth is an aspect of responsible parenthood (CCC 2368). “If there are well-grounded reasons for spacing birth, married couples may take advantage of natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system … thus, controlling birth in a way which does not in the least offend the moral principles” (Cf, Humane Vitae 16).
Natural Family Planning is child spacing through observing periods of abstinence during the woman’s fertile phase.
There are several methods of Natural Family Planning. To choose the best for you, you should get a certified instructor either online or nearby and she/he will help you to choose. Various methods work well according to menstrual cycles: the short cycle of (18 – 25 days), the medium cycle (26- 32 days), the long cycle (33-50 days), and the irregular cycle.
Why is instruction in the theories and practice of Natural Family Planning good for all? It promotes self-knowledge about one’s cycle, it promotes self-control, it encourages communication between the couple, it is easy to learn, and it can be used to both achieve pregnancy or postpone pregnancy.
Who can use Natural Family Planning? Women with healthy cervical secretion and who can check cervical secretions daily. This is a habit that can be developed. Couples who communicate well have a great success with Natural Family Planning. NFP also promotes healthy communication in couples.
When to start: Women can start using observation at any point of their cycles.
The female fertility cycle can be divided into three phases:
The three phases of the female cycle are the result of the interplay of four key hormones – estrogen, progesterone, follicle – stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. These hormones are also responsible for the fertility signs that a woman can learn to observe.
All NFP methods are similar because of a foundational understanding of the woman’s reproductive system. They all rely on the charting of observable signs of fertility and infertility in the woman and abstinence from all genital contact during the fertile time to postpone a pregnancy. They are all reliable, highly effective, and free from side effects and the abortifacient nature that haunt all chemical forms of contraception and IUDs.
Single women and couples alike should take classes on Natural Family Planning for more indepth education and analysis of the fertility cycle. National providers can be found on the USCCB website.
Contact:
Michele Grantham, NFP instructor in Tucson
✉ michelegrantham@gmail.com
✆ 520-235-1400
Sympto-Thermal Method
When using the Sympto-Thermal Method, observations are made daily of biomarkers: cervical mucus, vaginal sensation, basal body temperature, and optional cervical changes, and recorded with symbols on a chart. Couples are taught to cross-check and interpret these signs to determine fertile and infertile phases in a cycle, and the rules for postponing or achieving pregnancy.
Creighton Model
The Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System relies upon the standardized observation and charting of biological markers that are essential to a woman’s health and fertility. These biomarkers tell the couple when they are naturally fertile and infertile, allowing the couple to use the system either to achieve or to avoid pregnancy. These biomarkers also telegraph abnormalities in a woman’s health.
MARQUETTE Model
The Marquette Model uses hormonal monitoring technology (ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor) and additional cervical fluid observations to estimate a woman’s fertile window. Couples may use this method to postpone or achieve pregnancy by detecting the rise in estrogen and the LH surge through urine testing.
Self-Observation / 2-days Method
Self-observation uses cervical secretions as an indicator of fertility. The woman checks daily for the presence or absence of cervical secretions of any type. In the absence of secretions, the male gamete dies within one to two hours in the acidic environment of the birth canal. However, when cervical secretions are present, the male gamete can live up to three days.
The function of the cervical secretions is to protect the male gamete against the acidic environment in the birth canal and to transport the male gamete to meet the egg after ovulation.
The general rule with self-observation is that if a woman notes secretion TODAY and/or YESTERDAY she is considered to be fertile TODAY. If a woman doesn’t note secretion TODAY and/or YESTERDAY she is considered infertile TODAY. Other methods of NFP outline more specific ways of tracking fertility using temperature and charting.
Have you taken the first abortion pill? It's not too late to save your baby!
Learn More
By Dr. Ana Sanguineti, Diocese of Tucson's Pro Life Spokesperson
It is important to understand Mifepristone, a dangerous chemical - how it works, what are its side effects and complications, and what is the history of Mifepristone.
History of Mifepristone Use
Mifepristone, an antiprogestin chemical, was first approved in the United States for use in ending the life of a baby in the womb in 2000. While the FDA limited its use to the first 7 weeks of gestation, it carried a Black Box Warning noting the chemical’s serious side effects. In 2005, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory for Mifepristone because of incidents of serious infections or sepsis. The Black Box Warning was revised (1). In 2011, the FDA developed a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Program (REMS) to specify guidelines for its use. Here’s what they wrote: "The goal of the Mifeprex REMS Program is to minimize the risk of serious complications" (2).
Side Effects of Mifepristone/Mifeprex
The side effects associated with this chemical can mask the symptoms of an impending rupture of an Ectopic Pregnancy, leading to a surgical emergency.
Black Box Warning
This warning emphasizes the occurrence of “serious and sometimes fatal infections” that can present in an atypical manner. It also warns of the risk of prolonged and heavy bleeding.
REMS Program
In 2011, the use of Mifeprex was limited to 49 days gestation of the pregnancy, with a physical exam, under the supervision of a healthcare provider, for 3 visits.
In 2016, the goal of REMS was modified and clearly stated: to mitigate the risk of serious complications associated with Mifeprex (3). The drug could only be dispensed in clinics, medical offices and hospitals under the supervision of a certified prescriber. Retail pharmacies were not allowed to dispense Mifeprex.
By 2023, Mifeprex (and its generic counterpart, Mifepristone) became more readily available through the removal of the requirement for an office visit and exam prior to taking the pills; allowing pharmacies to dispense the drug; promoting the mailing of this drug; and increasing its use to 70 days gestation.
From this history, we see that Mifepristone has long been known to have serious side effects. A Black Box Warning has been present to warn of these dangers. A strategic program (REMS) was needed to try and minimize the serious complications of this drug.
This tells us that this chemical and the regimen for chemical abortions can have dangerous consequences to the health of the woman taking it.
Why does this matter?
Chemical abortions have gained popularity as a way of circumventing the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue of abortion to each State. But this use of the chemicals Mifepristone and Misoprostol is dangerous to the pregnant woman, and the relaxation of the restrictions on its use has made it more risky. Furthermore, women taking these pills are no longer medically supervised, are often alone and may not understand the full implications of taking these chemicals. If the proponents of Mifepristone don’t care about a woman’s health, why would you trust them with ANY statement that minimizes a woman’s risk with chemical abortions? Rather, shouldn’t we help an expectant mom with the assistance she needs to bring her baby into this world, safe and healthy?
Mailing harmful chemicals to women without physician involvement, to promote abortions, even when prohibited by that state, results in great threat of harm to the woman's health. The chemical regimen used to abort the developing child in the womb has resulted in a 500% increase in emergency room visits over the past decade for the treatment of its severe side effects (4). And, it is dangerous to take if an ectopic pregnancy is present.
Chemical abortions, indeed ALL abortions, harm women and cause them to be abandoned in their pain. They are an affront to a woman's dignity, an attack on her life-bearing gift and on our most vulnerable children in the womb.
There is much more work to be done to end abortions altogether and safeguard a woman's health and a baby's life. We must continue with prayer for vulnerable women and in compassionate service to expectant moms and children as our Catholic faith requires, so that abortion becomes unthinkable.
1. https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20081026174111/http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/020687s013lbl.pdf page 1.
Mifeprex Label;FDA Warning. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/020687Orig1s025Lbl.pdf
2. REMS; https://www.fda.gov/media/164648/download?attachment NDA 20-687 MIFEPREX Tablets;Danco Laboratories,LLC
3. REMS; https://www.fda.gov/media/164649/download?attachment Ref ID: 3909592
4. Abortion Drug Facts; Charlotte Lozier Institute; Risks to Women; https://lozierinstitute.org/abortion-drug-facts and
JStudnicki et.al. A Longitudinal Cohort Study of ER Utilization Following Mifepristone Chemical and Surgical Abortions,1995-2015; Nov9,2021
https://doi.org/10.1177/23333928211053965 or
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23333928211053965
see also https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20081026174028/http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/mifepristone/mifepristone_historical.htm
An unexpected pregnancy is a life-changing event. The caring staff at Reachout Women's Center believe you should know all the facts about your options during pregnancy. You do not have to go through this difficult time alone. Be empowered to make the best decision you can make based on the facts and not fear. Reachout Women's Center will walk with you from the initial steps of your pregnancy, through the first 36 months of your child’s life. All services are confidential and free, including pregnancy testing, limited obstetrical ultrasounds, counseling referrals, and materials assistance.
Contact:
✆ (520) 321-4300
✉ info@reachoutwomenscenter.com
LEARN MORE
Walking with Moms in Need calls each Catholic parish to "walk in the shoes" of local pregnant and parenting women in need. Everyone should know how to help moms in difficult circumstances.
While not trying to turn Catholic parishes into pregnancy centers, parishes can support local pregnancy centers where they exist, and can also find and share other resources with pregnant and parenting women. And where there are few local resources, parishes can create their own, based on the gifts of the parish community!
Parishes in the Diocese of Tucson invite pregnant and parenting women in need to receive support through materials, education, resources, or pregnancy tests. You are not alone!
Rachel's Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild, and redeem hearts broken by abortion or fetal loss. Weekend retreats offer you a supportive, confidential, and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release, and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal, and healing.
Contact:
✆ (520) 743-6777
✉ rachelsvineyardtucson@gmail.com
LEARN MORE
40 Days for Life is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer, fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses.
Learn More
Become a Sidwalk Advocate and help abortion-minded women choose life.
Learn More
Get trained with the tools and resources you need to become a fully equipped pro-life activist in your community. Live Action seeks to make abortion unthinkable.
Learn More
New Outlook’s news and resources for Marriage and Natural Family Planning.
Learn More