Shannon Whitmore

The Many Faces of NFP

When my husband and I took the NFP Introductory class that was required before we could get married, I never thought that so much of our day-to-day conversation would revolve around hormones, menstrual cycles, and fertility.

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10 Great Marriages in the Bible

No one ties the knot with the hope that their marriage will be just “okay.”

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Why We Homeschool

If you had told me that I was going to be a homeschooling mom ten years ago, I probably would have laughed at you. I didn’t know any homeschoolers growing up, and for some reason, I bought into the whole “homeschoolers are weird” notion without ever having met one.

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Confession Makes Me a Better Mom and a Better Person

I’ve been in the habit of going to regular confession for more than a a decade now. At different times in my life, I’ve gone every two weeks, every three weeks, once a month, and on occasion, every six weeks. I can’t remember a time where I’ve gone more than six weeks without going to confession, with the exception of last year's Covid-caused crisis.

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Why the Catholic Acrobatics

A few months back, our family was about halfway through Sunday Mass when our son declared that he was tired of moving so much. He was kind of right- there is a lot of moving. The Catholic Mass involves a lot of movement.

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An Honest Conversation About NFP: Seeing Through the Myths to the Truth

Natural family planning. It’s a topic that I’ve written on several times before. In past articles, I have attempted to disprove several common myths surrounding NFP in an attempt to defend it against those who would have you believe that it is not a legitimate form of preventing conception

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NFP: The Catholic Contraceptive?

Natural Family Planning (AKA NFP)- it’s one of the Catholic Church’s largest internal controversies. There are very few other doctrines of the Church that are surrounded by so much mystery and shrouded with so much misunderstanding.

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NFP Myths: Facts or Fiction?

Six weeks after my son John was born, I had my postpartum appointment, a visit that many Catholic couples dread. They often find themselves on the defensive as they try to explain why they don’t need to be sent home with a pack of condoms and a prescription for the pill.

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A Child's Lesson on Heaven

One of my favorite aspects of my job is when I have the chance to teach the children. Unfortunately, as the parish's Director of Religious Education, I don’t get to do that as often as I would like. I spend an inordinate amount of time in my office, emailing parents, inputting data, and planning events for the Religious Education program.

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When Did America Start Hating Children?

As the mother of a four month old baby boy, I am appalled at the horrific reactions that I have seen following the tragedies in Ohio and Florida this past month.

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Why I'm Glad We Waited

Our culture largely assumes that it is impossible for a couple to wait until they are married before having sex. There is an understanding among most modern young adults that a serious relationship requires sexual intimacy, that a relationship that involves sexual intimacy is deeper than one that is lacking in this area.

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"I Am His Beloved, and He Is Mine": Reflections on Henri Nouwen's "Life of the Beloved" (Part 1)

“I am His Beloved, and He is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). It’s quite possibly my favorite passage in all of Scripture. There is just something about being called ‘Beloved’ that speaks to the heart, especially to that of a woman. We long to be loved, to be called the Beloved, and in a way, to be possessed.

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The Consequences of Contraception

When my husband and I were preparing for marriage, we participated in a Pre-Cana weekend, a requirement for marrying in the Catholic Church. Over the course of three days, we covered topics ranging from communication to parenting, and of course, the dreaded ‘C word’- contraception.

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