when we endure patiently in everyday life.

Something wonderful has been happening in the last 19 years: FertilityCare/NaProTECHNOLOGY has become available to Spanish speaking nations.

The largest Latin American delegation ever took part in Pope Paul VI Programs this year: 7 professionals and 3 priests – from Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil. A strong branch of a beautiful tree of life.

Dream began in ’94 with a Mexican doctor who knew how to persevere in fruitful prayers, which caused a crazy, fearless and inspiring Mexican woman, Eloisa, to join Education Program in Omaha in 2009 and become a representative for couples for this part of the world. Since then, almost 15 FertilityCare Professionals, and also priests, from Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain and Colombia, have completed PPVI I programs and have been working silently as the apostles of Humanae Vitae at many fronts of their places of origin, as well in the US.

Inquiries grew and took Dr. Hilgers, Dr. Keefe, Dr. Aldana and Dr. Diaz to Costa Rica, Colombia and Argentina. Some FCP programs are already being taught in those places.

By 2013, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Gibraltar, USA and Spain will be home to at least 11 FCP programs taught in Spanish!

This confirms that great things happen when we endure patiently in everyday life. A great opening of the Year of Faith for the global FertilityCare community!

Beatriz

Beatriz Gonzalez, Mexico, wife and mother. Social entrepreneur and development consultant. Committed promotor of FertilityCare in Spanish ever since she and her husband became clients in 2006. FertilityCare Practitioner Intern at Pope Paul VI Institute. She leads a CrMs FertilityCare Program/Vida Florida Latinamerica based in Mexico City, which reaches to date clients of México, Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica and Chile. Translates the Family Support Foundation blog into Spanish.

We are looking forward to the subsequent parts of Fr Jay’s Travel Journal, but we are going to interrupt that series with a post penned by someone else from the behind the Ocean. I’m honoured to introduce Beatriz Gonzalez. 🙂

I should start from saying “thank You” to the One, who makes our paths meets by most strange “coincidences” – for letting me work together with Beatriz on the translation of Fr Jay’s speech which he was invited to deliver in Madrid, at the World Congress of Families. I did the English part and Beatriz – the Spanish. I discovered I was dealing with a person of a great power of spirit, who had been accompanying couples struglling with problems in the area of fertility.

I admire Beatriz for her struggle for a better tomorrow – for her Near and Dear ones, and for Mexico. And not only that: in her heart and dreams she reaches out further and for more.

Beatriz will tell about how NaProTechnology has developed in Latin American countries. And we hope that it is not her first and last time in the Harbour – and that after this introduction of hers, she will find the opportunity to share with us the springs of her love, strength and enthusiasm.

Małgosia

there has been no such thing in the history of Omaha Eductaion Programs.

The final hours which remain till the Holy Mass closing EP I and the official farewell, are filled with activities, meetings – also those very personal ones with the merciful heart of Lord Jesus.

The time passed by so quickly, but so much has changed in the participants and we have experienced so many good things. I’m carrying  all those meetings within: people’s stories, struggles and victories, drama and Divine Mercy. There are still several hours to be together, and the moment of saying goodbye is very near. We’ll part for several months to meet again very soon and listen about the great things the Lord has done during that time.

Fr Jay

is so neccessary to let go of everything which is redundant, accidental, not worthy to be taken to eternity. And the other way round. In the silence of the Adoration you may express and re-collect all that is especially dear to the heart and valuable.

Fortunately, in the close proximity of our hotel where the first part of the NaProTechnology Programs takes place (called here in short EP1, Education Phase 1), there is a church with the chapel of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. It’s such a joy to discover that so many share the same longing for staying in His presence, who treasure those moments as necessary and important. I’ve counted as many as 5 such places in the vicinity.

That is not so in Poland, you can hardly find a place where you can adore the Holy Sacrament during the day, not to mention the night. Here, in the US, being a catholic is not so obvious as for the Poles (98% of the society declare to be catholic). Here you become a catholic, catholicism is a choice.

Fr Jay

– that is: “The Door of Faith.” Pope Benedict XVI, with his Apostolic Letter under that title, proclaimed yesterday a Year of Faith. So – the year of special grace has just begun.

We have welcomed it with a great joy. For some of the doctors, the discovery of the beauty and harmony of human sexuality was essentialy linked with the acceptance of the gift of faith and a conscious return to the Catholic Church – or even joining its community for the first time. They know exactly, what the term “gift of faith” means. But also those, who have enjoyed that gift for a long time, know very well, how important it is to nurture that grace and to let it grow.

Each day we begin the Education Program with the Holy Mass. And so any people turn up so early to pray, so many people ask for a meeting, a prayer, confession or counsel. And so genuine is the gift of faith in that environment. It is so important not only to keep that gift, but also to let it grow.

Fr Jay

in the final part of Love & Life Unlimited Conference.

Each of the participats prepares their own presentation covering the subjects discussed during the conference. And it’s extremely interesting what each of the 10 persons noticed, experienced, what he or she would like to share. I was amazed with the rich variety of perspectives, great presentation skills, the igenious use of materials – but also the practical approach of the conference Organizers.

How to check if the participants made a good use of the lectures? Of course you can test them, but you can also listen to them and check if they managed to gain some practical knowledge, which they further could share with the others.

With such an approach, it is difficult to follow the rule of “MPF” – “memorize, pass the test, forget.”

Good job.

Fr Jay

Love and Life Unlimited Conference usually accompanies Creighton Model Allied Health Education Programs which train Fertility Care Practitioners and NaProTechnology doctors. That conference is addressed mainly to the people who want to support the Civilization of Love and Life. That’s why among the participants there are priests, people active in pastoral family care in their parishes, and marriage cunsellors.

The group of students present in this edition of LLUC is rather international: USA, Mexico and United Kingdom. Three periests, three members of the Pope Paul VI Institute staff, two PhD students, two marriage counsellors and two medical doctors. In our group we also have the eldest son of Sue and Thomas Hilgers – Paul, who grew up together with the Institute.

My task was to acquaint the participants with  theology of the body according to Blessed John Paul II, during 4 meetings. The task would be delightful in itself, the only difficulty was that the language of the lectures was still – English. And this very obstacle would have been enough to make me quite unable to overcome the challenge, if it hadn’t been for the irreplacable Team, who are there to help in similar situations.

Tomorrow each LLUC participant is going to give an 8-minute presentation, as a fruit of the conference considerations. We keep our fingers crossed.

Fr Jay

Note from the Editors: Love & Life Unlimited Conference will also be held in Łomianki near Warsaw, Poland, February 11-15 lutego 2013.

… has finally constituted itself. As usual, during the EP in Omaha, there is a couple of dinners “on our own,” meaning: everyone has to take care of themselves. As it used to be during the previous EP editions, also this time I invited all the gentlemen to eat out. We went to the “Anthony’s”, a nearby restaurant which serves delicious steaks.

But of course we didn’t go there just to have a steak. Each of us could introduce himself to the rest and get to know the other men. We were the Twelve Rightous altogether. It was great to get a glimpse of the amazing stories each of them had to tell about their lives. For some of them the road to NaProTechnology was at the same time the path of the discovery of the Catholic Church. And for some – the path against the mainstream ideas of their firends, colleagues, bosses…

From Porto Rico through Mexico to the Philippines, from Florida, through Luisiana, to Illinois. They meet here and talk with great emotion about the witnesses of life they encountered on their way, who inspired them. Just to think how much good they will pass forward?

Fr Jay

image one

During one of Dr Hilgers’s lectures, a gynecologist told him about one of his cases:

A woman came to ask for prescribing contraceptives. The doctor explained the harmfulness of the side-effects of such “therapy”. The patient wouldn’t change her mind, so the doctor gave her all the details. In the end the woman thanked for the information but said that any of the aforementioned side-effects would be better than a baby.

image two

During the Program I stayed with a young married couple with two small children. They gave a place for me in their home and in their hearts. I didn’t perhaps observe, but actually took part in their everyday life: kids waking up in tears at night, illness of one of them, and then their mum’s illness, bustling about between school, doctor and work. Evening conversations with the effort to make the right decision. Monthly budget. Ordinary life. But with so much care for each other, so much gift of oneself!

From the two images, I choose the second one. This is the world I believe in, this is the world I want to build. I hope to meet you on that path.

P.S.
I’ll never forget the view of my host, moving about the kitchen with rosary beads in his hand. And I would like to thank the Lady of the House for her concern for me.

Michał

What was the most amazing thing for me during the last week?

Was it the fact that Dr Hilgers – together with his whole Team – ran a complete NaProTechnology Education Program for the first time outside Omaha, outside the US, far behind the Ocean, in Poland? No, I don’t think that would be it.

And maybe the fact that almost 100 participants had come from different countries: Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Lithuanien, Slevenia, Ukraine, France, England and Nigeria? No, that’s not it, either.

Was it the fact that we had a press conference and tv filming here, that Dr Hilgers was interviewed? No, that’s not it for sure.

The most amazing thing was the committment and sacrifice on the part of the whole US Team – so that we could understand and learn as much as possible. Each day I also felt enormous respect for the other students, who made such a great effort during the EPI. There were so many pregnant women. Also the mothers with small babies at their breast – they had to bring together both the study and looking after their offspring. You could see gratitude on the faces of those who had left their wife or husband at home. You could hear this gratitude in their phone conversations. I’m coming back home today with the same gratitude.

And I thank you very much for your prayers.

Michał