It’s year 1974. Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, after completing his study comes here with his wife Susan to begin residency at St Mary’s Hospital. For the 4 years to come.

One day in 1974 he accepts the invitation from Missouri Nurses for Life (by the way, I wonder since when we’ve got to tell the pro-life doctors from the others – and shouldn’t we have in that nomenclature: pro-life and anti-life doctors – the neutral doctors do not exist, or do they?).

That group of nurses included Ann Prebil and Diane Daly. Dr Hilgers was asked to give a lecture on a pregnancy resulting from a rape and the special role of pro-life nurses in handling the patient after such a trauma.

A year later he called Ann with the offer of cooperation: she’s asked to take the post of an  Education Coordinator of a new program for Natural Family Planning at St Louis Univeristy. Ann accepts the offe, and initially shares her time between her work as a lecturer in a nursing school and this new program.

On February 12, 1976 the first meeting of the new program was held. It looked a bit like contemporary Education Programs. 6 people took part in it: Sue Hilgers, dr Thomas Hilgers, Ann, Diane and one more married couple who later left the project.

In January 1977 Dr Thomas Hilgers with his Wife and two sons, Paul and Steve, left for Omaha. A year later the first FertilityCare Center was opened in St. Louis.

What happened next and where the name Creighton Model of FertilityCare System comes from – in the subsequent parts of the story.

Fr Jay

houses a truly beautiful Chapel on the last storey, actually in the attic. Next to the Chapel there is a meeting room with a library, and from there you can also participate in the Holy Mass. But this happens very seldom. Because the opportunity to take part in a Mass is rare here. There is a daily Service, for years faithfully celebrated by Deacon Tom. Traditionally, while I’m in Omaha, there is the Eucharist for all the staff.

Today we also had the Mass and then the visits to all the departments, with prayer over each staff member, together with blessing the Institute. Everyone here is very moved by the good things which have happened here and they all know it is a gift of God’s Love. And they ask for prayer, for God’s protection over the Institute, over their families and themselves. They too know that in all the places where good things happen – also the difficulties and hardships come along. As anywhere else.

It was good to be here.

Tomorrow I’ll have to be on the move again. It’s time for a “sentimental journey.” But I’ll tell you about that – tomorrow…

Fr Jay

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

– 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

I would like to thank you all for the gift of your friendship. It was you who made that month so extraordinary. Your hospitality, generosity, kindness and warm hearts enabled me to experience this much. I’d done many things for the first time in my life. And even though those experiences they gave me so much joy, what makes them even more beautiful is the consciousness that I owed it all to real people.

I am not going to list your names. They are written in my heart. Although here you’ll stay anonymous, I believe our Lord will reward you in Heaven. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me”.

I’m going back Home. I’m taking with me all your Homes, which were so hospitable and invited me to become part of them. When you are invited to a place, you bring in peace with you, but you also take with you the important matters of that place. My visits to so many Homes during this month showed and taught me a lot, and they touched my heart. I am taking all you’ve taught me to share with the others. Much of your wisdom has already appeared here, in “The Harbour”. Thank you – and let me thank you in the name of our Readers.

I also thak you, Dear Friends of “The Harbour”, for inviting us to your Homes on your computer screens. We would like to bring you always peace. Sometimes – to inspire, provoke, motivate you. But we are also taking you and the matters important to you in our prayer before the Holy Family.

With heartfelt prayer, full of gratitude,

Fr. Jay

I mentioned earlier that some of you won’t be able to go on vacation at all, or managed to spend just one week at the seaside, 5 days of wich were rainy. What then? I think that really much depends on our imagination. I know families who visited all the museums in town during vacation, enjoying those lessons in history and culture a lot.

I know one Dad who set off on a expedition with his little sonny: they made supper on the campfire and slept in the tent. In their own garden. A child doesn’t need to cover hundreds of kilometers to have the sense of a wonderful adventure.

I know a family in which the oldest sister prepares a quiz each week for her younger siblings. She comes up on her own with the rules and questions for the game, and her brothers and sisters simply can’t wait! And you? What are your ideas for vacation full of adventure?

I am going to an art museum. There’s a great exhibition of Dutch painting.

With warmest regards,

xj

– we can see and hear during the Olympic Games. It’s wonderful, but…

…Makes me wonder if that new olympic “tradition” does not introduce – through the back door – the civilization of the death of the fathers? I love my Mum very much, but I also love my late Dad. I would like them both to be proud of me. Not only my Mum. Each child needs both, Mum and Dad. Either of them has their task to do. This new fashion of eliminating fathers can’t result in anything good.

What can we do, then? We can teach children respect for both parents. Mums – can teach respect for Fathers, and Fathers – how to respect Mums. One Mum told me the other day that her several-year-old son answered to her: you do the tidying up yourself, because you have nothing else to do. I don’t think he came up with this idea on his own.

My dear Men. I’m asking you to do something to make your Wives feel, see and hear today  your respect for them.

I am asking you, Dear Wives, do the same for your Husbands.

With no occasion. Just to refresh your memory. May your Marital/Family Olympic Games have their own disciplines and competitions. And I wish you only gold medals.

Fr Jay