This year brought about an addition to the diocesan Pro-Life Office. Joy Kubik was hired as the new natural family planning (NFP) coordinator and women’s health advocate for the Diocese of Birmingham. She is also a certified FEMM (fertility education medical management) and teenFEMM teacher.

The need for an NFP coordinator in dioceses across the country was recognized and supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The role of the NFP coordinator is to help provide continuing education, enrichment, and support for diocesan NFP teachers, couples, and individuals.

By updating and adding content to the alabamanfp.org website, Kubik has provided resources on recent research for effectiveness of all NFP methods actively taught in the diocese, namely FEMM/teenFEMM, Creighton Model System, Marquette Method, and the Sympto-Thermal Method through the Couple to Couple League International. Additionally, there are linked Church documents available on the website supporting the use of natural family planning methods in the context of marriage as well as the benefits of fertility awareness charting for religious sisters and single women alike.

In the next year, Kubik hopes to continue to support couples growing their families through additional resources on adoption, foster care, and connecting couples struggling to get pregnant with moral and ethical healthcare providers. By collaborating with healthcare providers and teachers, Kubik has been working on an outreach to all women in various life stages for more accurate education on charting their cycles for specific health and fertility goals. Another needed resource under development is grief support for parents suffering child loss, as well as awareness of charting knowledge to help prevent miscarriages and preterm births.

For more information, please visit bhmdiocese.org/pro-life-office.

For more information on natural family planning and fertility awareness or to inquire how to help, contact Kubik at nfpc@bhmdiocese.org