We want you to know that you are not alone. Carrying a cross in a desert valley can seem very lonely at times, but sometimes, just around a corner, there is someone who really cares and wants to accompany you. Seasons of infertility and loss come to many couples, who do not take lightly the gifts of life and love. Springs of life and hope and love can be found, even in the difficult paths couples find themselves trying to navigate.
Connect
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati hosts an annual St. Gerard Mass of Hope for the Blessing of Children for anyone who would like to pray for the Lord to strengthen and bless married couples experiencing any type of infertility and/or pregnancy loss. This event provides a welcoming and loving opportunity for couples to bring their sorrows to the Lord and ask His mercy and blessing. It takes place in October on the feast of St. Gerard Majella, the patron saint of expectant mothers, and those wishing to have children.
Awareness
What is infertility awareness? It is for both those going through and those not going through this struggle….. being able to see each other and compassionately sharing in each other’s burdens. Scripture says we are to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” Gal.6:2
Many couples today, about 1 out of 5, are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. Even more face impaired fertility (impaired fecundity) at different seasons of their marriage. The pains of miscarriage or the wounds of loss of fertility can place stress on one’s own spiritual and physical health. The stress can test the unity of couples but can also strengthen the covenantal bond of love that is permanent and always fruitful in Christ.
Resources
Heaven’s Gain Ministries
Heaven’s Gain Ministries’ mission is to provide for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of families experiencing pregnancy loss: before, during, and after the delivery of their precious baby.
Springs in the Desert
Springs in the Desert accompanies those struggling with infertility by offering a place of respite and solidarity where they can know God’s love for them and discover His unique call to fruitfulness.
Red Bird Ministries
Red Bird Ministries exists to help parents address the profound healing that needs to happen while also honoring the memory of the child throughout their grief journey.
CONTACT US
Adriana Vasquez
Contact Me For:
• Information about the marriage catechumenate and sexual ethics
• Questions about fertility awareness and Natural Family Planning
• Support to any married couples facing the cross of infertility and miscarriage
Bio: My role at the Center is to offer leadership formation on marriage and family and all related topics, including Natural Family Planning in Spanish and English. It is a great joy to work with newly engaged and married couples and teach my Catholic faith at the same time.
A Little About Me: My husband Samuel, who is managing director of Hispanic Evangelization, and I married in 2010 and we are blessed with two children. I love playing with my kids, making pilgrimages to Marian shrines, listening to and playing classical music, reading novels, and making/eating guacamole (my favorite food).
Favorite Saint: Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. John Paul II (three way tie!)
Favorite Bible verse: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
David Ulmer RN BSN
Contact Me For:
- NFP and Chastity outreach events
- General questions about Natural Family Planning and Chastity
- Information and support on issues of sexual morality, reproductive technology, and other related topics
Bio: My role is to promote and teach the virtue of chastity, primarily with young adults and couples in the first 5 years of married life. I hope to facilitate connections to Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life - and share the good news of the beauty of God’s creative design and purpose for sexuality and marital intimacy. It is a blessing to help young people lay strong foundational stones on which to build their lives and marriages.
A Little About Me: I am a husband, father, and a registered nurse with 30 years of experience in pediatrics both in the clinical setting and at home with 9 kids. I graduated from Cedarville University with a BA in biology and a minor in biblical studies, and then received a nursing degree. My wife and I have been NFP instructors for 18 years. During our training, it was the teachings of the Catholic Church, in particular Humanae Vitae, that drew us into full communion with the Body of Christ at the Easter Vigil in 2005.
Favorite Saint: St. John the Baptist and St. Frances de Sales
Favorite Bible verse: “Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” Phil 3:13-14