The Vatican has announced the official feast day for Pope St. Paul VI which will be celebrated annually on May 29 as an optional memorial.
After accepting and even celebrating Humanae Vitae and its teachings about love and marriage, in this third part of the series, Deacon Pat discusses options for couples and explains the harm that can be done to both families and society when God’s plan for the creation of life is disobeyed.
Humanae Vitae had me at “hello.”
Deacon Patrick Mongan and his wife, EllenIn this second part of the journey of Deacon Patrick Mongan and his wife, Ellen's, embrace of Humanae Vitae, we read about the tragic death of their eighth child and how the lessons of life convinced them of the truths of Humanae Vitae.
The Mongan family at daughter Kaitlyn's wedding in June, 2017I was not a good candidate for motherhood. Had I gone for a “job” interview, I would not have been given the job. If there had been a try out, like for a cheerleader squad, they would not have selected me for the team. I did not have the qualifications, the necessary skills or the “heart” required. I don’t think I even had a desire to apply for the job. However somewhere on my journey God grew within me a “mother’s heart.”
Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD and wife EllenBy Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD, MAPS
In this poignant three-part series, Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD, MAPS, husband of Catholic author Ellen Mongan, he documents the couple’s journey through doubt, skepticism, a tragic loss, depression, and ultimately to acceptance and admiration of one of the most controversial documents of modern times - Humanae Vitae.
“This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment.” Blessed Paul VI
Fifty years after the publication of Humanae Vitae, a prophetic document that linked the use of contraception to the decline of fidelity and marriage and respect for women and children, 500 priests from the UK published a statement offering their full support of this consequential publication.
As we near the 50th Anniversary of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae, the Church’s definitive statement on artificial birth control, nearly 200 Catholic youth have published an open letter of support for the document, calling it “beautiful and prophetic.”
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has approved a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Pope Paul VI which could allow his canonization to take later place this year.
