Humanae Vitae: A Retrospective Look at 40 Years
1968 to 2008
The birth of a baby is a miraculous event. Just ask any set of bleary-eyed new parents as they gaze into the face of their precious newborn, or observe what happens when a smiling infant is brought into a crowded room. Everyone is transformed as they encounter this amazing new human person created in God's own image.
In order to share His life with us, God gave humanity the gift of human sexuality, which unites married couples and allows husband and wife to become co-creators with Him. Sadly, when artificial contraceptives were accepted into 20th century mainstream society, our perception of the sacred gift of human sexuality was profoundly altered. A great divide was placed between the lovemaking (unitive) act of sexuality and the baby-making (procreative) act, and few could have predicted the serious consequences to all of human kind.
In 1968, in the midst of the sexual revolution, Pope Paul VI courageously proclaimed in his encyclical, Humanae Vitae, that the act of human sexuality must remain whole at all times and must be preserved only for marriage. Otherwise, as predicted in the document, the moral foundation of society and well-being of families would suffer greatly. As we look back forty years later, the teachings of Humanae Vitae have proven to be very prophetic.
In July of 2008, the Church began a year-long commemoration of Humanae Vitae's 40th anniversary. We invite all Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton to read and prayerfully reflect on the wisdom and truth of this timeless encyclical. We ask that you take the time to look through the many resources available on this website which will help you appreciate what this document means to us today. You'll find a variety of resources to help with personal study and planning parish events, as well as announcements about important presentations and workshops offered locally throughout the year.
May God bless all Catholic families who strive to live each day in full appreciation of all of His gifts - especially the gift of life.
Contact Us:
Office of Family Life
Diocesan Pastoral Center
PO Box 5147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
Phone: 609-406-7400 ext. 5558
Fax: 609-406-7403
Director: Linda Richardson
Coordinator of Marriage Ministries and NFP: Peg Hensler
E-mail: phensl@dioceseoftrenton.org
