Marriage, Family, Gender, and Sexuality FAQ’s
Married Life
What’s wrong with premarital sex?
Statistics show that couples who live together before marriage tend to have higher divorce rates after they do marry. They also are more likely to use contraception, which harms relationships and often the woman’s health. Read more.
What are the benefits of natural family planning?
Why would a couple choose natural family planning (NFP) if it’s so much harder than contraception? For one thing, NFP actually strengthens marriages! Read more.
Monogamy may be 12,000 years or more. And regardless of how natural or well-established it is, there is no doubt that monogamy fosters stability and brings happiness. Read more.
What percentage of marriages survive infidelity?
Statistics vary widely, but there is hope: as many as 75% of marriages survive infidelity. And the Catholic Church is full of grace and other resources for couples trying to rebuild their marriages. Read more.
What does “headship” mean in marriage?
The husband’s role of headship in marriage gives him the initiative, the wife’s role is no less important, nor does it limit her freedom. In the end, headship is really about the man’s duty to love his wife. Read more.
What do I do if my spouse doesn’t share my faith?
It takes patience, but an unbelieving spouse can often be converted by prayer and example. Be sure your spouse knows that you love him or her, even if you do not share the same beliefs. Read more.
Is it a sin to remarry after a divorce?
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, no human institution can dissolve a valid marriage. Therefore, a civil divorce does not leave a Catholic free to remarry. Read more.
Is it adultery to remarry after a Catholic annulment?
Unlike divorce, which pretends to dissolve a marriage entirely, an annulment is a decree by the Catholic Church that a marriage was never valid in the first place. Therefore, someone who has obtained an annulment is free to remarry. Read more.
What if I don’t have a husband yet?
There is a strong Catholic tradition of invoking St. Joseph, especially in novenas, for assistance in finding a strong Catholic husband. Many women have received answers to their prayers this way. Read more.
What is the Theology of the Body?
From 1979 to 1984, Saint John Paul II gave 129 weekly talks on human sexuality and marriage. The title he most often used was Theology of the Body (TOB), and his teaching has transformed modern Catholic discussions of marriage. Read more.
Having and Caring for Children
What saints should I invoke if I want a baby?
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a marvelous patroness to invoke for the gift of children, since she is the patroness of the unborn. Another great intercessor is St. Gerard Majella, who is known for miraculously intervening in a difficult labor to the lives of a mother and her baby. Read more.
How can I protect my kids from premarital sex?
Our world is infatuated with sex. If we want to teach our children about chastity, we must tell them about the sanctity of their bodies from an early age. Read more.
How do I explain abortion to my kids?
It is incredibly important to lay a pro-life foundation from the time your children are old enough to understand what babies are. As they grow, teach them how precious life is, so that they will be properly prepared when they first learn about abortion Read more.
How can I face the challenges of life as a single Catholic mother?
In the end, managing circumstances as difficult as single motherhood is only possible with the trust that God never abandons us when we need Him, even if we haven’t learned to recognize His presence. Read more.
How can I trust God through infertility?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely” (Proverbs 3:5). As Catholics, we know that we must have an implicit trust in God no matter what happens in our lives. This can feel almost impossible when we are suffering, yet we must believe that God’s love is truly boundless. Read more.
Can I find support from others during infertility?
If you’re carrying the cross of infertility, know that there are faith-filled people in your community, in your state, and throughout the country who carry the same cross. Connecting with them, befriending them, and sharing your thoughts and feelings help the healing process. Try one of these 5 support groups! Read more.
LBGT Issues
What is the true definition of marriage?
It is simply a truth of nature that there can be no marriage except between one man and one woman. Why? Because marriage is about more than just “love.” Read more.
What is the “complementarity of the sexes”?
The “complementarity of the sexes” means that men and women have different missions, which arise from their physical differences. It does not mean that men and women are unequal in dignity. Read more.
Why would I oppose homosexuality?
In brief, homosexual activists demand rights that violate the natural law, interfere with or supersede the authentic rights of others, or place the homosexual on a privileged plane not enjoyed by others. Read more.
What does the Catholic Church teach about homosexuality?
Some think that the Catholic Church closes its doors to homosexuals; others believe that the authentic Catholic approach accepts homosexuals and their lifestyles. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Read more.
How can I deal with same-sex attraction as a Catholic?
The Church condemns homosexual activity but opens her arms to everyone. Find the comfort and love you seek in devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which burns with love for all. Read more.
How common is homosexuality in the US?
Though homosexual activists like to assert that 10% of all people are “gay,” the real percentage is much lower than this. Only about 1 – 2% of American males are homosexual. Read more.
Is homosexuality a genetic trait?
Several major studies of sexual orientation have been inconclusive at best; even the studies claiming to demonstrate that homosexuality is an inborn characteristic are highly faulty. As a result, we have no proof that homosexuality is genetically determined. Read more.
Is homosexuality a healthy lifestyle?
Despite pro-LGBT claims to the contrary, research clearly shows that homosexual activity brings tremendous negative consequences on both physical and mental health. Read more.
Are homosexuals especially prone to AIDS?
Pro-LGBT activists often complain that it is offensive to refer to AIDS as a “gay” disease because such a statement leads to the “stigmatizing” of homosexuals. Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny that AIDS is far more common among homosexuals than among straights. Read more.
What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with condemnations of homosexual activity. It is true that Christ commands us to love everyone, but loving people does not always involve approving of their behavior. Read more.
How did the Supreme Court legalize same-sex “marriages”?
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruled that bans on homosexual unions are an unconstitutional breach of personal liberty under the Fourteenth Amendment. Read more.
Trans activists are asserting that people have a male or female “sex,” which is an unchangeable reality determined by the person’s chromosomes, and a “gender,” the sex that one subjectively identifies with. Read more.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one million people in the U.S. identify as transgender. That’s about 0.6% of the adult population. Read more.
What percentage of transgenders regret sex-reassignment surgery?
The media tells us that the number of trans people who regret their sex-reassignment surgeries is only 11% for women and 4% for men. But given the frighteningly high suicide rates of trans people, we have good reason to question these statistics. Read more.
Gay activists claim that their goal is equality for homosexuals. But in reality, they often demand “special rights” that no other group is allowed to enjoy. Read more.