A celebration of love and life: Diocese of Erie marks Natural Family Planning Awareness Week with special Mass
By Allison Mosier07/22/2025
Saint Peter Cathedral was filled with prayer and purpose on Saturday, July 20, 2025, as the Diocese of Erie gathered to celebrate Natural Family Planning Awareness Week with a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Lawrence Persico. The liturgy brought together clergy, married couples, families and NFP coordinators from across the diocese for a heartfelt affirmation of God’s design for love, life and marriage.
This year’s theme, “Pursue a lasting love… Marriage, create hope for the future!”, guided the prayerful focus of the celebration. It served as a reminder that Natural Family Planning (NFP) is not simply a method but a way of living out a vocation to love, one that cooperates with God’s creative plan and deepens marital intimacy and trust.
In his homily, Bishop Persico expressed deep gratitude for those who dedicate themselves to NFP education and support. “I want to thank Cassondra Dragone and Cathy Dornisch and all our NFP coordinators and volunteers who help couples with NFP,” he said, recognizing the leadership of the Office of Faith Formation in guiding this vital ministry. Throughout the year, this office offers education, resources and accompaniment to couples seeking to understand and embrace God’s plan for marriage, fertility and family life.
Bishop Persico’s homily offered a powerful meditation on divine hospitality, a recurring theme in Scripture that reveals God’s welcoming, life-giving love. Reflecting on the day’s readings from Genesis and the Gospel of Luke, he highlighted how Abraham and Sarah’s openness to strangers led to the promise of a child, and how Jesus himself was drawn to the humble hospitality of Martha and Mary. “Hospitality is more than just serving food and drink to a guest,” Bishop Persico said. “It can be something more, a gesture rich in spiritual sustenance.”
Drawing a connection between the spiritual virtue of hospitality and the vocation of marriage, he added, “Christian couples have the unique vocation to practice hospitality as the domestic church, where spouses seek to live according to God’s plan for love and life, thereby creating Christian homes and disposing themselves to be cooperators in the love of God the Creator.”
The Mass served as a public witness to the beauty of marriage lived in harmony with church teaching. As Bishop Persico reminded the congregation, “When we embody God’s welcoming love and offer hospitality to others through a meal, helping hand or heartfelt conversation, we mirror God’s divine hospitality as his sons and daughters, true disciples of his Son.”
Following the liturgy, a reception was held at Mother Teresa Academy, offering attendees the opportunity to gather in community, enjoy light refreshments and speak with NFP coordinators. Representatives from the Office of Faith Formation were available to answer questions from couples exploring NFP for the first time.
The event reflected the diocese’s commitment to forming couples who can live their vocation joyfully and confidently, equipped with the support and truth of the church. As Bishop Persico concluded, “May we be a welcoming church, truly Catholic in all ways, living as missionary disciples who are willing to share the generous divine hospitality and saving love we have received.”
Natural Family Planning is a witness to faith, trust and the sanctity of human life. The Diocese of Erie, through the leadership of the Office of Faith Formation and the support of Bishop Persico, continues to nurture this message, helping couples respond to God’s call with courage, generosity and love.
The ongoing and critical work of the Office of Faith Formation, including its support of NFP outreach and education, would not be possible without the generosity of those who contribute to the Catholic Services Appeal. Through the CSA, the faithful of the Diocese of Erie help nurture the sanctity of marriage and family life, building up a church rooted in love and hope for the future.
View photos from the Mass and reception here: https://dioceseoferie.smugmug.com/2025-Moments/NFP-Mass-and-Reception.
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