Family Ministry

The Church's Care and Concern for Her Children

As part of the Church's ongoing outreach, you are invited to view a talk by Archbishop George J. Lucas entitled Humanae Vitae in the 21st Century. In the summer of 2011, Archbishop Lucas was invited to speak at the 25th Anniversary of the Pope Paul VI Institute. His talk was recorded in audio format and later rerecorded in video format by the Archdiocese of Omaha, Family Life Office. Please use this link to hear this talk (Humanae Vitae).

In addition, the encyclical Humanae Vitae may be found at this Vatican website.

On July 25, 1968, Humanae Vitae was issued by Pope Paul VI. In this encyclical, Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the consistently held teaching on the truth of man and woman and God's design for marriage to always be at the service of life.

The encyclical's release prompted a firestorm within the Church. In our time, discussion continues on the truths conveyed in Humanae Vitae and the joys and challenges of living out the teachings contained in this encyclical. It is our task to help people recognize the prescience of the Pope's teaching in his warnings regarding the multitude of anti-life consequences that would occur within a society that embraces contraception.

Encountering these consequences daily, we are prompted to continue to invite people into deeper understanding of God's plan for love and life; into deeper awareness of the dignity of the human person; and into the living out of our respective vocations in such a way that every human person comes to know the loving embrace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

For additional resources directed to living out the teachings of Humanae Vitae and building a culture of life, please contact the Family Life Office.