For Faithful & Fulfilling Romance

Does the Catholic marital debt extend beyond the conjugal act to foreplay or other incomplete sexual acts? Drawing on traditional moral theologians such as St. Alphonsus, Sanchez, and Ballerini, this article explains what spouses may reasonably owe one another in the exercise of marital rights and where the limits lie.

Are sexual fantasies or roleplaying between Catholic spouses morally permissible? Drawing on the traditional consensus of Catholic moral theologians, this article explains when fantasies about one’s spouse remain within the bounds of marital chastity, and when they cross into morally problematic territory.

Pain during sex (dyspareunia), involuntary tightening with penetration (vaginismus), and sexual anxiety can leave a woman longing for closeness while dreading intimacy. These experiences are real, and improvement can begin with patient, practical steps toward comfort and confidence. Our Women’s Sexual Pain & Anxiety Coaching Program gives women and their husbands more time to address pain and fear before focusing on pleasure. Read about the program, and submit a coaching inquiry if you would like to explore whether it is right for you.

James Walther is opening space for up to ten new individual or couples coaching clients. His coaching addresses common sexual concerns, including pain during sex, difficulty reaching orgasm, erectile dysfunction, ejaculation concerns, performance anxiety, and differences in desire. He is also exploring a weekly women’s group and, if there is enough interest, a separate men’s group as more affordable options for guidance and support. Those interested in coaching can complete the coaching inquiry; those interested in a group can fill out the interest survey.

Should lay Catholics have access to the old manuals of moral theology? This article explains why, in an age of weak priestly formation and widespread confusion about marital sexuality, recovering the Church’s traditional moral theology can help Catholics form their consciences more clearly and avoid both scrupulosity and laxism. 

In response to Catholic blogger Ronald Conte’s claim that all sexual stimulation outside penetrative intercourse is gravely sinful, this article examines the teaching of St. Alphonsus Liguori and the broader Catholic moral tradition. It explains why incomplete sexual acts and marital foreplay between spouses have historically been treated far less restrictively than Conte suggests.

Can Catholic spouses engage in self-stimulation as preparation for the marital act? Drawing on the Catechism and the traditional consensus of Catholic moral theologians, this article explains why self-stimulation ordered toward conjugal relations with one’s spouse is not considered masturbation in the morally condemned sense.

Is it sinful for Catholic spouses to engage in marital intimacy simply for pleasure? In this excerpt, renowned moral theologian Fr. John C. Ford, S.J., examines the traditional Catholic concern with acting ob solam voluptatem (“for pleasure alone”) and explains why, in light of various papal decrees, seeking sexual pleasure within rightly ordered marital intimacy need not be sinful or contrary to the purposes of marriage.