From Catholic sexual ethics to biology to foreplay to positions, our articles are a reference point for all your Catholic sexual queries.
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Don’t Assume Your Spouse Has Negative Intentions
Catholic marriage calls spouses to assume the best of one another rather than fall into rash judgment. The Catechism teaches us to interpret our spouse’s words and actions favorably, a simple principle that can reduce conflict, strengthen communication, and build a more loving marriage.
Should Catholic Husbands Worry About Pre-Ejaculate During Foreplay? Is it Sinful?
Catholic spouses may wonder whether pre-ejaculatory fluid during foreplay is sinful. Classical Catholic moral theologians addressed this question directly, distinguishing harmless distillation from pollution and offering clear guidance for married couples struggling with scrupulosity.
Did St. Thomas Aquinas Teach Against Oral Stimulation in the Summa Theologiae? Taking a Closer Look
Was St. Thomas Aquinas actually opposed to oral stimulation within marriage? This article examines what St. Thomas truly taught about marital intimacy, the “natural manner of copulation,” and whether his writings can legitimately be cited to condemn oral stimulation between spouses.
Volunteer Opportunity: Help Us Build a Better Experience for Catholic Couples
The Apostolate for Marital Intimacy is seeking volunteers to help us improve the experience we provide to Catholic couples. We're looking for detail-oriented individuals to assist with transferring course content to a new platform and, if interested, providing occasional support with publishing blog posts and social media content. Even one hour per week can make a meaningful difference in helping us serve more couples while keeping our ministry affordable and sustainable. If you'd like to use your gifts to strengthen Catholic marriages behind the scenes, we'd love to hear from you.
Is My Marriage Over? A Catholic Answer to a Painful Question
Many women quietly ask, “Is my marriage over?,” but the answer is not as simple as the world makes it seem. This article challenges the cultural narrative that encourages leaving at the first sign of struggle and instead presents the Catholic understanding of marriage as a lifelong covenant. While acknowledging that serious situations may require separation, it calls women to examine their own role in the relationship and the patterns that have developed over time. True change begins with personal responsibility, not escape. Before making a permanent decision, there is still hope…and a path forward worth considering.
You Are Not As “Traditional” As You Think: A Challenge to Catholic Wives
Many Catholic wives today embrace the “trad wife” aesthetic, but few have fully examined the habits they bring into marriage. This article challenges women to look beyond appearances and ask whether their influence builds their husband up in virtue or quietly undermines him. Drawing from Scripture, history, and lived experience, it exposes how control, resistance, and lack of temperance weaken both leadership and intimacy. At the same time, it offers a compelling vision of true feminine strength rooted in virtue, trust, and self-mastery. If you desire a stronger, more unified marriage, this is a challenge worth facing.
Excerpt from The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults: The Love of Husband and Wife (p.408-410)
One valuable but perhaps less known and less used catechetical resource in the United States is the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. This document was produced and approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and it received a recognitio from the Holy See. Since it is an authoritative but perhaps less well known document, we thought it would be worthwhile to include segments from this catechism. The following excerpt is important because it offers an official explanation of the unitive and procreative ends of marriage and the marital act. This is worth sharing because there are people online who have expressed confusion and/or taken issue with the language of the “unitive end” of marriage and the marital act since the language of the “inseparable unitive and procreative ends” became the normative language of the magisterium when speaking about marriage and the marital act. However, if we are going to think with the mind of the Church, we must be willing to speak its language in its preferred terms. This United States Catechism provides an authoritative explanation of the unitive and procreative ends.
A Simple and Satisfying Remedy For Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is one of the most common challenges married couples face, but it does not have to diminish intimacy or satisfaction. This article shares a simple, faith-based and practical approach that can help many couples transform frustration into a more relaxed, fulfilling experience together.
What If I’m Not Attracted to My Spouse Anymore?
Attraction in marriage can fade, but that does not mean your relationship is over. More often, it reflects a loss of connection, attention, and intentional effort rather than a permanent loss of love. The good news is that you have more control than you think. By shifting your focus, improving how you show up, and rebuilding connection, attraction can grow again. This article will show you where to start.
Answering a Reader’s Questions about Anal Stimulation, Sexting, and Sexy Photos/Videos Within Marriage
Some of the questions you as our readers ask are so valuable that we would like to take the opportunity to broaden the audience for their answers. In this article, we are answering a reader’s questions about anal stimulation, sexting, and the exchange of sexy photos and videos within marriage.
Why Does My Wife Have No Sex Drive? (And What You Can Actually Do About It)
Why does your wife seem to have no sex drive? In most cases, her desire isn’t gone, it’s being suppressed by stress, poor experiences, or lack of connection. This article breaks down the real reasons behind low desire and gives you practical steps you can start using immediately. If you want to improve your sex life, it starts with changing the experience, not waiting for her to change.
A Reflection on Natural Family Planning Awareness Week by Fr. Thomas Loya, M.A., S.T.B.
The following reflection was written by Fr. Thomas Loya, a Byzantine Catholic priest who is the pastor of Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, Illinois, and the Director of Pro Life and Marriage and Family Ministry for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma. He is also the pastor of the parish attended by Theo McManigal, our social media manager. The following reflection was shared in the parish bulletin and the weekly eparchial newsletter and is reprinted here with Fr. Loya’s permission.
Painful Sex After Menopause: What’s Normal and What You Can Do About It
Painful sex after menopause is more common than most couples realize, but it is not something you have to accept. If intimacy has become uncomfortable or frustrating, there are real solutions that can restore comfort and connection in your marriage. From medical treatments to practical changes in the bedroom, this is a problem that can be addressed in most cases. With the right support and approach, this stage of life can still be marked by deeply fulfilling intimacy.
Open Floor! Ask Your Catholic Sexual Morality Questions Here!
Every so often we like to open the floor to your questions!
Have a question about Catholic sexual morality? Ask anything from challenging marital intimacy questions to moral questions about NFP, or even about chaste dating. All questions will receive a thoughtful, faithful reply.
Why Does My Husband Always Want Sex? (And How to Respond Without Feeling Pressured)
Why does your husband always seem to want sex? For many wives, this can feel overwhelming or frustrating, but the issue is rarely just his desire. In this article, we break down why this dynamic happens and how to respond in a way that builds connection instead of tension. You’ll also learn what realistic expectations look like and how to move toward a more satisfying rhythm in your marriage.
Another Renowned Moral Theologian on Sexual Morality in Marriage
Thomas Slater, SJ (1855-1928) was an English Jesuit and one of the most respected moral theologians of his generation in the English-speaking world. His Manual of Moral Theology was the first of its kind in native English, ran to five approved editions, and was written for priests who heard confessions. Trained in the tradition of St. Alphonsus and subsequent moralists, he knew the sources of moral theology very well. On questions as delicate as marital chastity, there are few safer guides available in English. Few writers in English are better placed to tell you what the Church’s confessors actually held on marital chastity.
Sexual Intimacy with Chronic Pain: How to Stay Connected Without Ignoring Your Body
Chronic pain can make sexual intimacy feel difficult or even impossible, but it does not have to end your intimate life. Many couples fall into cycles of avoidance that increase tension and disconnection over time. With practical adjustments, clear communication, and the right mindset, intimacy can remain meaningful and even become a source of comfort and connection. You do not need to ignore the pain, but you also do not need to surrender your relationship to it. Help is available, and this is a problem that can be worked through together.
You’re Not Stuck, You’re Unintentional
Many couples feel “stuck” in marriage, but the real issue is often a lack of intentionality. Without deliberate effort, relationships naturally drift into routine and surface-level connection. Small, purposeful actions like initiating conversation or planning time together can quickly restore movement and depth. This article encourages couples to take ownership and begin pursuing each other again with intention.
Intimacy After Baby: Navigating the Postpartum Season
The postpartum season can leave many couples feeling disconnected, unsure, or even discouraged when it comes to intimacy. Pain, exhaustion, hormonal changes, and postpartum depression can all impact your desire and ability to reconnect. But this is not a setback. It is a season that calls for patience, communication, and a new approach to intimacy. With the right guidance, couples can rebuild connection in a way that is even deeper and more meaningful than before.