Resources

This is a working list of resources and is by no means exhaustive. If you know of a resource that you would like to see added, please contact us. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of any other site. Use your own discretion.

Top Theological Articles

Selections of Theology for Married Couples

The Legitimacy of the Marital Act with Regards to Circumstances

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Featured Resources

  • Covenant Eyes - This is a fantastic resource for anyone trying to overcome an addiction or even just occasional falls to pornography.

Recommended Catholic Coaches and Courses

Catholic Sex Coaches

Other Intimacy Courses for Catholics

  • Sarah Bartel, PhD (Cana Feast) - Courses on marital intimacy for Catholic women by a moral theologian, wife, and mother.

Other Catholic Life Coaches

Other Educational Resources

  • Married Couples - Forever After at the Catholic Military Ordinariate of Australia - This page lists recommended resources, including Catholic Intimacy, for Australian military personnel and their families.

  • ChristianFriendlySexPositions.com - This site uses stick-figure illustrations to demonstrate dozens of sex positions. Both newlyweds and seasoned spouses will find ideas for new things to try in the bedroom.

  • MaritalSex.org (Warning: contains graphic content.) - This site is run by a Catholic man and provides some interesting reflections on sex and intimacy.

  • Popcak, Gregory K. Holy Sex!: A Catholic Guide to Toe-Curling, Mind-Blowing, Infallible Loving. New York: Crossroads, 2008. Available from Amazon. This book should be required reading for every marriage prep program.

  • Our First Year of Marriage journal by Covenant Co.

Intimate Supplies

  • Married Dance - The top Christian-friendly sex toy and marital aid store. They also sell lingerie, furniture, and positioning devices.

  • Covenant Spice - Sex toys for married couples.

  • Honoring Intimates - Lingerie options from conservative to classy to spicy - all displayed and shipped model-free.

  • Ginger & Peach Lingerie - Classy, model-free lingerie designed and produced by a Christian wife and mother.

  • Mentionables - High-quality, size-inclusive lingerie on a model-free site.

Other Theological Resources on Catholic Sexual Ethics

Magisterial Documents

Constitutions

Encyclicals

Exhortations

Allocutions

Declarations

Catechisms

Doctors of the Church

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

  • Thomas Aquinas. Commentary on the Letters of Saint Paul to the Corinthians. At Aquinas Institute, aquinas.cc.

  • ———. Commentary on the Sentences. At Aquinas Institute, aquinas.cc.

    • Sentences IV, d. 26-42 - These “distinctions” concern various aspects of marriage. They are the earliest writings of Aquinas on Marriage.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

  • De Sales, Francis. Philothea or An Introduction to the Devout Life. Charlotte: TAN Books, 2010. Available from Amazon.

This work is very useful for fostering devotion, which is important for marital intimacy. Part III: chapters 38-29 discuss the marital debt.

Other Theological Sources

FAQ

Doctrinal Questions

  • The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children, while the secondary ends are the mutual support of the spouses and the remedy of concupiscence.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • The sacrament of matrimony confers grace to sanctify the couple. Further, it confers a right to receive actual graces necessary for their state in life, namely:

    1. For the procreation and Christian education of children,

    2. For the fostering of their chaste marital love, and

    3. For the moderation of concupiscence.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • The marital debt is the right that spouses have to sex with their spouse.

    For more information, please see this article.

Moral Questions

  • First of all, a cardinal rule is rule upon which others depend, not to the exclusion of other rules. The cardinal rule to moral marital intercourse is that the completed act must be open to the procreation of children. This means that:

    1. Male ejaculation occurs in the vaginal cavity,

    2. The semen is not removed from the vaginal cavity,

    3. Nothing is done by natural or artificial means to prevent fertilization.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • Yes, marital lubricants may be used so long as they are used in accordance with the Cardinal Rule, i.e. do not contain spermicides.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • Yes, marital aids may be used as long as they are used in accordance with the Cardinal Rule. Marital aids are a large category of items, including vibrators, penis rings, etc. As inanimate objects, they have no moral value in themselves, but in how they are used. While masturbatory practices must always be avoided, it is permissible to use marital aids to complete the marital act and/or achieve mutual orgasm.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • Yes, although offensive, objectifying, and demeaning outfits should be avoided, it is permissible to adorn oneself to please one’s spouse.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • Catholics can use oral stimulation as part of foreplay or afterplay of a complete marital act. It is not permissible to give or receive oral stimulation apart from the marital act.

    For more information, please see this article.

  • Catholics can use anal stimulation as part of foreplay or afterplay of a complete marital act. It is not permissible to give or receive anal stimulation apart from the marital act.

    For more information, please see this article.

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