Family, Life, Education: Our Hope for the Future
Scientific Conference, Knock, Co Mayo 4th October 2025 Press Release
Introduction:
The European Institute of Family Life Education / Institution Europèen d’Education Familiale (EIFLE/IEEF) held their annual general meeting in Knock, Co Mayo, on the weekend of 3rd – 5th October 2025. The meeting was hosted by the Natural Family Planning Teachers Association of Ireland NFPTAI, a member associate of EIFLE. As part of the weekend, a public conference was held on Saturday 4th October on the theme of Family, Life, Education, Our Hope for the Future.
Over 70 delegates from all over Europe and Ireland attended the conference in person, despite storm Amy and the closing of Knock airport. Audiovisual technology ensured that those who were unable to travel had the option of joining the conference remotely. Delegates ranged in age from young couples with small babies, to retired men and women, all active in prolife, pro-family and pro-education projects. The conference attracted healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and research graduates, in addition to teachers and families involved in home-schooling.
The conference focused on Family, Life and Education as three key foundation stones to build a just and compassionate society where the vulnerable are protected and everyone has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. Delegates listened to talks and actively engaged in discussions on each of the three themes of Family, Life and Education. We are very grateful to Shalom TV who recorded the meeting and interviewed speakers and delegates for a documentary.
The speakers proclaimed a message of hope and outlined a pathway to a better future for Ireland where God is respected, life is cherished, families are supported, and education provides an environment in which children develop into responsible caring members of our society. This message is countercultural to the message of the modern world that focuses on individual satisfaction as the only means to happiness. We believe that people are eager to hear this alternative view and the conference highlighted ways to communicate our message of hope, especially to our young people.
Education:
The conference opened with the session on Education. Our first speaker, Dr Fidelma Healy Eames, Education, Career and Wellbeing Consultant and Director and Lead Educator with Study and Careers. Fidelma delivered a lecture on the topic of ‘Enabling the Learning of Christian Values’. She outlined how educators teach values by modelling and living the lesson in everyday life through service, outreach and by example.
Our second speaker, Michelle Kelly, General Manager of Pure in Heart Ireland, gave a presentation on ‘Our fractured Understanding of Human Sexuality and the Needed Remedy’. Michelle highlighted the changes necessary in our culture to promote the dignity and self-esteem of our young people and ways to find true and lasting love.
The speakers reminded us that teaching and learning Christian values are an integral part of a wholistic education system that promotes the physical, psychological, intellectual, social, moral and spiritual formation of students. Faith based education encourages life-long learning, develops individual responsibility and promotes the common good. Recently proclaimed Doctor of the Church, St John Henry Newman believed that a good education should nurture faith and reason, since both seek the truth.
Family:
The second session focussed on the Family. Patrick McCrystal, Director of Human Life International, delivered his talk: ‘Marriage, are you ready?’ which raised many questions on the real meaning of the marriage vows and the lifelong commitment of husband and wife.
Patrick’s address was followed by Sinead Strong, founder of Catholic Mothers Ireland who presented her talk on ‘The Vocation and True Meaning of Being a Catholic Mother’. Sinead spoke about the mission of Catholic Mothers to support and inspire each other and their families through faith and community.
Both speakers highlighted the importance of protecting marriage and traditional family values for the good of the wider community. From a Christian perspective, the family is the building block of a stable society where children and adults flourish and support each other in facing life’s challenges. Our catechism rightly calls the family home “the domestic church”, a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
Life:
The afternoon session on Life focused on the beauty and fragility of human fertility. Dr Phil Boyle, Founder and Director of NeoFertility, presented a recent publication from a peer reviewed medical journal on ‘The scientific evidence for NeoFertility and compared outcomes with official IVF data from the UK and USA.’ Dr Phil reminded us that Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) seeks to optimise ovulation and the conditions for natural conception within the couple’s loving embrace. Evidence based research proves that RRM has comparable or higher success (Live Birth Rate) than IVF, for less than half the cost and without the health risks to mother and baby.
Kay O’Dwyer, Creighton Model Practitioner, NaPro and Fertility Care Centres of Ireland, gave a presentation on ‘Napro Fertility Care for Life’ and her work at ‘St Brigid’s Centre for Female Health and Education’ in Kells. We learned how RRM addresses fertility issues in a safe, holistic manner which considers all aspects of health and lifestyle. RRM is a medical system that works cooperatively with the natural procreative cycle and the Theology of the Body. Following her presentation Kay lead a workshop on ‘Fertility Charting’. Observing and charting the natural biomarkers of fertility empowers women to understand and manage their reproductive health throughout all stages of life.
NFP and RRM view a couple’s fertility as a gift to be cherished rather than the world view that sees fertility as a nuisance to be suppressed or a disease to be bypassed. NFP and RRM allows couples to share responsibility for their fertility and fosters the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Communicative and Emotional (SPICE) aspects of their relationship.
What next? Reclaim, Restore, Rebuild:
We believe that this conference will bear much fruit and lead to a ‘Springtime’ for Christian values in Family, Life and Education following the ‘Winter’ of recent years in modern Ireland where people of faith have been marginalised and values ignored. The recent exclusion of any prolife candidate from the presidential ballot highlights the current government’s disregard for Christian values. However, we cannot give in to despair; there is a way forward to reclaim our culture for Christ. We must work together to restore Christian values in Family, Life and Education and rebuild our nation to be a just, fair and caring society for the good of everyone who lives here including people of all faiths and none.
The message of hope from our conference reminds us of the opening lines of our Constitution given to us by our forefathers ‘In the name of The Most Holy Trinity’...that seeks ‘to promote the common good, with due observance of Prudence, Justice and Charity, so that the dignity and freedom of the individual may be assured, true social order attained, the unity of our country restored, and concord established with other nations.’
You can reach out to NFPTA Ireland by email info@naturalfamilyplanningireland.ie, or on Instragram NFPTAI & Facebook.
Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, pray for us.
