True Love Waits—Abstinence Education for Teens

Download NFCYM's True Love Waits Revised Abstinence Resource (PDF 224 KB)

The NFCYM True Love Waits revised abstinence resource is designed to assist youth ministry leaders in developing a comprehensive approach to abstinence education. The document has been revised from the original 1994 document produced by the NFCYM.

As a Church we maintain a concerted effort to educate young people about the God-given gift of sexuality and form them for a life of purity and holiness. To that end, this revised document will help youth ministry leaders by providing the following information:

  • Current research and statistics on sexual activity, pregnancy rates, and the effectiveness of abstinence education
  • A summary of Catholic teaching on issues related to sexuality, including primary source material from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other official documents
  • Notes on adolescent catechesis as it relates to sexuality education and formation for chastity, including an affirmation of the role of families in the process
  • Suggestions for developing a chastity education program
  • Resource evaluation guidelines
  • An annotated list of curricula and supplemental resources

Though the face of youth ministry and sexuality education is constantly evolving to respond to the needs of young people in the twenty-first century, it is still true that we must constantly challenge them to choose chastity as the most life-giving option. They must hear about it from us and see in us the fullness of living a chaste life. They must come to know that the choice for chastity is a response to truth—a solid “yes” to the God who loved them into this holy and wondrous life.

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