The new Virtual Journal Club established by the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) and its guilds will have its first meeting Thursday, Aug. 6. The topic will be Natural Family Planning and Marital Chastity: The Effects of Periodic Abstinence on Marital Relationships.

The cross-guild club will meet via Zoom from 7 to 8 p.m., with sign-up available at the website of The Finger Lakes Guild, located in Rochester, New York.

The Finger Lakes Guild and the Palm Beach Physicians Guild in Florida initiated the Cross-Guild Virtual Journal Club after members of the Palm Beach guild were invited to participate through Zoom in a medical journal club discussion that the Finger Lakes Guild held at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Pulse of Catholic Medicine. 

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The two guilds joined with the Catholic Medical Association in presenting the Virtual Journal Club to all of its guilds. The association lists over 100 guilds, according to its website. The inaugural Virtual Journal Club discussion on Aug. 6 will focus on an article published in the Catholic Medical Association’s medical journal, The Linacre Quarterly, The Pulse reported.

The article, Natural Family Planning and Marital Chastity: The Effects of Periodic Abstinence on Marital Relationships, by Richard Fehring and Michael Manhart, is a study that found that the “Use of periodic abstinence with NFP (natural family planning) is the practice of marital chastity and is thought to strengthen the marital relationship,” Sage Journals reported. Finger Lakes Guild President Dr. Thomas Carroll told The Pulse that the Virtual Journal Club aligns with the Catholic Medical Association’s call to spread the word about the association, inviting new members to join.

“We hope health care professionals across the country will take advantage of this opportunity to join a stimulating discussion about relevant and timely topics important to Catholics working in the health care professions, to connect with other CMA members, and to reach out to potential new members,” Carroll told The Pulse.