As you may know, those of us in the Archdiocese of St. Louis are so very blessed to have a great many generous and talented women and men who serve as NFP instructors, providers, and physicians. These men and women are not only highly trained in their field but also have a passion for the work that they undertake. They do the work that they do because they know that they are called by God and have been put on earth with a mission of good news!
We are excited to highlight just some of these women and men who are in the trenches every day serving you. Today we are spotlighting Joanne M. Mercer, BSAE, CFCP, CFCE who has been sharing her talents in the Natural Family Planning world for almost a two decades. Joanne has loves Sci-Fi movies and Jane Austen and aspired to be astronaut when she was a child. She currently works for SSM Healthcare and can be reached via e-mail and by phone at (636) 352-8672.
With that brief introduction, please grab a cold beverage and enjoy learning more about Joanne!
Joanne, thank you so much for joining us here today. Would you please tell us a little about yourself? Your family? Hobbies?
I have been married to my husband Steve for nearly 21 years. We have seven children ranging from 19 to 5-years-old. We have four girls and three boys. Before I became a practitioner, I was an Aerospace Engineer building and testing missiles. In my spare time, I like to scrapbook and read.
Are you originally from St. Louis?
I grew up in St. Charles, MO. I went to college in Prescott, AZ and worked at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ. I was away from St. Louis for 10 years.
Where are you currently a parishioner? What is your favorite thing about your parish?
We attend St. Gianna Catholic Church. My favorite thing about our parish is that is it very faithful and filled with large families.
Where did you go to school or where were you trained?
I attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ earning my degree in 1999. Years later, I went to Omaha to be a FertilityCare™ Practitioner in October of 2005. I returned to Omaha to become a FertilityCare™ Educator in 2019.
How did you first learn about Natural Family Planning (NFP)?
I am one of the lucky ones. There was never a time I did not know about NFP as all throughout my life, my mother talked to my three sisters and I about NFP.
What made you want to pursue a career as an instructor in NFP?
My decision to pursue a career as an instructor in NFP began after being healed and treated for Endometriosis, PMS, and Ovarian Cysts in 2002. This experience gave me to desire to share what I had learned with other women.
How many years have you been involved in NFP and where do you teach?
I have been teaching NFP for nearly 17 years. I currently teach at St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles and DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton.
There are so many wonderful methods of NFP, which method do you teach and how did you become involved with that method?
I teach the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare™ System. I became involved with this method because when I was getting married in 2001 that was what was in the bulletin at our parish in Tucson, AZ.
What aspect of NFP most speaks to your heart?
The aspect of NFP that speaks most to my heart is giving women power to understand their bodies and demand answers when something is not working correctly. I also love the contribution I am giving to the pro-life movement with this work.
What are your hopes for your patients? Your practice? Your career?
My hopes and desires in this ministry are to empower couples to take control of their fertility health and to defeat the culture of death. I want to crush the current women’s healthcare practices that destroy lives, and provide and lead women to quality, true, and beautiful healthcare. I want to continue working and growing my work to teach new clients and to increase the number of students I teach to become practitioners.
We, at the Office of Natural Family Planning, would like to express our thanks to Joanne for time to share her story with us. It was delightful to learn more about you!
Please stay tuned to the blog and our other social media to hear more about some of our other great NFP instructors, providers, and physicians in the weeks and months to come!