From Catholic sexual ethics to biology to foreplay to positions, Catholic Intimacy’s articles are a reference point for all your Catholic sexual queries.
Articles
Making Love for the First Time: A Catholic Couple’s Guide
Whether you’re preparing for your honeymoon or looking to refresh your marital intimacy, this guide is for you. Many Catholic couples enter marriage with excitement, love, and a deep desire to share their bodies with one another—but also with uncertainty about how to prepare for sex. It doesn’t need to be that way.
The Marital Act as a Human Act
This lesson introduces moral theology in the context of marital intimacy, exploring St. Thomas Aquinas' distinction between human acts and acts of man. It covers the eight stages of a human act, the three moral elements (object, intention, and circumstances), and how ignorance and fear affect moral responsibility. Learners will gain a theological framework for ensuring intimacy aligns with God’s plan, fostering virtue, love, and unity in marriage.
Overcoming Sexual Performance Anxiety
Sexual performance anxiety is a common but often misunderstood issue that affects both men and women. It can emerge at any age, regardless of relationship length or past sexual experience. Even couples who have enjoyed a satisfying sexual life for years may suddenly find themselves struggling with feelings of pressure, self-doubt, or fear related to intimacy.
Should I Give Up Sex For Lent?
When I hear the question “Should I give up sex for Lent?” my immediate response is, “Probably not.” Lent is a season for deep prayer and reflection, but when it comes to marriage, decisions about intimacy should always be made together and with an understanding of the consequences.
Is This a Sex Toy or a Sex Tool?
Sexual devices often carry a stigma as mere “toys” designed solely for pleasure. However, a growing body of expert opinion is reframing the conversation—suggesting that many of these products function more as essential “tools” for overcoming sexual challenges rather than indulgent extras. For example, Dr. Lauren Streicher has introduced the concept of “vibrator therapy” for women who struggle to reach orgasm, emphasizing that a vibrator is not just about intensifying pleasure but about making orgasm possible.
Understanding and Addressing Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to the consistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual activity. While occasional difficulty is normal and often tied to stress or fatigue, persistent issues may signal underlying physical, emotional, or relational concerns. For married couples, ED can affect not only physical intimacy but also emotional closeness and the overall harmony of the marital relationship. Recognizing and addressing ED in a compassionate, faith-centered way is key to restoring intimacy and strengthening the unity between spouses.
Navigating Current Trends in Male Fertility: Protect Your Health, Secure Your Legacy
Guest Post by Dr. Amanda Ramirez, DPT
Catholic Doctor of Physical Therapy
Any man grounded in his masculinity and committed to creating a meaningful legacy benefits from a well-rounded perspective on his fertility—one that highlights a continuum of choices, encourages informed decision-making, and prioritizes natural, minimally invasive methods first. This approach to reproductive health embodies the core principles of Restorative Reproductive Medicine.
Understanding and Overcoming Premature Ejaculation
Premature ejaculation (PE) is a sensitive but common issue that affects many marriages. For Catholic couples, addressing this challenge within the framework of faith can deepen intimacy and strengthen their spiritual connection. By combining medical knowledge with faith-based resources, couples can overcome PE in ways that honor their relationship and align with Catholic teachings.
Transform Your Life with Exodus 90: Join Our 2025 Journey!
Are you ready to embrace a challenge that will transform your life? Exodus 90 is a 90-day spiritual exercise designed to help men grow closer to God, cultivate discipline, and foster meaningful connections with others. Rooted in Catholic tradition, this powerful journey begins January 20 and concludes on Easter Sunday, April 20. This year, I’m inviting 10 men to join me in this transformative experience through a supportive group hosted via Zoom.
Hard Truths for Men About Women's Experience of Sex
All the men who have come to men for coaching have done so for the same reason: there is something wrong with their sex life. Almost universally, they felt they were failing to meet their wife’s needs. Some already had an idea of what was the cause and were right, some were pretty far off base. But they knew that something was wrong. If you are in this boat, I empathize with you and I pray that I or someone else helps you and your wife. There are some things you should know.
The Art of the Thrust
Gentlemen, here is your time to shine. After you have successfully wooed your bride into bed (shower, kitchen, backseat, etc.) and completed the preliminaries, it is time to get to the act proper. This is the time that distinguishes the boys from the men. It is time to practice the art of the thrust.
Buy the Stinking Roses
How quickly can we burn through $7? Coffee, soda, snacks, beer, etc. many of us might spend $7 on our way to or from work without hardly thinking about it. Now if it’s a choice between feeding your kids and buying roses, then I’m not saying to neglect your kids. But if you have some discretionary funds, treat your spouse to something special every now and then. When you stop for that coffee, skip the snacks and buy a rose.
The Marriage Bed: Holy of Holies of the Family
When you look at your marriage bed, just remember that it is here that lives are conceived to give glory to God for all the rest of eternity and Our Lord went to His cross thinking and loving them. This thought alone should fill us with awe and reverence for this sacred space. If it is the altar, then it is also the cross. It is the cross upon which we sacrifice our pride, our selfishness, our lust, all of our sins and vices. We offer them to God through our spouse.
Making Out with Your Wife
When was the last time that you made out with your wife? Was it the last time that you made love? Was it the last time you had a fight and then could hardly make it to the bedroom in time for some hot makeup sex?
The Servant King: the Nature of a Husband
There is an ongoing debate in Catholic circles, especially Traditional Catholic circles, about the appropriate or ideal gender roles in the family. While that is an important topic and one that we will discuss in greater detail in future blog posts, I think that it is important to remember that being precedes action. So the roles of man and wife should flow as an authentic expression of the natures of man and wife.