Love
Letters - Leadership
A Loveletter from Our National Leadership
Bob & Joy Hernandez and Msgr. Chuck Kosanke
Dearest WWME Family,
It’s been much too long since we wrote to you — so
much has happened! We are so proud of you, our WWME Family, whom
we have the honor to serve. We are very grateful for the gift of
meeting many of you personally as we travel across our beautiful
U.S. Secretariat. You continue to be our inspiration!
Pillar Planning Meeting
In March, we met with our four U.S. Pillar Coordinators in Vienna,
VA. At this 3-day meeting, we build relationship, clarify plans
and strategize to implement the vision articulated in our State
of the Movement. We are so blessed by the enthusiasm and zeal of
the couples & priests who faithfully assume the responsibilities
of leading the four Pillars for the U.S. Secretariat.
Hispanic Section Leadership Meeting
We also met with our five Hispanic Section Leaders in Ontario, CA.
We gather together three times yearly to listen to and respond to
the specific needs of our ever-growing Hispanic family. We were
in Section 14 and experienced an uplifting evening with the local
community after our meeting on Saturday night. Our Section 14 Leaders,
Leonardo & Angela Ramirez and Fr. Jose Varela, invited several
members of the California Korean community to join us on Saturday
night. It was an inspiring, multi-cultural event — a great
example of our value of interdependence in WWME!
National Priest Experience
During the week after Easter (April 18-20), we were privileged to
be part of the National Priest Experience in San Diego, CA with
60 WWME Presenting Team priests. We presented with Pat & Terri
O’Hara (U.S. Presenting Team Pillar Coordinators), Fr. Larry
Brault (Section 1), Fr. Tom Griffith (Section 1), and Fr. Emile
Frische (Section 2) in the mid-week sabbatical experience “Earthen
Vessels”. Each priest was invited to explore the Paschal Mystery
and connect the journey of Jesus to his own life. It was a very
moving and insightful time for all involved — our only sadness
was that more of our dear Presenting Team priests were not able
to avail themselves of this opportunity.
Sec. 17 Team Convention
In early May, we participated in the Section 17 Team Convention
in San Mateo, CA along with about 200 Presenting Teams. The theme
was built around the life of St. Francis. Also invited were John
& Ann Geer, U.S. Structure Pillar Coordinators, and John &
Regina Ruport, Section 12 Leaders — again, living the value
of interdependence. The music, presentations, and Special Event
on Saturday night were very moving. We were enthusiastically welcomed
and, despite our poor Spanish, enjoyed meeting and sharing with
our Hispanic family. Gracias!
Franciscan International Award
Two days after returning from Section 17, we boarded a plane bound
for Minneapolis, MN. We were hosted by the Franciscan community
and, on May 11, had the honor of accepting the 2006
Franciscan International Award on behalf of all the WWME faithful
who sacrifice so much to further our mission to renew our Catholic
Church and change the world! We hope everyone has had an opportunity
to see the photos
and text of our acceptance speech on eMatrimony. We urge you
to use the press release we sent to you to garner as much publicity
as possible for WWME in your Local Area!
World Council
On May 13, we departed for Austin, TX to participate in our WWME
World Council, hosted for the U.S. Secretariat in Section 10 under
the able leadership of Jose & Marilyn Garcia and Fr. Len Stegman.
The meeting was at Cedarbrake, the Catholic retreat center of the
Diocese of Austin, TX — a peaceful, pastoral setting in the
hill country of Texas. The full week meeting was very productive,
addressing many challenging issues facing our movement in the 21st
Century. Two couples prepared all the meals for us — our “Happy
Cookers”. We humbly and gratefully acknowledge Charlie &
Mary Copeland and all those on their World Council Hosting Committee
for their outstanding hospitality and organization. God bless each
of you and your Local Areas who prayed for the couples and priests
of the World Council. Without your love and support — and
the grace of God — leadership for all of us would be fruitless.
Leading Through Relationship (LTR)
Now, we are preparing to meet our newly selected WWME leadership
couples and priests at the Leading Through Relationship (LTR) experience
in CA next weekend. We feel excited to have both our English and
Hispanic leaders participating together and are optimistic that
the weekend will strengthen interdependence and foster long-lasting
friendships across the United States. Please pray for all the couples
and priests who are embarking on their leadership adventure!
US Secretariat Board - June
Shortly after our return from the LTR, we will be in Houston for
our U.S. Secretariat Board with our nineteen U.S. Section Leaders
— English, Hispanic, and Korean. Even though sometimes challenging,
we gain formation, insight, and renewed energy as, together, we
lead our beloved movement.
Sec. 5 Family Convention
At the end of June, we will gather with our Section 5 WWME family
in St. Petersburg, FL to celebrate their 2006 Convention “I
Chose You”.
And so, dear ones, this is a quick (or not so quick!) update on
our lives and our service to you. We pray for you daily and feel
encouraged knowing that you labor in the Lord’s vineyard for
the sake of our Church and our world.
With much love,
Bob & Joy and Msgr. Chuck
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