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From our President
My dear friends in Christ, 
Can you feel it?! Can you feel the energy?!
This is truly an exciting time to be Marianist. As our Church and our world are in the midst of change -- a change full of energy -- so too is our Marianist Lay Network of North America. We are on the verge of an exciting new period in our history. What lies in store for the future is nothing short of monumental.
This past month, the MLNNA's Leadership Council ratified a proposed 5-year Strategic Plan and Leadership Model. These documents are the product of nearly 100 appreciative inquiry interviews with our brothers and sisters across the continent. The listening sessions gave many of you an opportunity to share what's great about our Marianist life and to challenge us as a community to aspire to something even greater. Over the past year, a committee of committed volunteers carefully considered all of the feedback, crafting and re-crafting the documents we are pleased to share with you today. These documents represent your best thinking, your hopes and dreams, and your vision for our future together. These plans are ambitious; but I am confident that MLNNA, indeed all Marianist laity in our part of the world, are poised to accomplish what they contain.
While I am looking forward to thanking the strategic planning committee more formally at next month's Assembly, I would like to publicly thank them now on behalf of all of us. MLNNA is stronger for all the work they have done. We will be stronger still for what we will do going forward together.
In just six short weeks, the Marianist Family from across the continent will gather on 23-27 July at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, to convene the 9th Continental Assembly of the Marianist Lay Network of North America. I hope that you've made plans to attend; if not, we invite you to register here. This is an important gathering. In addition to exploring the two documents above, the Assembly will give us time to celebrate our Marianist life and to chart our course into the future. We've done our very best to make the gathering affordable for all, providing several options including a reduced-fee, no-questions-asked scholarship rate. Dozens of volunteers are working tirelessly to prepare for what will be an inspiring experience of fellowship, formation, vision, and empowerment.
WE WANT YOU THERE. In fact, WE NEED YOU THERE. While we hope that every community will be represented by at least one member, we invite and urge every lay Marianist to join us. We are also looking forward to welcoming the entire Marianist Family, from all our branches, to join with us as our treasured friends, companions, and collaborators.
As we move through these final weeks leading to our Assembly, I invite you to prayerfully walk together with your sisters and brothers in the MLNNA. Pray that our Founders intercede for us that we might be a living witness of their bold vision for what the Marianist Family might be for the Church. May the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Rudy Reyes, Jr.
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