Report on the Activities of CFM-USA to the General Assembly of ICCFM

July 28, 2007, Fatima, Portugal

CFM-USA currently has about 1300 active families.

We are conducting a new membership drive, and we designed easy “starter kits” for new groups. It includes our new DVD, step-by-step directions for starting a small group and four of our introductory books. We have added several young couples to our Board who understand the needs of today’s families and are eager to see CFM grow.

The fragile state of marriage in our society is a major concern for CFM-USA. Since 2004 CFM-USA has been an active partner in the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Initiative for Marriage. The archbishop who chairs the committee attended our Summer Board Meeting and consulted us about the Pastoral Initiative includes TV and radio ads and an attractive new website that asks, “What have you done for your marriage today?” In support of this Initiative, CFM is developing a program book that will focus on the relationship between marriage and society and the Christian call.

CFM-USA held a National Family Life Conference in Chicago in 2005. Nop and Elma attended.

We were saddened by the deaths of several CFM pioneers, including founder Patty Crowley, former National Chaplain Fr. Sam Palmer; and Chicago CFM leaders, Phil Gorman and Bernice Opila. Mary Lou Gorman and Harry Opila are attending the World Assembly with us.

We are deeply grateful for the leadership of Gary and Kay Aitchison, who retired from the CFM-USA Board of Directors this year.

We published new program books each year. The titles were Discovering Christ in 2005, Intentional Christian Families in 2006, and Families Choose Life in 2007.

CFM-USA is funded by membership dues and donations to the Movement. CFM maintains a National Office in Indiana, under the direction of Jane Leingang. There we publish ACT newsletter eight times a year. Paul Leingang writes a weekly column which is posted on our website and runs in several diocesan newspapers as well.

We are taking advantage of new technologies to reach prospective members. Our website is a platform to tell others about CFM. CFM-USA hosts the ICCFM website. Andy Pozdol of Arlington Heights, IL is webmaster for the Movements. He is attending this meeting with his wife Judy. John Przybysz (President) recently posted CFM videos on YouTube, at CFMtube.

Our members are mainly young married couples with children, but we also welcome single parents into the CFM family. CFM faces challenges because the US is increasingly a society where people limit outside commitments.

One stress that CFM-USA faces is that couples want to bring children to their meetings. In the past CFM was a night out for the couple, but now it is a family event. This impacts meetings significantly. CFM groups across the country have developed several different strategies to deal with this. We hope to be sharing these strategies in the coming months on our website and in our newsletter.

The United States has many lay organizations, but there is still nothing like CFM. CFM continues to have a profound impact on the families who join. It has shaped our family and that is why we are dedicated to sharing the gift of CFM with a new generation.