Dear Teams Family
We are Ricardo Rodríguez and Carmen Marín, the new couple responsible for communication and satellite teams of the ERI. We received the sacrament of marriage 26 years ago. As a result of our union, our greatest treasures were born—our children: Mireia, Pablo, and Candela. The eldest is a nurse and living independently, while the two younger ones are still studying and living at home with us. We owe all the services we have performed for the Teams of Our Lady to the three of them, because thanks to their infinite patience and great understanding, we have been able to dedicate so much time and effort to the Movement. We will forever be grateful for their generosity, always sacrificing their space for the sake of our mission.
We live in Torrent, a city very close to Valencia, where we grew up and where we met as children in our parish, La Asunción de Nuestra Señora (The Assumption of Our Lady).It was there that we received the sacraments of initiation and grew in our faith while discovering our great vocation: to accompany other couples and show them the beauty of the sacrament of marriage. The priests we have encountered along the way have taught us to love the Church and our community, which we consider our second family. We are also deeply grateful to God for how He has made Himself present throughout our lives, through many consecrated and lay people.
In this same city, Carmen works as an English teacher in a large public high school, while Ricardo works in a completely different field, responsible for the operation and connectivity of medical equipment in a multinational pharmaceutical company. We are both passionate about our professions and feel completely fulfilled in our work. It is a luxury to say that we love what we do.
We came to our second great passion, is Teams, almost without realizing it. In our parish, it was taken for granted that a young newly married couple with a concern to live and increase their faith as a couple should belong to a team. Coincidences do not exist; God has always had a plan for us, although sometimes we are not aware of it.
We have belonged to the Torrent 14 team for 25 years now. Together with a team that has grown over the years, we have been able to share all kinds of experiences. They have supported us in all our services and missions, and we are happy to say that we’ve often involved them in many endeavors. Their willingness to help exemplifies the mutual support that defines a team. We thank God for them..
Now, turning to our role as communication managers, we’d like to highlight the critical role of satellite teams in the Movement in future communication.
Communication as a responsibility is an area that may seem secondary, but we are convinced that Teams would not have survived for more than 80 years if it had not been for the immense network of team members who have known how to share the legacy of our founder, Father Caffarel. Although the means of communication have changed over time, the goal remains the same: to preserve the founding charism with authenticity. Our challenge is to ensure that this good news stands out amidst the noise of society’s communications.
At a time when technology and digitalization are advancing by leaps and bounds, we base our service on an inclusive and accessible communication strategy. It is not that we do not have resources; it is about diversifying them according to different realities and staying active, making a lot of noise, as Pope Francis has sometimes asked us. Every publication, message, and interaction will aim to amplify Father Caffarel’s message. Being his messengers is a responsibility we take seriously.
We are convinced of what the transformative power of communication in the Teams must be: not only to inform, but to form; not only to connect, but to unite; not only to modernize, but to revitalize. In each platform that we develop, in each resource that we create, in each message that we send, our goal will always be the same.Whether digital or face-to-face, we continue to be what we have always been: a family of families, united in love for Christ and under the protection of Mary.
For communication to exist, both parties must be interested in it, and that’s where all the members of Teams play a crucial role. As we write these lines, somewhere in the world, a couple is discovering our Movement through a social media post. In another corner, a couple is sharing our Magnificat News Newsletter with a couple. And in many homes, couples from different countries are connecting to the international website to look for resources or information.
The charism of Teams now flows through channels that our founder could never have imagined, but which he would undoubtedly have embraced with enthusiasm. In one of his editorials, he confessed, “I will not surprise you if I confess that I am obsessed with the idea of helping as many people as possible.” Imagine what he could have accomplished with the tools we have today!
We stand at an exciting crossroads where tradition and modernity meet, giving life to the best of messages.. We are going to build thousands of bridges for you to cross so that Teams from all over the world can weave the network that unites us and turns us into a great family. We are not in a rush. We have until 2030 to get to know you, for you to get to know us. We are Ricardo and Carmen, and we look forward to communicating with you.
Ricardo Rodríguez and Carmen Marín
Communication and Satellite Teams Managers of the ERI
