Candidates for President-Elect

Richard Budd

Bio

Richard Budd is the Director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan and has been involved in ministry for over twenty years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Magdalen College and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. He and his wife Maureen have five children: Eleanor, John Paul, Benedict, Peter, and Felicity who keep him younger than he actually is.

In his time in Lansing, the diocese has established a comprehensive and full-time Office of Life and Fertility within the Office of Marriage and Family Life and Lansing was one of the first to realize the forty-year-old vision of St. John Paul II by establishing a Marriage Catechumenate. He writes and speaks on a variety of topics including liturgy, evangelization and catechesis, and of course, the family. Richard has contributed to the content of organizations such as Witness to Love and the Liturgical Institute and has written for publications such as Adoremus Bulletin and Humanum: Issues in Family, Culture, and Science.

Vision

In an address to the Pontifical Council for the Family in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI echoed the conviction of his predecessor, St. John Paul the Great in saying that the “New Evangelization depends largely on the Domestic Church.” More recently, Pope Francis dedicated not one, but two, synods to the topic of the family as well as an apostolic letter, The Joy of Love. All of this, and much, much more is a fruit of the Second Vatican Council’s emphasis on the laity, the renewal of marriage and family life, and the Council’s recovery of the ancient title of the family as the Domestic Church. For 60+ years, Mother Church has been begging us to pay attention to the problems and the promise of the family.

Luckily for us, men and women have already answered that call with clarity and foresight and have given to us, their successors, this wonderful association of Catholic Family Life Ministers. It is up to us, in the third decade of this new millennium, to continue the work they began, not only for the care of families, but to be a constant reminder to our bishops, priests, dioceses, and parishes of the centrality of family life to the Mission of the Church. The family is not merely the object of ministry in the Church, the family is where ministry is a lived reality in every aspect of the Church’s life.

In my time of service on the Board of Directors under Mike Day and now Jason Kidd, we have been working to focus the mission of our association to serve our members and create clarity. We’ve identified our values not only in being a core advocacy agency for Catholic families, but also in our commitment in witnessing to the saving message of the Gospel, in cultivating wonderful friendships in Christ, and a clear commitment to orthodox Catholic faith.

And so, we’ve embarked on a three-year strategic plan. This plan includes refining the Association’s structure, investing in networking opportunities and building community, strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, evangelization and advocacy, and offering ongoing formation for members. You’ve likely already seen the first signs of this work in things like the effort to fill spots on the board which have been vacant for years, renewed branding, more collaboration in regions, partnering with the USCCB and the NDDO, the Hispanic Federation, the Catholic Marriage Fund, and more.

My vision for the Association and for my time as president would be to carry the ball across the finish line of the work that Mike and Jason began. I would like to continue to foster collaboration with the USCCB and explore with them how we can emphasize to the bishops the practical centrality of family life in the mission of the Church. I would continue to encourage collaboration among individual regions, such as the recent work of Region 6, to produce a tool kit for the World Meeting of Families which was shared on the Association’s website for any parish or diocese to use. Finally, I’d like to explore more ways that we can partner with other fruitful apostolates. Cross-pollination and enrichment would allow us to advocate for the centrality of the family while offering our members resources and training in reaching out to youth ministry, evangelization, or liturgy in their own dioceses.

Above all, however, my vision for the Association is for us to be a movement of disciples animated by the Holy Spirit, in building the Kingdom of God.

Kathy Schmugge

Bio

Kathy is currently the Senior Director of Discipleship, Director of Family Life, to include Marriage, Family, NFP, Respect Life, supervise the executive director of St. Clare’s Maternity Home, Presenter for Family Honor Inc, a national family apostolate, Serves as the vice chair for the Diocesan Academy of Life to assist the bishop with bioethical concerns in the diocese.

I received the Benemerenti Medal 2017 for service as the Family Life Director. I recently was a cohost for a mini-series on Living the Christian Way on the Church’s social teachings

,https://ondemand.ewtn.com/free/Home/Series/ondemand/video/en/living-the-christian-way

I served as the Executive Director of St. Clare’s Maternity Home as interim for its first year.

Prior to the Director of Family Life, I was a Catholic photojournalist for the Dioceses of Charlotte and Charleston, won national recognition for a prolife article. Served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy for 7 years as a Nuclear Power Instructor/Legal Office

Pertinent Education:

Ave Maria University, Summa Cum Laude, Master in Theological Studies 2009-2011

Master of Science in Bioethics 2017, University of Mary, Bismarck ND

Current doctorate candidate for Healthcare Bioethics, Regina Apostilorium, Rome

Vision

“The family, according to St. John Paul II, is where man receives his first formative ideas about truth and goodness and learns what it means to love and to be loved.”  My vision as president elect is to lead, with God’s grace, an association that will help foster the universal call to holiness that begins in the “natural nursery of all vocations,” the family.

The Catholic Family Life Association has gone through a clarity process in the past few years looking to better assist those who serve families in parishes, dioceses, and organizations in a Christ-centered way. I have had the privilege of serving as a CFLA’s regional representative for Region XIV and the new Region IV, serving on the board for almost 8 years. I have been in support of many changes, which have already opened new channels of life and possibilities for CFLA. Creating the Hispanic Federation has been a timely opportunity, and just like in my own diocese, I have seen the incredible fruits of having developed marriage/family outreach in Spanish. It is very important to include the ideas and aspiration of members who share their unified vision of the family as the center for all other ministries.

I would like to build on our positive momentum, linking the good of the past with a very hopeful future.  I will be open to opportunities where the God-given gifts of our members can shine forth, as we work together in this vineyard. Together, we will build an association where those who serve the family will know that they are supported by CFLA as we all navigate the challenges and joys of family life today. I also see the need to discover and share the lessons from our different cultures and history, learning from each other, respecting one another, and sharing best practices.  Let us remember that we are united by our Catholic faith as one family in Christ. And with God, all things are possible.

Proposed Changes to the CFLA Bylaws

Proposed: To change the term structure for President and President-Elect

If Passed:

  • The election of the President of the Association will be separated from the election of the President-Elect, such that a President will not need to serve two years as President- Elect prior to service as president but will enter the office upon winning the election at the annual conference. The Vice President will not assume the office of president after the conclusion of their term of office. Each will be elected separately.
  • The title of President-Elect shall be changed to Vice President. All mentions of President- Elect in the bylaws shall be updated to reflect this change.
  • The President and the Vice President shall each serve a term of two years. They may be eligible for reelection, subsequent to their term, once.
  • The nominations for president shall be taken from those members who have currently or in the past served a minimum of one year on the board of directors and have attended at least one conference.
  • The nominations for vice president may be taken from any member of the association provided they have been a member for at least one year.
  • The vice president shall serve on the conference committee but need not chair the committee
  • The first vote for Vice President shall take place at the 2025 Annual Conference
  • The first vote for President shall take place at the 2027 Annual Conference

Candidate for Hispanic Section Representative

Carla Ferrando-Bowling

Bio

Carla Ferrando-Bowling has a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family with the University of Navarra-Spain, a Certification in Marriage and Family Life with the University of St. Paul in Arequipa-Peru and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. 

She is a national and international presenter on evangelization, marriage, and family life. Carla is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish and has over 20 years serving in Hispanic pastoral ministry in the United States.

Carla participated as a presenter at the National Encuentro Dallas Texas that brought together more than 3,500 Hispanic leaders and was part of the U.S. Delegation of the Episcopal Conference for the X World Meeting of Families in Rome 2022. She is a founding leader of the New Federation for Family Life Ministers, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Family Life Association and National Representative for Region IV of the Association as well as former Director of the Family Life Office of the Archdiocese of Washington. Carla is the Director of Marriage Formation for the St. John Baptist de la Salle in Chillum and is married to her husband Shahn for 18 years.

Carla Ferrando-Bowling tiene una Maestría en Matrimonio y Familia de la Universidad de Navarra-España, una Certificación en Matrimonio y Vida Familiar de la Universidad de St. Paul en Arequipa-Perú y una Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas.

Es presentadora nacional e internacional sobre evangelización, matrimonio y vida familiar. Carla habla inglés, francés, italiano y español con fluidez y tiene más de 20 años sirviendo en el ministerio pastoral hispano en los Estados Unidos.

Carla participó como presentadora en el Encuentro Nacional Dallas Texas que reunió a más de 3,500 líderes hispanos y formó parte de la Delegación de la Conferencia Episcopal de los Estados Unidos para el X Encuentro Mundial de las Familias en Roma 2022. Es líder fundadora de la Nueva Federación para Ministros de Vida Familiar, miembro de la Junta Directiva de la Asociación Nacional Católica de Vida Familiar y Representante Nacional para la Región IV de la Asociación, así como ex Directora de la Oficina de Vida Familiar de la Arquidiócesis de Washington. Actualmente Carla se desempeña como Directora de la Pastoral Matrimonial en la Parroquia San Juan Bautista de la Salle en Chillum Maryland. Carla está casada con su esposo Shahn desde hace 18 años.

Vision

My vision as a Hispanic representative of the Catholic Association of Family Life is to promote a multicultural integration with all the members of the association, where everyone feels welcomed and  appreciated, where we can contribute with our talents God’s given gifts for the growth and strengthening of our association.

The Federation for Hispanic Family Life Ministry is an excellent opportunity to create bridges and connect with organizations that support the formation of our Hispanic leaders who serve in family ministry, as we well know, many of them serve as volunteers and contribute their time and talent in our parishes but are lacking formation.

The challenges that our families face is multiple, but with a unified vision working as a team for our common goals we can and must prepare ourselves by the grace of God to work together to overcome any obstacles with hope and faith.

My Hispanic Italian ancestry (I was born in Peru to an Italian father married to my American husband for 18 years) has helped me to have multiple perspectives on the reality of our families and especially the Hispanic family ministry in the United States, whom I have served, by the grace of God, for the last 20 years.

I would be honored to serve as the Hispanic representative for the Catholic Family Life Association if I can obtain your vote and support.

May the Lord bless our families!

Mi visión como representante hispana de la Asociación Católica de Vida Familiar es promover una integración multicultural con todos los miembros de la asociación, donde todos se sientan bienvenidos y apreciados, donde todos podamos contribuir con nuestros talentos y los dones que Dios nos regalado para el crecimiento y fortalecimiento de nuestra asociación.

La Federación Hispana para la Pastoral Familiar es una excelente oportunidad para crear puentes y conectarnos con organizaciones que apoyen la formación de nuestros líderes hispanos que sirven en la pastoral familiar, como bien sabemos, muchos de ellos sirven como voluntarios y aportan su tiempo y talento en nuestras parroquias, pero carecen de formación.

Los desafíos que enfrentan nuestras familias son múltiples, pero con una visión unificada trabajando en equipo por nuestras metas comunes podemos y debemos prepararnos por la gracia de Dios para trabajar juntos y superar cualquier obstáculo con esperanza y fe.

Mi ascendencia hispana italiana (nací en Perú de padre italiano casada con mi esposo estadounidense durante 18 años) me ha ayudado a tener múltiples perspectivas sobre la realidad de nuestras familias,  especialmente con el ministerio familiar hispano en Estados Unidos, a quien he servido, por la gracia de Dios, durante los últimos 20 años.

Sería un honor para mí servir como representante hispano de la Asociación Católica de Vida Familiar si puedo obtener su voto y apoyo.

¡Que el Señor bendiga a nuestras familias!

Candidates for Diocesan Section Representative

Elizabeth Reha

Bio

Elizabeth Reha is celebrating her 30th year as Director of Family Life for the Diocese of Little Rock. She has a master’s degree from Fordham University and the University of Arkansas. Prior to working for the diocese, she worked five years in a parish. Elizabeth has been a member of CFLA/NACFLM for thirty-five years and Region V representative an accumulative nine+ years. She learned from the ground up with the aid of the men and women who founded the association. She has received wisdom, grace and knowledge from the couples with whom she has ministered. She, also, nurtures her nieces, nephews, and a clowder of cats.

Vision

Because I have worked on the parish and diocesan level, I understand the importance of building bridges between these two entities and how they can work together within the diocese. Dioceses have so many shapes and sizes, I’d like to assist in facilitating opportunities for diocesan directors to share their similarities and differences, celebrate their successes and best practices with each other, compare notes with regarding the challenges within their dioceses, connect with their parishes and reflect to one another how the Lord is challenging us to walk this journey of marriage, family and faith together.

Chris O’Neill

Bio

Chris O’Neill currently serves as the Director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Chris did his graduate studies at the John Paul II Institute for Studies of Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America.  In 2005 he graduated with a Masters degree in Theological Studies and completed and additional four years of study in the PhD program, reaching the “All but Dissertation” stage before the economic crisis of 2008-2009 interrupted his studies.  During his time at the Institute, Chris and his wife Amanda served as the live-in directors of a Transitional Maternity Home through the Gabriel project providing housing and assistance to pregnant women in crisis primarily from the Baltimore area.  For the last 20 years, Chris as served in various capacities in church ministry: as a parish youth minister; teaching in Catholic High schools, undergraduate philosophy and graduate theology programs; developing Marriage Preparation programs for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Baton Rouge; and others.  Since about 2016 Chris has worked closely with the Office of Marriage and Family Life in the Archdiocese of New Orleans helping to develop new initiatives especially in the areas sexual integrity (sexual addiction, pornography, etc.), Men’s ministries, family based catechesis, and more.  He took over as the director of the office in 2020.  Chris lives in Ponchatoula, Louisiana with his wife and three children still at home (his oldest is at the University of Dallas), their dog, 2 cats, and several rabbits and chickens (the kids are avid 4-H showmen).

Vision

Its is a difficult time to be Catholic, and even more difficult to exercise genuine responsibility within the life of Church as we do as Diocesan Leaders.  It is easy to look to moral, political, and cultural developments, both within and outside of the Church, for reasons to explain the difficulties of our time.  But to do so leaves us frustrated in our inability to effectively “move the needle” on any of these fronts.  We are constantly on the look out for “Practical” and “Effective” solutions to the problems we face – as well we should as persons called to exercise real leadership in the Church.  But we often fail to see how these problems aren’t in the first place “Practical”, or that their solutions can’t be found primarily in a more efficient exercise of influence or power.  Marriage is an icon of the relationship of love between Christ and the Church, the visible sign of the invisible movement of Grace.  And we know from experience that marriages are not made healthy primarily by the more efficient exercise of power, but only by reconciliation and the generous, free, and fruitful exchange of gifts.  Our task, by analogy, is to make ever more visible the goodness of our reconciled communion – the fruitful beauty of our fellowship with one another, not despite of, but because of our differences which must be approached with mercy and respect.  Our faith teaches us that our relationships with one another and with God is not governed by the logic of power, but by the logic of the exchange of gifts, that is to say the logic of love.  I am convinced that this alone will give the men and women of our time they reason they lack to participate fully in the life of the Church.  “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” (Psalm 133)