Happy Advent!
This month of December marks the end of the calendar year but the beginning of our new liturgical year in the Church! Happy New Liturgical Year and Happy Advent! As we have just gathered this past week with our family and friends to give thanks for all the blessings, gifts, and connections we have in our lives, it is now time to turn our full attention to the birth of our Savior. Let us prepare ourselves and be ready for His coming. Advent is a time of joyful anticipation and waiting. We are asked to clear our hearts, minds, and lives of the things that cause clutter and prevent us from fully embracing the Lord when He comes.
How appropriate it is that the beginning of the new Church year coincides with the ending of our calendar year when many of us want to make our charitable donations and give to those in need or are less fortunate. We ask that you please prayerfully consider adding Teams of Our Lady as one of your organizations of which to contribute to fulfill one of your member responsibilities. You can contribute by mail or on the website under the “Donate” tab. Teams of Our Lady asks that each couple in the Movement prayerfully discern a gift of one day’s wage each year.
Your contributions matter! Every dollar contributed is a significant help to strengthening and propagating the Movement across the USA and the world. To those who have already contributed this year, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are humbled by your dedication and generosity! For those of you who have not yet contributed for 2025, there is still time.
The Super Region of the USA ranks seventh in the number of teams in the world but only 22% of the members contribute to the Movement. France ranks second in the number of teams and 50% of their members contribute. Brazil ranks first in the number of teams and 98% of their members contribute to the Movement.
How is the money used? That is a great question we receive frequently. The following is a summary of a few of the key expenses incurred in the USA Super Region each year. Each year, the Super Region Team prays over, reflects on, and scrutinizes the yearly budget to determine how to best spend the financial resources provided to the Movement by our members. We desire to provide more services but are limited by the financial resources entrusted to us. Imagine how the Movement could reach even more married couples if we had participation from every couple in the USA.
The 2024 Annual Report was published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Magnificat and provides additional details on expenses. You can also view the Magnificat issues on the website. The 2025 Annual Report will be published in the Spring 2026 issue of the Magnificat. Teams of Our Lady asks that each couple in the Movement prayerfully discern a gift of one day’s wage each year.
A significant portion (~26%) of our annual budget is paid to the International Movement (ERI) as a tithe to help support the growth, maintenance, and development of the Movement across the globe. Teams of Our Lady has now spread to over 90 countries across the world and many of those countries have a significantly lower gross domestic product than the USA. Therefore, it is our duty to do our part to support the growth of the sacrament of marriage and the gift of the Movement around the world. In 2025, the USA Super Region will pay 65,050 Euro ($74,910 depending on the exchange rate) to the ERI. That is approximately $21 per couple.
We have had the privilege of meeting several couples from other countries who have benefited from the solidarity funding provided to them by the ERI through the tithes they receive from the Regions and Super Regions such as the United States. We want to share a video testimony from Antoine and Ghada Ibrahim of the Region of Lebanon. They are currently serving as the Lebanon Region Responsible Couple.
We first met Antoine and Ghada at the ERI College meeting last July in Turin, Italy and had the opportunity to be with them again this past summer at the ERI College meeting in Lyon, France. This couple radiates the joy of marriage and has a tremendous commitment to the Teams of Our Lady Movement. They are humbled and extremely grateful for the financial support their Region receives from fellow Teams members across the world to help maintain, solidify, and grow the Movement in their region of Lebanon, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Every contribution makes a difference!!!
May God continue to bless all of you during this Advent Season. May your preparations for the birth of our Savior be filled with joy, peace, hope, and love. May your own team and the support of this Movement be a source of strength and growth for your marriage in this coming year. We continue to lift all of you up in prayer!
December 2025 Prayer Service
Please find the December Prayer Service prepared by Fr. Eli Lopez, USA-SR Spiritual Counselor, reflecting on the fourth chapter of the new 2025-2025 Study Topic, “Love is Much More Than Love”.
We wish you a very blessed Advent! Our Lady, Queen of Teams, pray for us!
Peace, Greg & Melanie