Dear Friends of Witness to Love,

We arrived in Rome on June 21 and the World Meeting of Families began on June 22. We are surrounded by families and clergy from 120 countries! The witness, joy and faithfulness of these beautiful people has been such an inspiration for us! If you get a chance to listen to some of the talks (EWTN has them archived and the Vatican will release them as well), they are incredible. We were also interviewed by EWTN and Rome Reports about the event.
Our talk on Motherhood and Fatherhood is linked here at the 2:30 time stamp. We could feel your prayers as we gave our talk and we know your prayers extended to those who listened as well. The feedback was overwhelming and led into some great conversations over the next four days.

We were able to join the American Delegation for meals and conversation (picture below, lower left) and spent many hours enjoying the company of bishops and families from every corner of the globe. Sometimes it was over pizza and sometimes it was over gelato.
On the first night, we had a memorable evening with our friends from the Archdiocese of Vancouver, the next night Bishop Hying, then the Samours, and lastly a lunch with Leonardo and Gabriella from the Dicastery in Rome. It will take us a long time to savor and process the incredible conversations and memories we have had during this time in Rome. It has been a precious gift!
The World Meeting of Families concluded with Mass with all the families and Pope Francis. It was the first event like this that our kids had ever been to and for us it had a World Youth Day meets the Vatican feel to it.
And speaking of kids, the Vatican did an incredible job of hosting camps for all of the younger kids who were at the World Meeting of Families. Our kids spent 3 full days with kids from countries they had only seen on maps. They were hosted in a garden that overlooked the city of Rome and had great food and activities planned each day. This gave the adults plenty of time to absorb the talks, visit with other couples and sneak out for lunch dates. The children had been selling lemonade since they finished the school year so that they could buy gelato in Rome and they have been enjoying their cold treats! A priest friend gave us a tour of Rome and the kids were able to learn about the ancient history of the city. The top left picture below was taken at Mass one day by one of the event photographers.
We will be in Rome for a few more days, then we journey to France to meet with couples, pastors and dioceses there that use, or are discerning, the French version of Witness to Love. We will be praying for you - please pray for us!

In Gratitude for you,

Ryan and Mary Rose Verret
The Witness to Love Team
& the Board of Witness to Love

PS. If you did not have a chance to watch our presentation to the World Meeting of Families you can watch it here at the 2:30 mark and you can also make a donation in honor of WTL's 10th Anniversary here.
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