Resignation of our Secretary of Economy
After a long period of discernment, our dear Ángel Ramos has decided to resign as Secretary of the Movement’s Economy. Some insurmountable difficulties that have arisen in his work situation have considerably reduced his time availability, and despite the effort and determination he has put into resolving this situation, he has not found a way out in the short term. In his opinion, this time constraint is not allowing him to adequately provide the service requested by the Assembly, and for this reason, although it has been a difficult and painful decision for him, he considers it more convenient to resign so that another person can attend to the functions of the secretariat.
Having been informed of his decision, and in accordance with the provisions of article E.24.h) of our Statutes, the General Council decided to fill his resignation with a team of lay people with previous experience as regional financial officers. This team finally consisted of Arturo Peñas, Mike Gallego, Mayte Albandea and Carlos Cobos, who, by decision of the team itself, will act as coordinator and representative to the General Council. After the first few months of transition for the transfer of information, this economic team has now fully assumed its functions.
The General Council would like to express its gratitude to all the members of the finance team for their generous availability and, of course, to Ángel, an excellent brother and co-worker, for all the effort he has made despite his difficulties, hoping that the obstacles that have prevented him from continuing will soon be resolved with the help of the Spirit.
Ángel Ramos has written a farewell letter, which we share below:
Dear brothers and sisters, Lay claretians:
First of all, I would like to thank all of you for the confidence placed in me, in our last general assembly of the Movement in Colombia, to be responsible for the economy in the new General Council that was elected. But due to a series of personal situations and for the good of the Movement, it is with great sorrow that I must resign from this position which I accepted with such emotion. It has not been an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one, because in the situation I find myself in, it is impossible for me to be able to fulfil the tasks that the position requires in the near future.
I would especially like to thank my brothers Miguel Angel Sosa, Luz Mery Herrera, Fr. Manolo Tamargo and Fr. Pedro Belderrain for their understanding, support and patience with me. In addition, I am grateful to the following lay people who with much love and commitment to the Movement have accepted to work together to carry out the tasks that the position requires. These are Mike, Mayte, Arturo and Carlos Cobos, who will be the liaison with the General Council. I take it for granted that with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ and guided by our founding father St. Anthony Mary Claret, they will do an excellent job for the good of the Movement.
I leave with regret, because when I accepted the position I was living another reality and it filled me with joy to know that I could contribute my grain of sand to the Movement with my service. But the Lord knows everything and it seems that this was not my moment. Perhaps another time, if God wills it.
You know that you can count on my prayers and we will continue to walk together. My family and I will always be grateful to the Lord and to the Lay Claretian Movement for the great love we have received. A motherly embrace to all from your brother. God bless you.
Angel L. Ramos Bracero