The 1st LOVESTRONG Outreach Retreat Team–Oct 2018, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, New Braunfels, TX
The LOVESTRONG Executive Board was appointed by our founding pastor, Father Carlos Velázquez, in 2017 as an important delegation for the growth, oversight, and continued development of the LOVESTRONG Marriage Ministry within our community and throughout surrounding communities.
Mission Statement of the LOVESTRONG Executive Board
The mission of the LOVESTRONG Executive Board is to promote and encourage Christian marriage and family life values in our community by offering LOVESTRONG Retreat weekends and a support community for married couples throughout Texas and beyond.
Vision Statement of the LOVESTRONG Executive Board
The LOVESTRONG Executive Board serves to ensure that the vision of the LOVESTRONG Marriage Ministry continues to strengthen the love and faith between each and every married man and woman participating in this Ministry throughout the area. The LOVESTRONG Executive Board is dedicated to supporting LOVESTRONG Steering Committees from participating church communities, and is steadfast in providing all married couples the opportunity to learn about God’s vision of marriage, family life, and spirituality, thereby leading couples to a clearer understanding of their relationship with each other and with God.
The LOVESTRONG Executive Board serves to market and manage LOVESTRONG “Outreach” Retreats to new parishes and churches.
Below are the founding and current couples of the LOVESTRONG Executive Board:
FOUNDING COUPLE
Tom and Didi Kolkebeck
Tom and Didi were married in June 1996 in San Antonio, TX and they will be celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary this year. They have been Holy Spirit Catholic Church parishioners since 2011. Both Didi and Tom were active in the ACTS ministry for many years. Tom is the youngest of eight children, Didi, the oldest of four. Tom’s and Didi’s parents have been shining examples of Christian sacramental marriage, having each been married over 50 years. Tom and Didi are the proud parents of three beautiful children – Daniela (23), Elizabeth (21), and Mateo (17). We are honored and blessed to be a part of this very special Ministry!
Lee and Letty Spain
Lee and Letty celebrated the sacrament of marriage on June 27, 1998 at St. Paul Catholic Church in San Antonio. They have been active parishioners at Holy Spirit since 2006. They are the proud parents of two adult boys, Matt and Sam, and the proud grandparents to four beautiful grandchildren. Lee and Letty’s focus is on ensuring their relationship with Christ is solid and the foundation of their marriage. They focus each day on renewing their vows by exhibiting Christ’s love to each other and the community they serve. They base their love for God, each other, their family, and community on Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” They believe strongly that faith in God and His Church will help them endure any challenges they face, and allow them to be blessed by God in all things.
Jacob and Audrey Flach
Jacob and Audrey met when they were teenagers in the late 1980’s and were married about 20 years later on June 20, 2008. They were both raised in Catholic households and are blessed with loving parents that have been married for over 40 and 50 years. Jacob is a Wealth Manager at Merrill Lynch and Audrey a project consultant for a pharmaceutical company. Their son Noah is at freshman at UTSA and daughter Kate attends Holy Spirit Catholic school. Audrey is an active member with the Holy Spirit Altar Society and room mom for Kate’s class. Jacob has been involved with ACTS retreats since 2012 and is active with basiC (brothers and sisters in Christ) ministries. They are excited to be part of such a fantastic ministry and look forward to strengthening their own marriage while helping others do the same.
Art and Tess Jackson
Art and Tess were raised Catholic and were married in December 1988 at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica on their beautiful island of Guam, USA. Art retired from the US Army and they have made San Antonio their home for the past 15 years. They are the proud parents of three handsome sons and most recently welcomed their daughter, by marriage, into the family. They hope to closely journey with their children in their vocations. With their most recent move, they are new parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church – Honey Creek in Spring Branch and intend to share the wonderful Lovestrong ministry they feel blessed to be a part of!
Jimmie and Dulce Flores
Jimmie and Dulce met in Houston and married in Valencia, Venezuela on May 10, 1997. They have been parishioners at Holy Spirit Catholic Church since 2008, and currently participate in several ministries, including ACTS, SAMMinistries, Knights of Columbus, Hospitality, That Man is You (TMIY), and Walking With Purpose (WWP). Together they are blessed to have four children: Eric (in heaven), Kaitlin (27), Aaron (19), and Helena (14). Jimmie and Dulce have benefited enormously from the LOVESTRONG Ministry and are looking forward to helping other couples strengthen their marriages. They are active participants in both the English and Spanish retreats and served a leadership role in the development and delivery of the inaugural LOVESTRONG Virtual Conferences. To spread this wonderful message, they serve as Assistant Co-Chairs on the Social Media and Virtual Outreach (SMVO) subcommittee. GOD first! LIVE. LOVE. STRONG!
Steve and Trudy Borrego
Steve and Trudy met while both attending Our Lady of the Lake University and were married at the Sacred Heart Chapel on that campus on February 19, 1978. They have been parishioners of both Church of the Holy Spirit and the Shrine of St. Padre Pio since 2013 after being away from San Antonio for 35 years. Both are actively involved with the Society of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Holy Spirit Church and are extraordinary ministers of communion. Their lifelong Catholic faith is also strengthened by being committed adorers at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. They have participated in both English and Spanish LOVESTRONG retreats since 2016. They are blessed with three great children and five beautiful grandchildren (so far). Steve and Trudy are truly honored and excited to join this Executive Board and look forward to taking this Ministry to other parishes and communities.
Charles and Sandi Dudley
Sandi and Charles Dudley became Holy Spirit parishioners right after Charles returned from his first ACTS Retreat in October 2012. He immediately enrolled into the RCIA program to begin the process of becoming a confirmed Catholic. Sandi, a cradle Catholic, fully supported Charles in bringing God to the center of their life. In living their faith, they became active in various ministries at Holy Spirit, namely, the BasiC Ministry, RCIA, ACTS, the Bishop Fulton Sheen Ministry, the Women’s Walking With Purpose Bible Study, and have been involved with the LOVESTRONG Ministry since its inception in 2015. In March 2017, while serving on the Retreat as a team couple, they officially convalidated their marriage in a touching ceremony at the LOVESTRONG Mass concluding the Retreat. Sandi and Charles are both the oldest of five children. They have a blended family of two daughters, two sons, two sons-in-law, and are blessed with eight grandchildren whom they cherish very much. Witnessing God’s hand at work through this powerful LOVESTRONG Ministry, Charles and Sandi feel honored and grateful to be serving alongside such wonderful and faith-filled couples.
FOUNDING PASTOR
Father Carlos B. Velazquez
Father Carlos B. Velazquez was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1990 for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Fr. Carlos has served throughout the Archdiocese in various capacities including as Parochial Vicar, in Gonzales, Texas, Vocation Director for the Archdiocese, Pastor of St. John Berchmans Catholic Church, The Church and School of the Holy Spirit, as Pastor at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, New Braunfels, TX, and presently as the Rector at the San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio. He enjoys preparing couples for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and is involved in many religious and civic organizations throughout the Archdiocese. Fr. Carlos appreciates the value of and the need for promoting the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and is totally supportive of the LOVESTRONG Marriage Ministry Program.
