Well Done Good and Faithful Servant
As CANFP completes our 21st year of service, we thank four “retiring” board members for a combined record of 64 years of dedicated service on the Boards of CANFP!
Evelyn Eaton, PhD is a founding board member of CANFP, having served on the Advisory Board from day one!
Dr. Gregory Polito, Rev. Marcos Gonzalez, and Dylan St. John all joined the Executive Board of CANFP within a year of each other, as members of the Los Angeles region. Building upon the strong foundation established by founding board members, who had provided a strong infrastructure, dynamic mission, and faithful membership, they were attracted to serve an organization that exemplified unity, with a reputation of professionalism and excellence. Over their 14-15 year tenure as leaders on the CANFP Executive Board, they raised the bar, maturing the young organization to new levels of accomplishment, highlights of which include:
- Establishment of the office of Executive Director, which they nurtured into a full time position, insuring continued growth and stability
- Six successful statewide conferences boasting record attendance, and numerous regional events
- Week long formation programs attended by hundreds of California Clergy/Seminarians
- Almost sixty editions of the CANFP NEWS
- The presence of CANFP exhibit at the LA Congress, and a multitude of other regional and statewide venues
- Increased support base for CANFP
Though they complete their board responsibilities, we are assured of their continued support of CANFP. We thank them for their dedicated service, and look forward to their valued contributions as faithful and active CANFP Members!
Immediate Past President of CANFP
Gregory Polito, MD, KM
Dr. Polito first collaborated with CANFP as an invited speaker at the Sixth Annual CANFP Conference in 1999, shown right, where he addressed the The Medical, Psychological, and Spiritual Consequences of Vasectomy. It was, as it turns out, just the beginning of a long and fruitful alliance! It was Dr. Polito’s experience and insight as a urologist in private practice in Whittier with a subspecialty in vasovasostomy (vasectomy reversal) that inspired the invitation to speak. It was his vision, spirit, and courageous leadership that inspired the invitation to serve on the Executive Board of CANFP shortly thereafter. He soon accepted the appointment as President of CANFP, a position he held twice, for a total of 9 of his 14 years of service. Dr. Polito did much to raise the scope and success of CANFP during his tenure on the Executive Board, showing fearless leadership confronting a culture much in need of the message. A decisive leader, he is personally responsible for establishing the position of Executive Director for CANFP, seeing the need, and confident the means would materialize. An engaged President, this busy physician, remarkably, attended all major CANFP events, and his insights were always an inspiration to readers of the CANFP NEWS, though Dr. Polito is always quick to credit the Holy Spirit for any fruit of his efforts. Dr. Polito is a Knight of Malta, and a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Our gratitude to his wife Pam and their son and daughter, for the sacrifices in sharing Dr. Polito’s time and talent in service to our mission. We are most grateful he has consented to continue to serve CANFP on the Advisory Board.
Fr. Marcos Gonzalez
CANFP first met “Fr. G” as a speaker at our 2000 Statewide Conference in Los Angeles, where he, shown right, shared his experience Building a Culture of Life in a Parish: Begin with NFP. We were so impressed, he was not allowed to leave the building before consenting to serve on the CANFP Executive Board! He has fulfilled that commitment with energy and enthusiasm, and graciously hosted numerous board meetings and outreach programs at his parish, St. John Chrysostom in Inglewood. Keenly aware of the importance of CANFP/Parish collaborations, he is personally responsible for a dramatic increase in parish memberships during his term. He is a sought after presenter, sharing with candor and confidence his vast knowledge and experience successfully integrating NFP in a parish to many audiences, most recently to the seminarians of the Oakland Diocese and the clergy of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, shown right. We are thrilled that he has agreed to continue to serve as a speaker for CANFP, but his wit, charm, and hospitality will be greatly missed at gatherings of our board.
Dylan St. John
Dylan has the distinction of serving on the Executive Board the longest amongst this group, having accepted the nomination in 1999, and he has been actively involved since 1993 when CANFP began. He attended all but one of the statewide conferences, with responsibilities ranging from technical, to materials creation, to registration. He has contributed his creative, organizational, and technological skills to the success of CANFP for the past 21 years, designing and building our first website, creating our database system, building our computers, and often designing our graphics and conference logos. CANFP has benefited from his business experience, but it is those very professional obligations that now prevent him from attending board meetings, and require his retirement from the board, though we hope to continue to benefit from his participation as a CANFP member and supporter. As his final contribution as a board member, he has provided the creative and technical inspiration to the creation of this new website, and we are most grateful he has agreed to continue to serve CANFP as a consultant.
Evelyn Eaton, PhD
Dr. Eaton has served on the CANFP Advisory Board since CANFP began, and it is only the reality of her declining health that forces us to accept her retirement from that role. Dr. Eaton’s service advancing the message of NFP predates CANFP, and her significant contributions were honored as the 1997 recipient of the Calegari Award, shown left, at the fifth Statewide CANFP Conference in Pleasanton. A retired professor of sociology, her amazing background includes the unusual distinction of teaching in Hong Kong at the seminary. Known to all as just “Evelyn”, she served the Archdiocese of San Francisco on the Respect Life Commission, NFP Advisory Board, and Board of Directors of Catholic Charities. Evelyn was one of the first in the Bay Area to train as an NFP Practitioner, and subsequently as an NFP Supervisor and Educator. Evelyn’s strength, grace, wisdom, and generous heart of service continue to be an inspiration to all who meet her.
