Co-Author Cherry Castro Aquino

CHERRY CASTRO AQUINO

Cherry is an Assumption high school graduate. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York, majoring in Speech-English. She has been working with Father Jim Reuter since 1976. She was a member of Father’s team of facilitators that traveled the country conducting over 100 seminars on media literacy and media education—how the mass media affect our lifestyle, values and attitudes. Their target audiences were bishops, priests, nuns, teachers, students, parents, and lay leaders. Together with Father Reuter, a team also conducted seminars on scriptwriting and radio production. Her primary job when the National Office of Mass Media was still operational was directing and editing radio dramas which were aired over 41 radio stations of the Philippine Federation of Catholic Broadcasters nationwide. She is married to General Flotz Aquino, a retired Philippine Air Force officer. She considers as her greatest achievement her eight children, twenty grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. She makes it a point to visit Father Jim at Our Lady of Peace Hospital at least once a week—bring him his e-mail and lunch he likes. “No one retires from Father Reuter!”

Co-Author Ma. Rowena Juan-Matti

MA. ROWENA JUAN-MATTI

Rowie was born in Manila on March 14, 1967 of Bienvenido Uyboco Juan and Ma. Rosario Tambunting Juan. She married and has two children, Beatriz and Celina. She graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in Psychology and Marketing, and subsequently took up Day Care Administration at the San Francisco State University. She pursued her graduate studies on Masters of Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management. She has been in the field of education for almost 20 years now, managing Sacred Heart School, which her mother founded 43 years ago, and pioneering Math and English Enrichment Programs in the country. In 2005, she started her own franchise of Galileo Enrichment Learning Program systems. Her vision is to nurture the love for learning in pre-school children and see more children excel in school and to develop their potential. Rowie met Fr. James B. Reuter for the first time in a retreat when she was in fourth year high school at the Assumption College, Makati. She met him again in 2005 as a spiritual counselor. Their cooperation began at this time. Having been greatly influenced by Fr. Reuter’s spirituality and profound love for Jesus and Mary, she was inspired to share his teachings with as many people as possible. As such, she has embarked with him on a journey to produce Mama Mary and Her Children Book 2.