What is Worldwide Marriage Encounter?
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is designed to give married couples the opportunity to spend a weekend together, a time to share their feelings, hopes, disappointments, joys and frustrations, and do so openly and honestly in a face-to-face, heart -to-heart encounter with the one person they have chosen to live with for the rest of their lives.
It is not a retreat, a marriage clinic, a group sensitivity training, or a problem solving weekend. It’s a unique approach aimed at revitalizing your marriage. It’s a weekend to focus on the one you love most.
Who is it for?
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is for any couple who desires a richer, fuller marriage. Since every marriage can be improved, even the best marriages can find new meaning and deepened joys through the weekend.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is also for priests and religious who want to enhance their relationship with God’s people and develop an even deeper appreciation of their own vocation.
Do you have to be Catholic?
No. The weekend is Catholic in orientation and is expressed in the tradition and understanding of the Catholic Church. It is presented in a way that couples from all faiths have come away from the Worldwide Marriage Encounter experience strengthened in their own religious beliefs. The weekend is open to all, and space is reserved on each weekend for couples of other faiths.
What happens at a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend?
A series of presentations is given by a team of three couples and a priest. The weekend begins Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. and ends Sunday evening. The weekend allows you and your spouse a rare opportunity to look at yourselves as individuals; to look at your marriage and your relationship to one another, and finally to look at your relationship to God, the church, and the world.
Does the weekend respect the couple's privacy?
Yes! The weekend is oriented strictly to each individual couple. The presentations are given to the group as a whole. After each presentation, the husband and wife have time in the privacy of their room for their own personal discussion. There is no group discussion.
How does a Wordwide Marriage Encounter weekend enhance a marriage?
The weekend presents each couple with the opportunity to get off the “modern world treadmill”, to stop and take a fresh look at the two of them, their marriage, and their priorities. The weekend teaches a communication technique which permits each couple to explore important areas of their relationship in a spirit of love and understanding. By continuing the newly acquired technique begun on the weekend, husbands and wives continually grow closer together to live more joyful and purposeful lives.
Our marriage is under stress, and we're considering separation or divorce.
Is Worldwide Marriage Encounter for us?
No. Worldwide Marriage Encounter is for couples experiencing the usual ups and downs of married life, not situations that threaten your relationship. You should contact an organization like Retrouvaille. If you are unsure whether a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is appropriate for your situation, contact us and we can help you discern which program would be right for you.
How much does the Weekend cost?
A $50.00 (nonrefundable) registration fee ensures your registration. The weekend is not supported financially by the church, but by your donations on Sunday of the weekend. Each couple is given a blank envelope and asked to make an anonymous contribution. No one is ever denied the opportunity to experience a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend because of lack of funds.
To Register Click here.
George & Rosa Dutile
Area Leadership
info@wwmeva.org