Who is a marriage encounter for?
What is the cost for the weekend?
What happens at a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend?
How does a Marriage Encounter enhance a marriage?
Does the weekend respect the couple's privacy?
Is there a specific religious affiliation for the weekend ?
Why would priests or other religious attend?
How do I get more information?
Any married couple who desires a richer, fuller life together. A marriage can never be too good. Marriage Encounter is designed to deepen and enrich the joys a couple share together, whether they have been married for only a short time, or for many years. Priests and other religious are also welcome and encouraged to attend!
Marriage Encounter is a weekend away from the responsibilities and practicalities of one’s daily life, in order to expand and deepen that life. The Encounter weekend teaches a communication technique that allows each person to explore their relationship with his/her spouse.
If you want your marriage to be the best it can be, we invite you to attend a Marriage Encounter weekend. However, the weekend is not a marriage counseling, and if your relationship is in trouble, we recommend you visit the site for Retrouvaille, a program designed to help heal and renew marriages.
What is the cost for the weekend?
On the weekend, you will be asked to make a donation. This donation will cover the expenses of lodging, food, and materials for the Weekend.
A non-refundable registration fee of $50 is required to confirm your reservation, food and lodging. There is limited capacity, so early registration is encouraged.
No couple is ever denied the chance to renew their marriage because they are facing financial difficulties. This concern should not influence your decision to attend a Marriage Encounter Weekend.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a tax-exempt organization. The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that donations made in connection with the Weekend, including the non-refundable deposit mentioned above, are deductible only to the extent that the contribution exceeds the amount of goods and services received. Information as to that amount will be given to couples attending the Weekend. Contributions made on or in connection with the Marriage Encounter weekend are made confidentially.
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What happens at a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend?
A series of presentations are given by a team of married couples and a religious in the particular faith expression (priest or minister). Each presentation allows you and your spouse a rare opportunity to look at yourselves as individuals, then to look at your marriage and relationship to one another, and finally to look at your relationship to God and to the world. The weekend starts at 8:00 on Friday night and runs until about 5:00 on Sunday afternoon.
Meals are provided.
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How does a Marriage Encounter enhance a marriage?
The encounter 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.
While not an essential part of the experience, the availability of a community of others who have shared the Weekend and who share similar values provides a supportive environment for even further growth.
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Does the weekend respect the couple's privacy?
YES! The weekend is oriented strictly to each individual couple. You concentrate on your spouse to such an extent that you are hardly aware of the other couples present. 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.
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Is there a specific religious affiliation for the weekend ?
Marriage Encounter does present God as a focus for successful marriage. There are many faith expressions of Marriage Encounter Weekends - Catholic, as well as several Protestant denominations. While the Weekend may be presented in a given Faith expression, each is open to couples from other affiliations. The opportunities of the Weekend go beyond the boundaries of any one expression.
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Why would priests or other religious attend?
The Marriage Encounter Weekend is designed in such a way that both priests and religious can participate fully.
As a priest or religious, you may well have promoted Worldwide Marriage Encounter among your parishioners, students, friends, family. You’re no doubt aware of the overwhelming popularity of the Marriage Encounter movement, its effectiveness in bringing couples closer together and - often - transforming or even saving marriages. But, is Marriage Encounter for priests? YES! The Marriage Encounter weekends are designed in such a way that both priests and religious can participate fully. The principles of love, commitment and effective communication translate quite readily to the relationship between a priest and his parish or any group to whom he ministers as well as to a religious community.
Marriage Encounter is a weekend away from the responsibilities and practicalities of one’s daily life, in order to expand and deepen that life. The Encounter weekend teaches a communication technique that allows each person to explore their relationship to the “significant other(s)” in their lives. For spouses, that means each other. For you as a priest, it means everyone you have dedicated your life to serving. This new way of communication is both specific and adaptable. You will be able to use it in virtually every relationship and situation.
On a Marriage Encounter weekend, a series of presentations is given by a team of Catholic couples and a priest. Each presentation allows you to look at yourself as an individual, and then to look at your relationship to those with whom you live and work and to whom you minister. Finally, you are led to look at your relationship with God, the Church as a whole, and the world. Married couples view all these relationships in terms of their own vocation, but the principles are freely applicable to the priesthood and religious life as well. The atmosphere is relaxed and non-invasive. Most participants say they are hardly aware of the others in attendance.
Priests who have made an Encounter weekend call the experience "life enhancing."
Worldwide Marriage Encounter invites you to attend. Please take advantage of our networking process by which we can help you get a replacement for the weekend you choose to attend.
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How do I get more information?
To have information sent to you, or to have someone call you with more information, call 402-334-9086
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