Worldwide Marriage Encounter
of North/Central Alabama

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How can priests and religious benefit from a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend?

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 easily to the relationship between a priest and his parish or any group to whom he ministers.

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.