Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who is Marriage Encounter for?
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!

Q. 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. 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.
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.

Q. 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.

Q. Is there a specific religious orientation to 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 orientations. The opportunities of the Weekend go beyond the boundaries of any one expression.

Q. 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.

Q. 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.