As Pope Francis said:
“Being a true friend to priests and seminarians is a great gift the laity can offer to the Church.”
As encountered couples and priests, we are called by our Worldwide Marriage Encounter mission statement to proclaim the value of Marriage and Holy Orders in the Church and in the world. Some of us have been encountered for many years and others just a few days, but our mission binds our small community here with others around the world – to build the Church and the World through both Sacraments. It’s much easier to focus on the first part of the mission, simply because we’re in relationship with friends and family and sharing our story in these intimate settings is safe and comfortable. And even when we verbally share on the value of marriage, when we are living the weekend values, our little church stands out through nonverbal communication.
We wonder, though, how much of our time, treasure, and talents do we share to promote the second part of our mission – to proclaim the value of Holy Orders? Just as we are diverse in years encountered, we have different levels of relationship with the Church and her priests.
How do we proclaim this value of Holy Orders if our only connection with priests is on the altar or in confessions?
We may love and respect priests from afar, but with this one-sided relationship, we limit potential fruits for ourselves, the priest, and our family that could come from a rich and intimate friendship with a priest.
Here are a few resources to help you begin to build or deepen your relationship with priests in your lives.