Worldwide Marriage Encounter is faithful to the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching that marriage is a covenant that exists between one man and one woman. Any reference to marriage or couple made by WWME is in this context.
No, the Marriage Encounter Experience is NOT the same as Marriage Preparation classes. Marriage Encounter experiences are for couples who are either currently married in the church or civilly married.
If you are currently in a civil marriage and are planning to marry in the Catholic Church (marriage convalidation) to receive the sacrament of Matrimony, YES! This may be the experience for you! Just confirm with your pastor. A certificate can be provided for him as well.
If you are marrying for the first time and are not currently in a civil marriage, you should attend a Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend. The Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend provides the typical Pre-Cana Marriage Preparation subjects.
And congratulations! We are thrilled about your upcoming nuptials!
YES! We have been able to help find Mass coverage in the past and will do our best to help in any way. Please contact us for assistance.
The best reason for you to attend an experience is to better know yourself and grow in closeness with the people you serve in your Parish communities.
Priests and religious who attend a Marriage Encounter come away with stronger communication skills, improved ability to relate to their parish family, and deeper understanding of Family Life Ministries within their parish.
Priests and religious are an important part of our faith community. Their relationship with the people they serve in their church communities is actually similar to the relationship of husbands and wives, since open and honest communication is key to true understanding and empathy. In a helpful, loving way, the experience helps both married couples and religious better understand themselves, each other in their Sacrament (of Marriage or Holy Orders), and their relationship with God.
After your Marriage Encounter, you are welcome to join in with other couples and priests who have also attended an experience and who gather together for fellowship and friendship to support each other. You can learn more at the below links:
Resources to deepen and continue to enrich your marriage or priesthood after your experience.
Resources to support you individually, as a couple, as a family and in your WWME Community during these COVID times.
On the contrary, Marriage Encounter Experiences are for ALL marriages! Think about it, employers may send you to a seminar to gain new skills on the job, so why not dedicate time to gain new skills that can benefit your most important relationship – your marriage!
The Marriage Encounter gives busy couples much needed time together to focus on each other and deepen their communication. After the Experience, couples often return to their life and families refreshed with renewed commitment to each other.
Often we share that ideal Experience couples are those going through life transitions – recently married, expanding the family, job transitions, blended families, empty nesters, or couples facing retirement or illnesses. These are times when compassionate communication and listening matter the most!
For marriages that are deeply troubled, in crisis, or have deep hurts that need significant healing and forgiveness, please consider our sister program, Retrouvaille.
In short, YES! Experiences are for husband and wife couples of all denominations, mixed faiths, or no religious affiliation. Among the diverse couples attending we’ve had a variety of protestant faiths, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, and no faith affiliation to name a few. All have successfully been able to fully participate and gain from the experience.
All we ask is that all spouses attend with an open heart, a respect for others, and others’ beliefs as Experiences are predominantly Roman Catholic in expression, presented by a Catholic Priest and Catholic married couples. We believe God’s loving presence has an integral role in us fully living our Sacrament.
We encourage all interested in attending to contact us if you have questions about whether the Experience is a right fit for you.
