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Weekends - Priests Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Worldwide Marriage Encounter?

WWME is a weekend away from the responsibilities and practicalities of ones daily life in order to expand and deepen that life.  An Encounter weekend is not a retreat, a marriage clinic or a sensitivity group.  It’s aim is to help participants develop very special communication skills.  Feelings and thoughts flow more freely, resulting in greater love, renewed (and continuing) dedication, and more joy in living out one’s chosen way of life.

Why Should Priests and Religious Attend a Weekend?

Priests should attend a weekend for themselves - to come to a deeper appreciate of their vocation, their sacrament, their ministry , their parish or community and their value to us as priests.
The weekend is focused on the integral relationship of the sacrament of holy orders and matrimony, their similarities, and their collective benefit to the Church and our Catholic community.
We have a dream that all priests and religious experience a Weekend to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationship with God.  Our goal is to have more priests and religious attend the weekend to appreciate their own ministry as priest and perhaps find new ways to help assist married couples in their parishes.

What happens 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.

I have heard that dialogue is an important part of the Weekend.

"Dialogue" is the communication technique taught on the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. A priest/religious who is making the Weekend dialogues with the priest on the ministry team, or another priest/religious who is also making the Weekend.

How will a Marriage Encounter Weekend specifically enhance and enrich my life as a priest?

The Marriage Encounter weekend teaches a communication technique that allows each person to deepen relationship in their sacrament. 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 adaptable to virtually every relationship and situation.

How Do I Apply for a Weekend?

1) An old Chinese proverb tells us that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Well, you've made the first step by considering a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend.
2) The next step is to click on the button below and find a Weekend that fits your schedules.  

WWME 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.