WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER

Worldwide Marriage Encounter emerged from the leadership group of marriage encounter within the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York. As Charles Gallagher, SJ and the team couples became sensitive to the capacity for the Marriage Encounter weekend to renew the Church, no longer could they confine themselves to the area of metropolitan New York. Marriage Encounter has presented the weekend to well over a million couples, spreading through North America as well as into scores of foreign countries. As affiliates of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, other different faith traditions offer the same weekend, with their own theology of marriage and Church. Among Catholics, Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends are presented by three couples and a priest. Because the sacraments of reconciliation and eucharist are an integral part of the Catholic experience of Marriage Encounter, no weekend can be conducted without the presence of a priest. The Mission and Vision Statement approved in 1995 states: "Worldwide Marriage Encounters Mission of renewal in the church and change in the world is to assist couples and priests to live fully intimate and responsible relationships by providing them with a Catholic 'experience' and ongoing community support for such a lifestyle."

The leadership group of Worldwide Marriage Encounter is comprised of a national board, with geographical representation from 19 sections in the United States—13 English speaking, five Hispanic speaking, and one Korean speaking sections—and an executive secretariat team comprising one couple and a priest who are selected from the national board membership.

See Also: marriage encounter.

[f. l. guthrie/

j. j. kaising]