What is Catholic Engaged Encounter?
Catholic Engaged Encounter is an international nonprofit ministry dedicated to marriage preparation.It was started in 1975 as an outcrop of the Marriage Encounter ministry.Marriage Encounter is a retreat designed to renew the couple relationship after several years of marriage; Engaged Encounter, in contrast, is designed specifically for engaged couples.
Our motto is “A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime”.Think of all the preparation taken for the wedding day.Most people spend months planning and thousands of dollars preparing for the wedding.But how much time and effort is actually spent preparing for a Lifetime of Togetherness?
A Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) is a weekend where an atmosphere is created in which a couple can concentrate exclusively on one another, free of distractions, obstacles and temptations of the world.
It is a quiet weekend specifically designed to give the couples planning for the sacrament of marriage an opportunity to dialogue honestly and intensively on their prospective lives together.Dialogues encompass topics such as their desires, strengths, weaknesses, goals, attitudes about money, sex, children, family, and their role in the church and society. These are covered under five major themes: the family of origin, communication, sacrament, values and intimacy. This dialogue is done in the privacy of each other’s company.
This Catholic Engaged Encounter is an excellent marriage preparation programme aimed at building sound family values within our community.
Who is it for?
Catholic Engaged Encounter is for couples planning marriage and who desire a richer, fuller life together. Marriage preparation can never be sufficient, therefore it is designed to deepen and enrich your relationship with each other.
Although this marriage preparation program is Catholic in origin and orientation, it is open to all couples of any faith searching for enrichment in the quality of life together.
Cost of the Weekend
The weekend costs TTD$1,450 per couple and includes all meals, accommodation, refreshments, handouts, booklets. A TTD$50 non refundable/non transferable fee should accompany your registration form. No one is refused the opportunity to experience a CEE weekend because of a lack of funds; this weekend is important to help couples build a sound marriage (if you are unable to afford the cost of the weekend, we ask that you contact the Registration couple).
What happens on a weekend?
Under the themes of communication, values, family of origin, intimacy, sacrament, a series of ideas and experiences are presented by a team of married couples and a priest. Couples are stimulated and encouraged to dialogue privately with each other on all aspects of married life, always from the point of view of their own relationship. Personal reflections and couple dialogue are the main focus of the weekend, with communal meals and Sunday liturgy providing group participation.
When and Where
Catholic Engaged Encounter weekends are held periodically throughout the year at the following location:
EMMAUS CENTRE
TORRECILLA GARDENS
BYE PASS ROAD
ARIMA
The weekends begin on the Friday night at 7 p.m. and end on the Sunday at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Each couple receives notification prior to the weekend concerning the particulars of the Catholic Engaged Encounter Weekend.