WelCom February 2018: Worldwide Marriage Encounter is the largest pro-marriage organisation in the world. This year the organisation marks its 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated at the June 22‒24 2018 convention at Lombard – a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The overall theme, ‘We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe’, will feature throughout several programmes and presentations during the weekend’s celebrations.
“The mission of Worldwide Marriage Encounter is to proclaim the value of Marriage and Holy Orders in the Church and in the world.”
WWME has touched many lives. For 50 years the organisation has been offering faith-based weekend experiences for couples who want to make their marriage even better. The marriage encounter weekend programme has a presence in almost 100 countries.
At the programmes married couples are offered the opportunity to spend time together away from the ‘busyness’ of the world to focus on each other. They are given tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today’s world. Priests are also encouraged to attend a WWME weekend, which offers insights into their relationship with the church and their parishioners, and how their Sacrament of Holy Orders interacts with the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Fr Ron Bennett encourages married couples and priests to attend the 50th anniversary convention in Chicago this year.
Considered the ‘original faith-based marriage enrichment programme’, WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries. The programmes are updated regularly and WWME now offers evening and half-day programmes at parishes and other church facilities.
Since its beginnings in New Zealand in 1978, many couples and many priests have attended a Marriage Encounter Weekend. With our own 40th anniversary this year, we are celebrating by encouraging couples and priests to go to America for the 50th Anniversary of Marriage Encounter.
The Marriage Encounter NZ National Ecclesiastical Team has couples and priests from Auckland and Wellington planning to attend and our team has been making arrangements for a contingent from the dioceses to attend. We are encouraging others who have completed a Marriage Encounter Weekend to join us.
For more information please contact national team co-ordinators Neil and Francy Ivamy at ivamy@outlook.com or phone 0800 362 686; or email Fr Ron Bennett at rbennett@actrix.gen.nz
Fr Ron Bennett
Fr Ron Bennett a member of the Marriage Encounter New Zealand National Ecclesiastical Team is parish priest at the Catholic Parish of Otari, Wellington.