FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) for Clergy

This page was created to help respond to many of the questions that you may have. However, if you do not find an answer to your question, please contact us. There are also FAQs for Couples.

What is a Marriage Encounter?: The Marriage Encounter Weekend is a positive and personal experience offering married couples an opportunity to learn a technique of loving communication that they can use for the rest of their lives. It is a chance to look deeply into their relationship with each other and with God. It is a time to share their feelings, hopes and dreams with each other.

The emphasis of the Marriage Encounter weekend is on the communication between husbands and wives. The weekend provides a conducive environment for couples to spend time together, away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life, while encouraging them to focus on each other and their relationship.

It is not a retreat, marriage clinic, group sensitivity, or a substitute for counseling. It is a unique approach aimed at revitalizing Marriage.

This is a time for you and your spouse to be alone together, to rediscover each other and together focus on your relationship for an entire weekend. Every marriage deserves that kind of attention!
Why should priests and religious attend a Weekend?: The primary benefit for priests and religious who attend a weekend, is a better understanding of Family Life Ministries within their parishes/churches. Furthermore, there is a very high correlation of couples who attend a Weekend, and later become actively involved in their parish communities. This is primarily due to a better understanding for their Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Those attending a Marriage Encounter weekend learn not only about the sacrament of Matrimony, but also learn of the sacrament of Holy Orders. Collectively the Sacraments at the Service of Communion... or union (Catechism of the Catholic Church, ch. 3, Pt. 2). The weekend in all reality is focused on the integral relationship of both sacraments, their similarities, and their collective benefit to the Church and our Catholic community.

Compound these intrinsic benefits with statistical success... the divorce rate in the United States today is 52%. The divorce rate among couples who have attended a Marriage Encounter Weekend is less than 2% nationwide.

We have a dream that all Priests and other religious in our diocese experience a Weekend. These individuals subsequently recognize that couples and clergy who attend a weekend have a deeper understanding and appreciation of themselves, their spouse (or community if religious), and their relationship with God. Our goal is to have more Priests and religious attend the weekend, to appreciate their ministry, and perhaps find new ways to help assist married couples in their parishes.

For Catholic Priests interested in attending the Weekend, the Rockford Encounter has the ability to draw upon neighboring resources to ensure there is Priest coverage at all Masses on your scheduled weekend.
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. Most participants say they are hardly aware of the others in attendance.
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 Encounter weekend teaches a communication technique that allows each person to explore their relationship to the "significant other(s)" in their lives. 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 both specific and adaptable. You will be able to use it in virtually every relationship and situation..
What does the Weekend cost?: On the weekend, you will be asked to make a donation. This donation will cover the expenses of lodging, food, and materials for the Weekend. A non-refundable fee of $50.00 is required to confirm your application, food and lodging. There is limited capacity; so early registration is encouraged.

No priest or couple is ever denied the chance to experience a Weekend because of financial difficulties. This concern should not influence your decision to attend a Marriage Encounter Weekend. Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a tax-exempt organization.

The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that donations made in connection with the Weekend, including the non-refundable deposit mentioned above, are deductible only to the extent that the contribution exceeds the amount of goods and services received. Information as to that amount will be given to couples attending the Weekend. Contributions made on or in connection with the Marriage Encounter weekend are made confidentially.
I am needed in my parish on the weekends. Can Marriage Encounter help me get a replacement so I will be free to attend a weekend?: We are in the process of building a network of priests, by area, who are willing to fill in for others who wish to attend a Weekend. If you need such assistance, indicate this when you call or send in your reservation. And plan to spend some time with us soon, to expand and deepen your priestly communication.