|
The Marriage Enrichment Weekend The Marriage Enrichment Weekend is open to couples married sacramentally in the Catholic Church. The Marriage Enrichment (M.E.) Weekend is a priceless experience of enriching our marriage relationship. It enriches the process of communication between husband and wife. It guarantees to make “not-so-good” marriages good, “good” marriages better, and “better” marriages best. It is presented in a full weekend detached from the usual everyday distractions.
An "Ecclesial Team" and a “Service Team” trained and prepared for ministering the Enrichment process conduct the weekend. Most couples who underwent the M.E. experience have fully rediscovered their marriage relationships, strengthened their conjugal vows and became fully aware of the living presence of God in their marriage and family. What is the Marriage Enrichment Weekend? The Marriage Enrichment Weekend is a positive and personal experience for all couples which offer them a technique of loving communication that they can use for the rest of their lives. It is an opportunity to look deeply into their relationship with each other and with God. Also, it is a time to share their feelings, their thoughts, their hopes, fears, joys and frustrations. The M.E. Weekend is not a retreat, nor is it a marriage clinic or sensitivity course. It is not a time to delve at the past, but rather to look to your future together. The M.E. weekend is a positive, simple, common sense experience between husband and wife, that revitalizes marriage by enabling couples to see what their relationship could and should be. Who is it for? M.E. Weekend is for Catholic couples who want to enrich their marriage. The weekend is designed to expand and deepen the joys a couple share together whether they have been married for a short time or for many years. What Happens at the M.E. Weekend? An atmosphere is created on the weekend in which the couple can concentrate exclusively on one another. A series of talks are given by a team of trained couples and a Priest or Deacon. These talks provide the husband and wife the opportunity to look at themselves as individuals and look at their relationship with each other, with God, and with the community. The weekend starts on a Friday night and runs until about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Meals are provided. Does the Weekend respect the couple’s privacy? Yes! The emphasis of the M.E. Weekend is on the communication between the husband and wife. You concentrate on your spouse to such extent that you are hardly aware of the presence of other couples. Presentations are given to the group as a whole. After each presentation, the husband and wife are given time for personal dialogue, in the privacy of their own room. There is no group discussion. How does the M.E Weekend enhance a marriage? The fundamental difference between marriages that are good, average or poor is the level of communication between husband and wife. In all marriages, there are times when we take each other and our relationship for granted. The Weekend presents each couple the opportunity to get off the "Modern World Treadmill," to stop and to take a fresh look at the "two of us, at our marriage and our priorities." You learn a communication technique which shows and encourages you to explore the important areas of your life together in a spirit of love and understanding. The Weekend offers every couple insights, tools and the confidence to enrich their marriage and to strengthen their love for each other. For many couples, "Their Weekend" is one of the most significant experiences of their lives! Objections and Responses: The following are some of the objections and/or rationalizations we have received as to why a couple may feel that Marriage Enrichment is not for them, and our responses: Objection: "We already have a good marriage." Response: The difference between a "good" marriage and a BEAUTIFUL marriage is the Marriage Enrichment experience. Even if many difficult marriages are made right in the M.E. Weekend, many more couples with already good marriages have received continuing blessings after the Weekend. Objection: "We already have good communication between us." Response: Please take a closer look. Can you truly communicate with each other about your intimate feelings, aspirations, fears, anxieties? Do you have oneness and accord in your major decisions? Objection: "We're too busy. We don't have time." Response: Isn't a weekend a small price to pay for the joy, the peace, the blessings and the power of a lifetime made fuller by the M.E. Weekend? All you have to do is give one weekend to each other. Objection: "We're too young." Response: That's wonderful! Wouldn't you want to prevent growing old too fast, growing old alone? Wouldn't you want to be trained in living fully with each other as early as possible? Objection: "We're too old." Response: Then, you can be young again! Don't you agree there's always something new in you? Isn't there something you may have missed because you were not always aware of what was really in your spouse's mind and heart? Wouldn't you want a fresh look at each other? Objection: "I don't feel at ease in spiritual retreats." Response: That's how many of us felt before (and even during) our Enrichment Weekend. But when we saw and met others like us who had successfully coped with that initial "uneasiness", we soon felt very much at home with the "spirituality" of the Weekend. And later, we wanted more of it. Let us re-kindle the spark in our marriage. Bring back the beautiful romance in just one weekend, while we become fully aware of the living presence of God in our marriage and our family. How much does it cost? A non-refundable registration fee of $50 is required to confirm your reservation, food and lodging. There is limited capacity, so early registration is encouraged. No couple is ever denied the chance to enrich their marriage because they are facing financial difficulties. This concern should not influence your decision to attend the Marriage Enrichment Weekend. We are a non-profit organization and would not want to deprive anyone who is unable to afford the cost from being blessed by this enriching weekend. Please let us know your special situation (either by calling or writing us); we will be most happy to accommodate your request with utmost confidentiality. On the weekend, you will be requested to make an offering. This voluntary donation will help cover the expenses for the succeeding M.E. Weekend. Donations and contributions given to the M.E.F.P. can be offered confidentially and are tax deductible. The next Marriage Enrichment Weekend will be held On ________________________________________ At ________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Please contact: ______________________________ Tel. No: ___________________________________ ____________________________________
Would you like to Experience the Best Weekend of Your Married Life ?
Attend the Marriage Enrichment Weekend
Presented by: Marriage Enrichment Formation Program www.mefp.org
|
