Vision
“Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
Mission
The Mission of Worldwide Marriage Encounter is to proclaim the value of
marriage and Holy Orders to the Church and the world.
Who are We?
This ministry offers a program of Christian formation through a sacramental
way of life for married couples to discover God’s plan for their lives, for their
spiritual development and for the betterment of humanity.
The Roman Catholic Church believes that marriage is a faithful, exclusive,
lifelong union between one man and one woman, united as husband and wife
in an intimate union of life and love.
The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience is a 44-hour program,
beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday afternoon, free from distractions
from our daily lives, in which a communication technique is taught. During
the Experience they receive talks given by three Catholic couples and a priest.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter is not for profit and all the servers do it out
of love and do not receive a salary for their service.
Marriage Encounter is a conversion experience. Once the couple discovers
the value of their sacramental marriage is for the Church, they tend to become
more involved in their parish and in the formation of their children in the
Faith.
Our Charism
The Charism of Worldwide Marriage Encounter is “Faith through
Relationship.” The foundation of our charism is openness, honesty and trust between
husband and wife, and with other couples and priests, between priests and
their communities, between the presenting teams and leaders and everyone’s
relationship with God.
Our Activities
This ministry was formed to present Marriage Encounter (weekend)
Experiences in accordance with the precepts of Worldwide Marriage Encounter USA.
After living the experience, couples are invited to attend the Renewal and are invited to live a circle of love for six weeks once a week.
During this time, they are also invited to participate in group sharing
meetings in the parish, the monthly assembly, and other activities to
support the Church and family.
We Celebrate
- World Marriage Day in February of each year.
- World Priests Day in October of each year.
- We support the Diocese with vocations.
- We support the Dioceses through parish and diocesan events.
Our History
The World Marriage Encounter originated in Spain in 1956 and its founder
was Father Gabriel Calvo. As he worked with children who suffered from
emotional problems, he discovered that most of them came from the way
their parents lived. He began to work with the parents, convinced that good
communication between spouses would have a positive effect on their
children. In 1968, the English Experiences were started in the United States, and in
1974 a Spanish version by Father Chuck Gallagher.
Organizational Structure
- Coordinators (1 couple and 1 priest)
- Structure Commitee
- Presenting Couples Commitee
- Weekend Commitee
- Community Commitee
Program Dates
The Experiences for the year 2025 are:
- February 28
- March 1 and 2
- May 2, 3 and 4
- July 18, 19 and 20
- September 19, 20, 21
- November 14, 15, 16
Schedules
- EMM Experience: Friday 7:00 pm to Sunday 5:00 pm
- Group Meeting, Monthly Assembly: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Training
- Leadership Training through Relationship
- Writing Workshops
- Weekend Presenters
- Training on the EMM Structure
- Formation Experiences
- Convention Regional and National Presenting Couples
For more information
Jesus & Elizabeth Robles
Jesus.Elizabeth.Robles@wwme.org
408 449-7051 or 408 514-8110