Marriage Enrichment Weekend
Program
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Celebrating
33
years
as a Program in May 2007
Over
23,000
married and engaged couples have attended
15,000 Married
Couples
8,000 Engaged
Couples
Over
1,200
program presentations have been conducted
1,100
in English
200 in Spanish
Over
110
parishes/congregations have sponsored the Program
Fifteen
have had 25 or more
program presentations
Four
have had 50 or more program presentations
Twelve
have been active for 25 years or more.
FAITH-BASED
Ecumenism
and Interfaith
The Marriage Enrichment Program promotes Christian unity (ecumenism)
and inter-religious collaboration (interfaith).
It can be sponsored by Christian Churches and those of other faiths.
The program as presently formulated is based on Christian
Marriage. When sponsored by
a Catholic parish the program reflects the Catholic faith principally through
the liturgy (e.g., Mass) and the talk on "Marriage a Sacrament."
When sponsored by other Christian Churches or those of other faiths, the
teachings of the host congregation or community are expressed.
This can be done by substitution of a prayer service for Mass and by
changing the "Marriage A Sacrament" talk (for example, to
"Marriage a Covenant" or to "Marriage a Church Ordinance")
to reflect the host congregations teaching on marriage.
Incorporating the faith of the host church/congregation
into the program can be done without altering the format or purpose.
Couples attending in a church or congregation not of their faith should
understand that the prayer services are the expression of the faith of the
host parish/congregation. The
program should never be used to proselytize (attempt to convert).
The program is to help enrich marriage by including God in
the couple relationship. The basic
process is an expression of real life experiences and develops mutual support
for married couples. The program
can be tailored to the needs of any community of people based on love and
commitment to marriage.
DIVERSITY
Diversity is an underlying characteristic
and strength of this program. The diversity experience and lessons learned
include:
