HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
This
ministry has evolved over the period of nearly thirty-four
years. The first ideas
for development of the ministry were in 1973.
They were based on the need for a marriage program that could be
presented by married couples in their own church (in this case, a Catholic
parish in Albuquerque, New Mexico). Furthermore,
married couples needed to develop the ministry so that it would be based
on real-life experiences.
Clergy and religious have played very defining and
supportive roles in the development.
The concepts
of "we are all
learners, and we are all teachers" and
"leadership
resides in everyone"
formed the foundation for starting the first Marriage Enrichment
Weekend (Weekend) program. The tenets and principles of the ministry and the process of
the Weekend evolved over several years with input from all who
participated. A
steering committee within the
church (parish) was formed to coordinate the Weekends within the parish
and promote unity of purpose. This
initial development stage culminated in documenting of the guidelines for the Weekend,
steering committees, the servant-leadership approach to ministry, and
other basic ministry concepts.
The sole
purpose of the guidelines is to support
the ministry. Without exception, the development of the guidelines has
involved input from the Marriage Enrichment community (i.e., those working
with the ministry). This has
helped ensure that a broad base of experience and ideas are included in
the process. Most importantly, it is our belief that the Holy
Spirit has worked through the people
of God in guiding the development of the ministry and the guidelines.
The Program then began to
expand to other parishes and
congregations in the late 1970's and throughout the 1980's.
This included expansion into Spanish.
An Executive Committee was
formed to coordinate these efforts. Meetings,
conferences, and workshops were held to develop guidelines for
sponsorship, materials, symbols, and related matters. The Engaged-Couple
Enrichment (Engaged) program
evolved during this period to help couples prepare for their vocation of
marriage. In addition,
follow-up programs called Married-Couple Support Groups (Support)
and Marriage Renewal and Education (Renewal) were developed.
The tenets
and principles of the ministry and the marriage formation processes of the programs evolved
with input from thousands of
couples and individuals who participated.
The collaborative effort has involved laity,
clergy, and religious who represent a broad range of experience,
ideas, and expertise. They
have been guided by the desire to strengthen marriage, family, and
community while promoting unity-of-purpose.
Through this process, the program evolved from the Holy
Spirit working through the people.
An initiative to expand the ministry nationally was undertaken in the
1990's. A number of workshops
and conferences focused on strategizing
for the future.
This affirmed the basis tenets and principles of the ministry and
identified the need for a more thorough documentation of the guidelines.
It also identified the need to restructure
the way the ministry was administered.
This resulted in the formation of the ministry as a nonprofit
organization.
The purpose of this action was to secure the identity of the ministry and
to place the ministry on a firm legal
and financial foundation.
This was considered essential for sustaining the ministry and for
future growth. It also
established a Board of
Directors, bylaws, and other governance requirements and policies
under which the ministry must operate to be in compliance with Federal and
State laws. As a consequence,
the ministry materials are now copyrighted and the logo and others marks are nationally registered
trademarks.
The sponsorship and leadership requirements became a part of
the legal structure. In
addition, the Board is now formally charged with being responsible for the
guidelines, with facilitating the process of development of new
guidelines, and with ensuring that the guidelines are followed.
From 2002 to 2006, two new additional programs were developed.
They are called the Married-Couple Retreat (Retreat) and Youth
Dating and Healthy Relationships (Youth).
The Retreat is a one-day (or three-evening) program for married
couples. It recognizes that
many married couples, due to their busy lives, cannot attend a full
Weekend. Also, many
parishes/congregations do not have the resources for presenting a Weekend.
The Youth program is a marriage education program for youth at the
time of dating and courtship. The
programs and materials were organized into both a two-volume and a ten-volume book series with
the theme: Marriage Enrichment Journey ®
.
The dynamics
of these Marriage Enrichment programs include a mix of active
participation, community-building elements, sacramental sharing, private
time, and the exploration of marriage with the help of other couples.
These ministries "work" because they arose from the people in actual
circumstances. They answer a
need and are real and positive. They
involve people sharing and probing the depths of themselves. These ministries cover
all stages of marriage throughout the life cycle. They surface the gifts and talents of people and recognize
that leadership resides in all people.
They develop lay leadership in couples, community in
parishes/congregations, and inter-parochial and inter-denominational
cooperation.
The ministry has been sponsored by several Christian
denominations and is now active in seven states and in Mexico.
An organization that
promotes growth and unity of purpose
has evolved. The
organization includes the leadership and team for each program
presentation, and a steering committee for each parish/congregation.
Centralized coordination for the ministry is provided by a Board of
Directors working with a regional advisory council and coordinating
groups.
This program continues
to evolve along the lines of couples
ministering to other couples and parishes/congregations reaching
out to other parishes/congregations.
As in the past, it will continue to stress the need in today's
world for couples to share the richness of their lives and to become
involved with other people, their community, and society.
The
Marriage Enrichment Weekend Program, Inc.
P.O.
Box 94026
Albuquerque,
NM 87199-4026
