REGINA CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER

What is an Engaged Encounter Weekend?
It is a weekend away with other engaged couples. It is designed to give couples planning marriage the opportunity to dialogue honestly and intensively about their future lives together- their strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, goals, attitudes about money, sex, children, family, their role in Church Society- through private discussions with one another.

Who is it for?
Couples planning a marriage who desire a richer, fuller, life together? Marriage preparation can never be too good. Engaged Encounter is designed to deepen and enrich your relationship with each other.

Do you have to be Catholic?
The weekend is Catholic in orientation but it is open to all, including those planning an interfaith marriage or a Christian marriage in another church.

Is it a sensitivity course?
Definitely NOT… the emphasis of the weekend is quiet and low-key. There are not group dynamics. The atmosphere is one in which each couple can concentrate exclusively on one another. It is stressed that it is not a social weekend.

What happens at an encounter?
A team of married couples and a religious person gives a series of presentations. Each presentation allows you and your fiancée an opportunity to look at your relationship to one another, with God and the church, and with the world around us. After the team presentations, personal reflection and dialogue between future spouses are the main thrust of the weekend with communal meals and Sunday liturgy providing group participation. The biggest surprise to most couples, who have attended the weekend, was that they thought they had really talked about all the ideas presented, but they discovered so much more about each other on the weekend. Some have said they talked around lots of things and had not really gotten into them until this weekend.

When are they?
Engaged Encounter weekends are held on varies weekends throughout the year. Registration begins at 7:15 p.m. on Friday and begins at 8:00p.m. The weekend concludes around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. A weekend stay is necessary to keep the atmosphere generated by the Encounter- away from the distractions of everyday life.