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Community
Pillar
Community
Pillar Electronic Resource Library (ERL) Map
If you have
been wondering where to get helpful information about WWME the Electronic
Resource Library (ERL) contains many documents, presentations, brochures,
and resources helpful to you and to your local WWME Communities.
New
Resources on the WWME Electronic Resource Library (ERL)
Check our ERL for
ten new Weekend Reunion outlines, a three evening spiral to help
new Circles get started or to help established Circles get renewed,
and a new document helping us all answer the Call to be an Open
and Apostolic Couple, so as to help our WWME mission statement to
renew the Church and change the world.
Community-Building
Initiatives for WWME
Looking for information
to help strengthen your local WWME community? We have a resource
that we sometimes forget about in our Electronic Resource Library.
Keep
Your Share Group Spirit Alive
Here
are some reminders for keeping the spirit alive in your Share Group.
The
Encounter Needs You - To Start a Sharing Group
If you do not
have a Sharing Group where you live, or if yours is in need of some
fresh ideas, consider this article that tells you how to start your
own.
WWME
2004 Calendars are now available
The Worldwide Marriage
Encounter 2004 calendars are available. Check with your local area
leaders to get your calendar full of beautiful pictures, dialogue
questions for every day of the year plus additional questions including
some for family dialogue and some for a dialogue to share with a
priest or religious.
Community:
Facilitation of the Weekend
The Weekend needs
us! This article, fifth and final in a series of five, encourages
all of us to help make the Weekend happen, starting with inviting
ccouples to attend, and doing the jobs that bring our Weekends together.
Community:
Discerning and Using Our Individual and Couple Gifts
We all have God-given
gifts and talents. This article, fourth in a series of five, examines
the importance of discovering what our individual and couple gifts
are, and how to use them for the benefit of the WWME community
Community:
Keeping Our Spousal Relationship a Priority
We can
best support our Marriage Encounter community by focusing on our
own spousal relationship first. This article, third in a series
of five, discusses why it's important to make our spousal rrelationship
a priority, and how that helps us be there for our community.
Community:
An Environment of Acceptance
Through acceptance
of one another we grow stronger as a Marriage Encounter Family.
This article, second in a series of five, speaks of the importance
of acceptance in relationships.
Community:
Who Are We?
As used by Worldwide
Marriage Encounter, the term community includes all who have made
a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. Involvement in community
is a vital means to help couples, priests, and religious deepen
and enrich their spousal relationship. This is the first of five
articles on Community.
Encounter
Resource Library
Handbook
for Prayer Couples
Do you remember
the emotions you experienced on the Sunday of your Weekend hearing
that one specific couple or priest was praying for you? Or how you
felt receiving your prayer letter and possibly being greeted at
the end of the Weekend by your prayer couple? The WWME Electronic
Resources Library can help you understand the responsibilities and
importance of being a Prayer Couple.
New
Weekend Pillar Postings on the Electronic Resource Library
For new press
releases, ads, and inviting ideas visit the ERL Weekend Pillar website.
Electronic
Resources For Encountered Couples
If you are looking
for a Marriage Encounter resource and having difficulty finding
it try this on stop shop for some resources not found elsewhere.
Have
You Met ERL? 
Looking for resources
about WWME, outlines to use for Community Gatherings, Inviting Ideas,
organizational documents? Visit ERL.
He's
Got The Whole World In His Hands
If you are looking
for some inspirational material for outlines to boost your Community
check out this resource from ERL.
Scripture-Based
Bulletin Announcements on ERL
These WWME
bulletin announcements are one of the many benefits offered in ERL.
Each bulletin announcement relates to the Sunday readings for the
week it is to be published in the bulletin.
A
Weekend Reunion Sampler
An inspiring
presentation about CORE groups in Marriage Encounter developed through
the use of the WWME Electronic Resource Library (more commonly known
to family and friends as ERL).
The
Encounter Needs You - To Start a Sharing Group
If you do not
have a Sharing Group where you live, or if yours is in need of some
fresh ideas, consider this article that tells you how to start your
own.
How
Detroit Has Overflowing Weekends
These
statistics speak for themselves: September '04 - 22 couples, October
'04 - 26 couples, November '04 - 34 couples, February '05 - 38 couples,
March '05 24 couples and counting.
History
The
Philippines
This article starts
with some history and geography about the Philippines and then tells
of the growth of WWME starting with 16 couples and two priests in
November 1976.
The
First Weekends in the Caribbean and in Guyana, South America
The Weekend
rooms were all filled. Then two more couples joined, then two priests
and then two nuns!
The
First Weekend Given in Hindi, the National Language of India
The seed is
planted; we have to keep it watered. Surely, the Lord will make
it grow.
Source
of Pope John Paul II Quote Found
Learn the origin
of the papal quote, "I place much of my hope for the future
in Marriage Encounter." It has often been referenced but over
the years, no one could remember exactly where or to whom the comment
was made.
This
Year's (1981) Convention is #10!
Hear the excitement
of the 1981 Convention Committee as they recounted the history of
the first nine Marriage Encounter Conventions.
That
Which Unites Us
About the second
Weekend in Madagascar a priest shares “What a power-filled
joy to be again a part of that vision to change the world, to be
half-way around the world from where I made my first Weekend, and
see the miracle, a real 1981 miracle that these Malagasy couples,
priest, and sisters are working in the hearts of each other.”
What
Matter Wounds
On April 24-26,
1981 the first Weekend offered by couples with Multiple Sclerosis
for couples with Multiple Sclerosis. Some references used in this
article may be familiar to those who made Weekends prior to 1999
or those familiar with the production of Man of LaMancha.
Marriage
Encounter Comes to Japan
Taking the Weekend
to a new area sometimes requires more than translating the presentations
into a different language. Read some of the concerns that needed
to be considered as WWME was introduced into Japan.
The
Difficult Birth of the First M.E. Weekend in Zambia
If you have
ever had one of those Weekends when you thought there was nothing
more that could go wrong, think again as you read the diary notes
leading up to the first Weekend in Zambia.
Worldwide
Marriage Encounter in Australia
Australia will celebrate
32 years of Worldwide Marriage Encounter in their country in February
2006. Here is a brief history of the growth of WWME in New South
Wales.
History
and Philosophy of Worldwide Marriage Encounter
The Managing Editors
of eMatrimony have undertaken the project of creating and maintaining
a definitive history of WWME. That living document is now stored
on ERL and can help you with enrichments, pulpit talks, or weekend
presentations. Read more about why and how this document was created,
and how you can help make it better.
Stories
of Evangelization
Weekends are Multiplying: 60,000 couples Encountered per
Year!
An exciting
1997 accounting of the growth of Worldwide Marriage Encounter around
the globe.
And
The Walls Came Tumbling Down
Following the
"tumbling" of the Berlin wall WWME had new life but, as
witnessed in this quote, it was not all easy. "It is a critical
moment for this part of Europe. However, in spite of the difficulties,
the expansion continues."
Eskimo
Couples - Between The Spear And The Bottle!
"Many involved
in parish work among the Eskimos predicted failure for Marriage
Encounter in the Bush villages because 'Eskimos do not share that
openly!' We have news for them."
News
of Our Family in Asia
Take a glance back
to 1989 to see how WWME was doing in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore,
Japan and Korea.
American
Couple Takes WWME To The Land Of Their Birth, Yugoslavia
An amazing story of
a dream that started in 1973 an ended with Worldwide Marriage Encounter
pioneers presenting Weekends inside communist borders.
Worldwide
Marriage Encounter Expands To Italy
Overcoming obstacles
in 1978 to achieve the blessings of introducing the Weekend in Italy.
A
Walk In Faith With Our Black Catholic Family
"God just told me He
wants us to recruit His black couples to our Weekend."
In
The Beginning
We have come a long
ways since 1971 when it was a dream to take the Weekend across the
United States and to other countries in the world.
Love
Is International
From an embrace
a dream is born and WWME helps to strengthen Korean/Japanese relationships.
Help
recover and preserve our WWME history.
Our Worldwide Marriage
Encounter history is in need of being recorded. Please help us recover
and preserve this valuable information. This article is a beginning
of building that resource. Only you may know those who can confirm
and add to our history. Help us to gather as much data as is possible
before the resources are no longer available.
Miscellaneous
Mary
at Cana
During this month of
Mary, can we take this simple lesson from her? Mary knew what it
was to live the present moment — both at a party, and at the
foot of the cross. There is much in that dimension of her life for
us to meditate on and try to imitate in our own responses to the
Lord.
How
to Prepare a Question/Open Sharing Share Group Presentation
Here
is an inspirational prayer for inviting to share with your community.
Rome
Office Issues Prayer Cards, Relics to Promote John Paul II Sainthood
Included is a fax,
number, address and web site to order free prayer cards and relics
to help promote the sainthood of Pope John Paul II.
Marriage:
A Story and A Sacrament
Two persons,
who have discerned that their lives are converging, encounter God's
presence as they progress towards an intimacy which is expressed
in a total response to each other, emotional, spiritual and genital.
This intertwining of two lives which evolves only through the passage
of years is the sacrament of marriage. It is both a commitment and
an ongoing process. We are married and yet we are always marrying.
The
Search For More
Food for contemplation
during Lent: "Wherever you are in your relationship with God,
there is more."
Lent
– Reflections Past & Present
Joy becomes so
ever-present in the midst of all our endeavors when we somehow think
not only of ourselves but the good effect our endeavors will have
on others.
“Men
are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti”
Humor can help
us to understand our different communication styles. “Men
are From Mars Women are From Venus” is a good example. From
the sounds of things there may be another perspective.
Give
Us This Day
An inspiration led
these area leaders for the Columbus Ohio area to a new way of reaching
out to all couples. They provide a daily reflection and along with
it links to learn about Worldwide Marriage Encounter.
Spirituality
and Sexuality in Marriage
"Our
love in our marriage is a sign of God's love for His people. Our
love grows through our communication. Communication in our marriage
is the means by which we build unity, and our sexual relationship
is very important to us in establishing and maintaining our unity.
This is God's plan in our marriage, a gift from God.”
Happy
Birthday to You’s
If you would consider
your wedding day as the birth of you as a couple these are some
of the birthday presents you might receive to celebrate your anniversary.
A
Tribute to Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Kane, US Army
Joseph M. Kane, 35,
was a Staff Sergeant in the Army killed in Iraq on October 14, 2006.
Joe was a career Army veteran, having served 2 tours in Iraq. Joe
leaves behind a widow and three children ages 6, 5, & 17 months.
Staff Sergeant Kane is the son of Joe & Mary Kane who are in
the Philadelphia Area, in Chester County. This tribute was written
by Joe’s cousin, Nicole Scali.
Gifts
So often we relate gifts
to birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baptisms or Christmas.
But here a priest considers the gifts he has received as he thinks
about Thanksgiving.
Let’s
Stop Playing Games - Listening
You can never
be the judge if you are a good listener. You are only as good a
listener as the person being listened to thinks that you are.
Reflections
On Us As A Movement
We believe nearly
every couple who makes a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend has
a very positive and meaningful experience They come to their Rookie
Renewal, perhaps some sharing circles, or an information night,
but then we rarely see them again. We ask ourselves, "Why?
What has happened to these couples? Why don't they get involved
in the Marriage Encounter Community?"
Fig
Leaf Fever
“We say that sex
is a way of communicating, and yet we’re ashamed to talk about
what we’re feeling, what our needs are, and what pleases us
in lovemaking and what turns us off.”
Whose
Modern World Are You Living In?
Is the “Modern
World” just an outside influence or do we help facilitate
its creation?
Stumbling
Blocks or Stepping Stones?
“We
thought that our Dream from the Weekend would be a reality . . .
It could be, if we did not allow the pressures of the world and
those within us affect or ruin our Dream!”
Responsible
Attitudes Toward Sexuality
“Assuming
responsible attitudes towards sexuality, therefore, concerns not
only youth and younger couples; it is a duty that applies during
a person's whole lifetime.”
Sharing
in the Dream
Come, share in
this dream - "On every Weekend I see the Dream come true. It
stirs my missionary fire. It makes me want to share this vision
with every married couple and priest in the world. I truly believe
that this is God’s plan for renewing the Church in our time."
Faith
and the Family
“There are
so many things that we can know only by experiencing them. And one
of them is love. The only way you can know what love is, really,
is to experience it.”
American
Families in Crisis
Loneliness
can be a family crisis. True presence and listening actively can
help overcome loneliness as can putting aside ones own concerns
and paying attention to the concerns of the other. We can build
this trust and openness through our daily dialogue.
Marriage
As Sacrament
A priests Easter
reflection about the blessings of the married people in his parish.
Spirituality
and Sexuality in Marriage
"Our
spirituality as a couple is our caring and reaching out to each
other in a physical and emotional way. In our Sacrament, God intended
that the mystery of our physical oneness would have wonderful consequences
which would make us fully human and fully alive. It has!"
The
Most Endangered Species: Catholicana Americana
Are we destroying
the Church from within as this 1982 article suggests? If so, what
do we need to do?
Mary,
A Woman Wrapped in The Silence of Faith
A Lenten
reflection on how the Will of God can be interpreted during the
inevitable big and small tragedies of our human existence.
Is
Love Possible?
Jesus invites us to
an apostolate of love. This article asks the question, “Are
you strong enough to be weak enough to love?”
"Who
Do You Say I Am?"
What is your relationship
with God? How do you relate to God in your prayer life and in your
everyday discussions?
What’s
in a Word... Like Matrimony?
In our marriage,
Jesus is challenging us to become two who gather in His name. His
name is Love. When there is mutual love between our spouse and ourself,
we open ourselves to the, reality of having Jesus in our midst.
Pastoral
Letter on the Sacrament of Matrimony
This
1982 Pastoral Letter on the Sacrament of Matrimony seems very fitting
as we celebrate World Marriage Day 2006.
God's
Desire For Us
"In Marriage,
a husband and wife become ONE BODY. They become the basic unit of
church, the Body of Christ. They become the visible presence of
Jesus. As your priest, I need to see you enjoying your marriage.
When you come to Mass, I need your joyfulness to inspire me to celebrate."
The
First Dialoguers
"Every day when
your grandfather would come home from work we would go to our room
and spend a half hour talking together. Our sacrament is funded
by daily love."
It's
Good to be Children Sometimes - A Christmas Homily
Leave your tree
up for a while, enjoy God's greatest gift, savor the moments of
the next few weeks and, borrowing from hallmark again, give thanks
to the one that cares enough to send the very best.
A
New Beginning
Each year on January
1st we tend to set new goals for the year ahead - new lifestyle,
diet, exercise, etc. Do we maintain the same focus on promoting
a new beginning in our marriage? More importantly - Do we maintain
focus on the true goal of our marriage?
Come,
Dream With Us, Risking Makes The Difference
How long has it
been since you reevaluated your Dream for your relationship, for
your children, for the world your children will live in? Are you
willing to risk in order to renew the church and change the world
that we will leave for our loved ones?
In
Regards to Sex, Enjoy!
"The fact
of the matter is, if we're not talking on a regular basis about
sex and we mean personal conversation then there's something essential
missing in our marriage."
Until
Death Do Us Part
A short poem that
expresses much about our lives together.
Sex:
Celebration Or Communication
As in
verbal communication we need to ask what is the experience telling
us about our spouse and/or about us?
Give,
Don't Give In!
Consensus is a process
for dealing with conflict that takes place between friends who regard
themselves as allies and the problem or conflict as the enemy.
The
Old Ten and Ten Tribe
Hopefully, it does
not take archaeologists to find your dialogue books.
We
Looked So Different Years Ago, When Life Was Fresh and New
Real love
never dies. It just needs lots of patience and care to come alive.
Remember
Sometimes, a poem can so
clearly say what our heart wants to express.
Look
What They're Calling a Radical Lifestyle
A past United States
Secretariat and World Council leadership couple reminds us that
loving each other is a needed counter-cultural lifestyle. Do you
want to join?
Retrouvaille
- Help For Hurting Marriages
Worldwide Marriage Encounter
is to help good marriages stay strong. For couples who need
more than a Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers, Retrouvaille may
be the answer.
Dealing
With Stress in Marriage
Stress is inevitable!
So what do we do about it that is positive for our relationship?
Is
Harmony the Goal?
Does harmony mean
giving in, giving up or just giving? Peace at any price is not good
enough.
Family
Planning vs The Modern World
Read as couples
share their experience of Natural Family Planning.
The
Priesthood: A Call to Relationship
Hear
how this priest answered the question on Friday night of a Weekend
"I can see why there are couples here to present the Weekend,
but why are you here?"
Finding
Our Fighting Style
Fighting for your relationship
keeps communications open.
The
Grace of Healing Love
Small hurts can grow
into debilitating injuries in a marriage without the God given grace
of forgiveness and healing. One such incident is shared in this
article.
Our
Journey in Couple Spirituality
As you prepare
for Lent, and consider some of your options, please take the time
to read this in-depth article about a couple's journey in faith.
The
Story of Händel's Messiah
One of the greatest
Christmas musicals premiered in Dublin, Ireland April 13, 1742.
Combating
Marriage Encounter Burnout
Learn the signs and causes
of Marriage Encounter burnout, and what to do to correct and prevent
the problem.
Music
Lyrics
to I'll Never Find Another You
Outlines
We
Still Live in the Modern World – Series of Presentation Outlines
If
you have been looking for a resource for a selection of great community
night or small group presentation outlines you just struck pay dirt.
Here is a list of presentation outlines with directions for finding
the outlines and more.
Forming
A Couple/Priest Relationship
On the WWME Weekend,
we became aware of the relationship between the Sacraments of Holy
Orders and Matrimony. Most of us leave the Weekend with renewed
fervor to answer the call to be the best couple we can be. Some
of us may have recognized an additional call to be in relationship
with our priests.
Romance
Dinner Planning Information Guide
The purpose
of a Romance Dinner is provide the atmosphere and opportunity for
couples attending to reminisce about their dating days and early
marriage. We are giving them a taste of what they can recapture
for their relationships by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter
Weekend. This outline, which is an update of the "Build
It" resources, includes planning, setup, and running a Romance
Dinner.
A
Question of Balance,
an Outline & Mentality
To be Fully Alive
people, we must strive to maintain balance in our lives. This outline
is for a 40 minute presentation aimed at helping people to reflect
on the balance or imbalance in their lives. Included is an outline,
mentality, an exercise and a Development/Growth Plan.
How
to Prepare a Share Group Presentation – Just the Basics
Here is how
you can, step-by-step, develop a presentation for your Share Group/Love
Circle.
Stories
Is
Your Lighthouse Reflecting God’s Love?
“Our sole
task is to reflect God’s love to everyone around us but, to
do so, we must keep ourselves oriented toward Him.”
Focus
on Focuses
A "Focus"
is the objective or main point of a presentation to be given to
a WWME gathering. This article tells about some of the barriers
to overcome to decide on a topic and prepare such a presentation.
Thank
God for Children Saying Grace
Unity
A reflection on our oneness.
Structure
Pillar
Worldwide
Marriage Encounter Vision & Mission Statements
Diagram
of the U S Secretariat Organization
Presenting
Team Pillar
Coming soon!
Weekend
Support
A
Prayer Letter Primer
Receiving a prayer
letter and having prayer warriors during the Weekend is of utmost
importance. Here is how Western New York prepares their prayer couples
for this important Weekend support.
eMatrimony
Weekend
Packet Flyer
Help promote eMatrimony!
Display this flyer at all gatherings of encountered sacraments,
and put it in your Weekend information packets. Make it easier
for couples and priests to take advantage of the resources available
to them at this site.
Handbook
for Prayer Couples / Priests / Religious
Do you remember
how special it was for you on your Weekend when you received a letter
from the people who had been praying for you? Here are some suggestions
for you to use if you are asked to be a prayer couple (priest or
religious) for a couple, priest or religious attending a Weekend.
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