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Any marriage, no matter how good, can be improved. It needs time and intentional nourishment. Marriage Encounter is primarily designed to make good marriages. Marriage encounter is a special weekend experience, designed to help married couples improve their communication in order to deepen and enrich their relationship. It is an opportunity to look deeply into the relationship with each other in a positive and affirming way. Many who had attended this kind of activity think it is a weekend away from home, family, and responsibilities. A couple is guided in the discovery of a new way of communication that will help them know each other better in a comfortable and secluded environment.
The history of Marriage Encounter can date back in the 1950’s in Spain where a priest named Fr. Gabriel Calvo began developing a series of conferences that encouraged husbands and wives to become more open and honest. In 1962 he brought together 28 Spanish couples for the first “Encuentro Conyugal”. The Marriage Encounter had a great impact worldwide and the first overseas expansion of Marriage Encounter came in 1971. American team couples were sent to Belgium, and later to England, and there are now 72 countries that have experienced the Marriage Encounter weekend.
According to the theme of Marriage Encounter, marriage is a joyous celebration of God’s plan for men and women, shared with the person chosen to be loved. Marriage Encounter put an emphasis on the beauty of totally belonging to one another. Besides, the emphasis of Marriage Encounter is on communication between husband and wife. During the weekend a husband and wife are given the opportunity to share the emotions inside. They are taught how to make such communication a part of everyday life, including communication techniques that permit a couple to explore important areas of their relationship in a spirit of love and understanding. These techniques will bring them much closer together as husband and wife. By continuing the newly acquired technique begun on the weekend, husbands and wives continually grow closer together to live more joyful and purposeful lives.
An atmosphere is created on the Marriage Encounter weekend in which the couple can concentrate exclusively on one another, free of tensions, pressures, and interruptions. The weekend is oriented strictly to each individual couple. You concentrate on your spouse to such an extent you are hardly aware of the other couples present. After each presentation the husband and wife discuss their personal reflections in the privacy of their room. They do not share any aspect of their marriage with the group. This refreshing positive approach to communication in marriage offers an opportunity for growth.
Marriage Encounter is not a retreat or a counseling session. It is a unique approach aimed at revitalizing marriage by helping couples to realize what their combination could be and, indeed, should be. It is a time to concentrate on the one person you have chosen to be the closest to in this world. It is a positive and affirming weekend about love. It has been described as “the 48 hours that will change your life.”