The Marriage Encounter Weekend was originally created by a Spanish, Catholic priest to nurture the married couples in his parish. Worldwide Marriage Encounter now appears in many faith expressions. The weekends are given within the framework of a variety of different faith traditions and are supported and encouraged by many of the major Judeo-Christian religions.

A Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend's focus is about marriage and relationships and, in the process, explores God's role in working at your marriage. The weekend is conducted by volunteer Catholic couples and a priest. The team of presenters share some of the joys and struggles of their relationships, within the context of their faith.

The weekends are open to all couples no matter what their religious persuasion. Couples who attend weekends are a broad mix of Catholics (both practising and not), non-Catholic spouses and couples from other faiths or no faith at all. The opportunities of the weekend go beyond the boundaries of any one faith and no attempt is made to force a particular religious viewpoint during the weekend.

Priests and other religious are also welcome and encouraged to attend! Priests who have made an Encounter weekend call the experience "life enhancing" and gain valuable insights into marriage and the married couples with whom they work and socialize. The Marriage Encounter weekend is designed in such a way that both priests and religious can participate fully. The principles of love, commitment and effective communication translate quite readily to the relationship between a priest and his parish or any group to whom he ministers as well as to a religious community. Interested priests may wish to take advantage of our networking process by which we can help you get a replacement for the weekend you choose to attend.