Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Suggestions For Setting up Parish-Based Sharing Groups

The following suggestions are offered for areas that may be seeking to begin new share groups or to
reorganize existing groups. Please remember that although we reference our Catholic parishes, we
know that there are many interfaith couples in our communities and we do not intend to exclude them,
nor do we recommend excluding any couple that wishes to belong to a given community but who lives
outside of the geographical boundaries of the group.
RATIONALE FOR PARISH BASED SHARING GROUPS
Worldwide Marriage Encounter sharing circles are small Christian communities. Over the last decade,
the Church has been concerned with the lack of community in our parishes and is encouraging the
formation of groups like ours. Building up an Encounter Area based on parishes or clusters of parishes
supports our Catholic Church, and is advantageous to our movement as well. Couples involved with
other couples in their own locality are better able to accomplish the mission of WWME, which is to
renew the Church, and to provide ongoing support for the lifestyle introduced on the Weekend.
Marriage Encounter also has a unique gift to offer the church: it is the only organization that focuses
on the growth of spirituality as couples, rather than as individuals. This dimension of our movement
enriches the Church and expands the understanding of the sacrament of matrimony. Working within
the structure already provided for us in our dioceses, we can be more effective in our goal of changing
the world. When we work and are active within the parishes, our priests see the value of Marriage
Encounter and are more likely to help us in our mission. Building parish-based circles is an
opportunity to tie ourselves back to the Church we serve.
BENEFITS
Parish-based groups encourage inviting new couples to the Weekend because recruiters know
they are working to build their own community. The
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promote the Weekend either. Boundaries can be fixed for accountability. For example, a given
group can be responsible for inviting efforts in five or six parishes. There may be only one
sharing group to start with, but no parish would be without a WWME contact couple.
Parish-based groups make it easier for couples & priests to become involved in Marriage
Encounter because the gatherings are more conveniently located. Many times they already
know some of the people involved in the community.
Prayer couples come from the Parish Circle and they are more likely to be able to take the
couple to the reunion or the meetings. They also have more occasions to remind their protegs
of the gatherings since they will be likely to see them at church or in the community.
Couples are more likelytorunintoeachotheroutsideofmeetings.Thishelpsbuildsenseof
community. It is also a reminder of the Weekend to those couples, even the ones who choose
not to become involved in the sharing group.
Pastors are more aware the Marriage Encounter is alive and well and that Marriage Encounter
couples are assets in the parish. They have a group of couples to call on when they need help
with many different ministries.

Parish based groups encourage evangelization because the experience of Christian community.
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plan for marriage. Our passion can also attract others to our Church.
Parish-based groups make it easier to invite un-encountered couples to events such as Romance
Dinners to give them a taste of M.E. and encourage them to attend a Weekend.

HOW TO ESTABLISH PARISH-BASED COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE IS NO

EXISTING COMMUNITY
o Pray for success!
o Look at parishes in the area for possible grouping.
o Focus on several specific parishes for Inviting.
o Contact each pa
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o Send each pastor an information portfolio and a video.
o Establish parish contact couple from each parish.
o A sharing group can be started with as few as 2 couples who are willing to meet
regularly. These couples can come from one parish, or from a group of parishes that are
in proximity to each other.
o Put announcements in the bulletins inviting couples who have previously experienced
Weekends to get involved.
o Experienced couples from other areas could help angel new groups.
o Holding initial meetings at a parish rather than in a home might be more comfortable
for new members. After trust has been established, the meetings can be moved to
homes.
o Work in an organized fashion, one parish or deanery at a time.
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HOW TO ESTABLISH PARISH-BASED COMMUNITIES WITH EXISTING CIRCLES

o Pray for success!
o Survey existing Circles to see what parishes are represented. There could already be a
natural grouping of couples.
o Assign area parishes to each circle and make them accountable for inviting efforts in
those parishes. That would help to give them ownership for the mission in their area.
o Cont
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odo. Send each pastor a
promotional portfolio and a video.
o Assign a contact couple in each parish if possible.
o Put announcement in parish bulletins inviting couples who have experienced a
Weekend to join the group in their local area.
o Target specific parishes for pulpit talks to build up areas where there are no circles.
o Create a sense of mission and renewal in the Church to help form other groups. One
way to do this is to encourage attendance at area enrichment experiences. These events
help empower the couples to reach out and place them in contact with other dreamers
and believers.
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