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Mission Statement
| Mission Statement |
The mission of St. Thomas Marriage Encounter is to
promote and encourage marriage and family life by offering
National Marriage Encounter weekends at the parish
and a support community that embraces these values.
St. Thomas Marriage Encounter enables people to discover
God's vision of marriage and family life,
thereby leading them to a clearer understanding of
their relationship with each other and with God. |
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What Is The Purpose of Marriage Encounter?
The National Marriage Encounter program is based on Judeo-Christian concepts, beliefs, and morality. The purpose of the Encounter is to assist a couple to discover their marriage through ongoing mutual trust and dialogue. This unique method of dialogue means prayerful personal reflection and mutual sharing, which leads to an enrichment of the marital relationship, as well as growth of the man and woman as individuals and as a couple. With the family as the fundamental cell of society and the married couple as the heart of the family, the Marriage Encounter experience strengthens families and communities.
Marriage Encounter respects and supports the couples as they discover their own dignity, uniqueness and creativity. It is important that married couples continually strive to discover the presence of God in their individual and family lives, and thereby nourish the couple unity that is the goal of Marriage Encounter. Follow-up programs within the Marriage Encounter community enable couples to continue this growth after the weekend.
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When and Where Are St. Thomas Weekends Held?
St. Thomas Marriage Encounter presents Marriage Encounter weekends once a year, normally in late February or early March. It operates as the Palatine Marriage Encounter affiliate of National Marriage Encounter. More information on National Marriage Encountger is available at www.marriage-encounter.org
Weekends are held in the St. Thomas school building. Starting time is 7:30 p.m. on Friday night and ending at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Couples either go home at night, or spend Friday and Saturday night at a local hotel.
The date of the next weekend will be published in the parish bulletin, starting approximately 3 months prior to the weekend, along with the invitation couple to contact for that weekend.
All meals for the weekend are provided, starting with Saturday breakfast. An optional donation to cover the costs of the weekend is requested.
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Who Presents the Weekend?
Members of the St. Thomas Marriage Encounter present weekends in accordance with the principles and guidelines of National Marriage Encounter. An experienced Marriage Encounter clergyman assists in the presentation of the weekend.
The activities of the St. Thomas Marriage Encounter ministry are overseen by a core group of 6 to 10 couples, that meet 4 to 6 times a year. Service on this core group is on a rotating basis, and experienced marriage encounter couples are encouraged to inquire about current or upcoming openings through the parish contact couple. The contact couple can be contacted by calling the parish office at (847) 358-6999.
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Where Can One Obtain More Information?
You can obtain more information about our ministry by contacting the Parish Office at (847) 358-6999 or through our email service at stovparish@stov.org. The Parish Office will then put you in touch with one of our representatives.
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St. Thomas of Villanova