Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends are held throughout the United States and worldwide. This website includes information about weekends held in the Northern Virginia area for the Arlington Diocese of Virginia.
Links for other areas within the state of Virginia – and the surrounding areas of Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, and South Carolina are available by clicking here.
In the Northern Virginia area, weekends are held in the vicinity of Dulles Airport. For weekend dates and locations click here.
If you wish additional information for other areas please visit our national website here.
What is a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend?
Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers a weekend experience designed to give married couples the opportunity to learn a technique of loving communication that they can use for the rest of their lives. It is a chance to look deeply into their relationship with each other and with God. It is a time to share their feelings, hopes and dreams with each other.
The emphasis of the Marriage Encounter weekend is on the communication between husbands and wives. The weekend provides a conducive environment for couples to spend time together, away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life, while encouraging them to focus on each other and their relationship.
It is not a retreat, marriage clinic, group sensitivity, or a substitute for counseling. It is a unique approach aimed at revitalizing marriage.
This is a time for you and your spouse to be alone together, to rediscover each other and together focus on your relationship for an entire weekend. Every marriage deserves that kind of attention!
Who should attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend?
Any married couple who desires to enrich and renew their marriage is welcome to attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend. All married couples deserve time away from the routine of daily life to enjoy time alone with one another — to focus on one another and their relationship. Worldwide Marriage Encounter is designed to deepen and enrich a couple’s marriage, whether they have been married for only a short time, or for many years. While the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is Catholic in orientation, it is open to couples of all faith expressions.
For weekend dates and application, click here.
What happens on the weekend? Is it private? Is there group sharing?
The weekend begins on Friday evening with a presentation at 8 p.m. Couples may arrive at the hotel facility anytime after 6:30 p.m. to check-in to their room and to prepare for the first presentation.
Couples stay at the hotel the entire weekend. The weekend ends on Sunday at 4 p.m. Hotel accommodations and 3 meals on Saturday, and 2 meals on Sunday are included on the weekend. Further information about financial costs are available here .
Throughout the weekend, a series of presentations is given by a team of married couples and a priest. Each presentation allows you and your spouse a rare opportunity to look at yourselves as individuals, then to look at your marriage and relationship to one another, and finally to look at your relationship to God and to the world.
Couples are encouraged to focus on their relationship throughout the weekend. Therefore, the privacy of each couple is protected. The weekend is oriented strictly to each individual couple. You concentrate on your spouse to such an extent that you are hardly aware of the other couples present. The presentations are given to the group as a whole. After each presentation, husband and wife have time in the privacy of their room for their own personal discussion. There is no required group sharing during the weekend.
To apply for a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, or to view the scheduled dates and locations please click here .
How much does the weekend cost?
There is a $50 non-refundable fee required to apply for a weekend. This fee confirms your application and holds a place for you on the weekend. Once we receive the $50 application fee we make your hotel accommodations for you — there is no need to make any additional arrangements with the hotel. In addition, 3 meals on Saturday and 2 meals on Sunday are provided.
On the weekend, you will be asked to make a donation. This donation helps cover the expenses of lodging, food, and materials for the Weekend.
No couple is ever denied the chance to renew their marriage because they are facing financial difficulties. This concern should not influence your decision to attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The amount of donation is totally up to each couple. No couple is denied the ability to apply for a weekend — please contact us if you wish to discuss the application fee.
To apply for a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, or to view the scheduled dates and locations please click here.