The saying "A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime" sums up the whole idea for us. Think of all the preparation taken for the wedding day. Most people spend months planning, and hundreds, if not thousands of dollars preparing for the wedding. But how much time and effort is actually spent preparing for a Lifetime of Togetherness?

Catholic Engaged Encounter is an investment in the future -- a weekend in which an atmosphere is created for each couple to concentrate exclusively on one another, free of tensions, pressures and the interruptions of daily living. It is a quiet weekend, specifically designed to give a couple planning for marriage, an opportunity to talk honestly and intensively about their future together.

The weekend consists of a series of presentations beginning Friday evening and ending Sunday afternoon. Led by a team of married couples and a religious, the engaged couple is encouraged to talk privately with each other on many aspects of marriage, always from the viewpoint of their own relationship.

Among the subjects couples will have an opportunity to discuss with each other are their ambitions, goals, attitudes about God, money, marital relations, children, and family; about their strengths and weaknesses; and about their role in the church and community. Personal reflection and discussion as a couple is the main focus of the weekend.