Engagement encounters are no different from the church seminars, except that they take longer than a day and are usually held in retreat houses. Some parishes do require engagement encounters together with the church interview when they see the need for it.
These week-end programs are for couples who are seriously considering getting married. A team of married couples, together with a priest, share what it’s like to be married. This gives the couple a preview of the married life, this time coming from real-life couples. Afterwards, the couple may answer a questionnaire or are left to privately communicate with each other. After all, one of the main thrusts of engagement encounters is to provide a venue for couples to assess their selves and their relationship free from concerns such as work, studies, etc.
Engagement encounters help the couple plan the whole marriage itself and not only the wedding aspect. Other topics include family planning, decision-making, communicating and other vital concerns of being married.
In the Philippines, two of the well-known programs are the Discovery Weekend and Catholic Engaged Encounter Philippines. Due to many requests, it is better to contact them early and make reservations.
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Sources:
Discovery Weekend. http://www.DiscoveryWeekend.org
Catholic Engaged Encounter Philippines. http://www.engagedencounter.org/index.html
