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eMatrimony Newsletter
Supporting, Encouraging and Challenging the WWME Community |
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eMatrimony News | Late October 2010 |
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Greetings!
This month we celebrate and honor our priests! October 31 is World Priest Day/Priesthood Sunday! Let's show our priests some love and appreciation for their sacrifices and for all they do for the parish, the Church, and the Kingdom!
We also have exciting news about the "Longest Married Couple Project" - read below for more info! Prayers for Sudan, Trick or Treat Enrichment, and news from India and Fiji round out this edition of eMatrimony. Please check the "Quick Links" section, below right, for new links to PDF documents from Fiji and India - the articles are quite enriching and touching. Also a few articles on the recent Asian Conference are linked there.
Love, Joe & Linda Oppelt eMatrimony editors |
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World Priest Day/Priesthood Sunday
 
World Priest Day (WPD) is a celebration & affirmation of the men who commit their lives to the Lord and the Church via the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It is an opportunity for Catholic parishioners to thank, affirm and share their love and support for our priests.
Whatever you do, and whatever you call it, just be sure to tell your priests how much you love and appreciate them! |
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Longest Married Couple Project
The search is on for the longest married couple in the United States, as announced in a press release on October 11 by the U.S. leaders of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith-based marriage enrichment program in this country.
"We want to honor the longest married couple on Feb. 14, 2011," explained Scott & Karen Seaborn and Fr, Tom Griffith, SVD, the United States Ecclesial Team for WWME.
"It is an appropriate time in our marriage enrichment ministry to recognize a husband and wife who have been married for many, many years," the ecclesial team explained.
In addition to the longest married couple for the entire United States, recognition will also be given to a couple from each state who has achieved that distinction for their area.
In the case of the United States couple, appropriate gifts will be presented to them at a ceremony to be held at their location on Valentine's Day. The state winners will receive a special certificate of achievement from the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement.
Nominations, which are open to all husband and wife couples regardless of faith expression, may be submitted by email, regular mail or by calling a special phone number. The process will be overseen by Dick & Diane Baumbach and Fr. Dick Morse, who serve as the North American Weekend Pillar for the WWME movement.
The contact information for sending in a nomination, which simply requires the name of the couple, their wedding date and where they currently reside plus a phone or email address, is as follows.
email: Dick & Diane Baumbach;
regular mail:
Dick & Diane Baumbach 1430 Scorpious Ct. Merritt Island, FL 32953
Special phone number 321-453-2475.
Nominations must be received by January 10th, 2011. |
 | | Fr. Cyrus Gallagher |
Request for prayers for the people of Sudan
Recently Fr Cyrus Gallagher OFM Cap., a longtime WWME priest, is asking for prayers of our worldwide community. Here is his request:
Five years ago, after years of civil war the people of Sudan in Africa came to a powerful decision. They decided to "declare peace" and hold an election in five years to determine whether their country should divide into two North and South independent States or stay as one. That voting is to be held 9 January 2011. The requirements are that the vote be 51% for one or the other option and that 60% of eligible voters participate. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has allocated an unprecedented 4 million dollars in a "peace-making" plan to mobilize voters via radio and loud-speaker vans throughout the entire country. CRS has taken no position, but simply wants to support a fully free and democratic voting. Sudan is predominately Catholic and the Sudanese Bishops are asking the world to join with the Sudanese people in praying daily till 9 January 2011 for a successful majority vote and peaceful acceptance of the outcome. In global solidarity, our US Catholic Bishops are asking us to participate in daily prayer with our brothers and sisters in Sudan for a peaceful outcome of the voting. Feelings are understandably high in this issue. Without a peaceful majority vote, civil war could break out again in devastation possibly worse than the genocide in Rwanda some years ago. We in Marriage Encounter are asked to join in this daily prayer. My suggestion is that each of us write a note as simple as "Lord bless the people of Sudan" in our daily dialog at least till 9 January 2011. - Fr Cyrus Gallagher
If you would like to contact Fr Cyrus for any reason, click here.
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Patricia & Doriano at the Convention |
Enrichment Reflection:
Trick or Treat?
The spooky, scary season of Halloween is upon us. What prompts children to overcome their fear of the dark, of the unknown, in order to venture forth into the night? Is it the promise of enough treats to last for weeks? Perhaps it is more than that. Perhaps it is the facing of their fears that offers the greater satisfaction.
Fear can be a helpful emotion reminding us to proceed cautiously in unfamiliar situations. It can warn us of impending danger based on past experiences. It can prompt us to action in an effort to save another. Fear can motivate us towards change. For example, fear of heart attack can motivate us toward a healthier lifestyle. However, fear can also hold us back.
The same fear that cautions us not to go too close to the edge of the canyon, also restrains us from appreciating the immense grandeur of God's creation. The fear of the homeless man on the corner may prevent us from revealing God's kindness and hope to him. The fear of a spider may prevent us from acknowledging the beauty of its intricate web structure and its value in the garden. The fear of rejection may prevent us from making a new friend or taking on a new challenge.
Fear often keeps us from being all we are meant to be. Fear stems from our insecurities about ourselves and our abilities to face a situation. For example, they need help at church to run one of the bazaar booths, but you are afraid to help because you judge that you are not fast enough at making change. Since a volunteer can't be found, that booth is cancelled. Everyone suffers because of your fear: the church, the people attending the bazaar, and, most importantly, you. Fear also prevents us from asking for help, because it means that we have to expose our weaknesses. We have to become vulnerable. Using the example above, it could mean admitting to another that you have a weakness in finance. If you had asked a friend to help with the money, the booth could have been manned, another person might have felt needed and included, and the church would have profited in both money and morale. Fear can be both a positive and negative force in our lives. We need to find the balance. Before we can collect our treats, we must face the tricks that fear projects onto our life.
Happy All Hallows Eve!
10/10 Questions:
- What fear have I been afraid to share with you? How do I feel about my answer (HDIFAMA)?
- How are my fears holding me back from a more intimate relationship with you? How do I feel about that (HDIFAT)?
- Is fear a positive force in my life helping to effect change for the good or a negative force that keeps me from being the person God wants me to be? What are my feelings about that (WAMFAT)?
Patricia and Doriano are the Canadian editors of eMatrimony. |
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 North American Convention Followup: Convention DVD
The 2010 Worldwide Marriage Encounter Convention in Atlantic City provided many memorial moments. Some clips from the convention are on YouTube. They are a small glimpse into two convention DVD's totaling over 6 hours of convention video. The videos are ready for distribution on the WWME website, WWME.org or go directly to wwme.promoshop.com.
The cost is $20 for both DVDs.
Please paste the link below into your browser to view the convention 2010 clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S67T0qVPMr0
La Convención 2010 del Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial en Atlantic City dejó muchos momentos memorables. Las siguientes escenas de la convención son sólo un vistazo de un total de más de 6 horas en 2 videos, los cuales deberán estar listos para su distribución el 1ro. de Septiembre. Los puede buscar en la página nacional de internet: WWME.org or wwme.promoshop.com |
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North American Convention Followup, Part II - PHOTOS!
WWME 2010 Convention Photo CD with images from all three days of Convention, Couples & Section & Priest Day.
To order, email Marisa with your Name & Mailing Address.
Cost of CD is $20.
Please send a check or cash to Marisa Avramovich at 89 S. Roosevelt Ave. #6 Pasadena, CA 91107. Thanks!
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Follow-up: Reflections for Scripture Dialogue & Personal Prayer
Unfortunately the supply of books has run out! However the author of this wonderful resource, Fr. Paul Oborny, has graciously given us the electronic PDF file of the book so that you can now download the file and print out one or several pages, as needed...
Here is the link:
Thanks and Happy Dialoguing!
Love, Joe & Linda Oppelt
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10/10 Dialogue 
How do I feel when someone points out my failure or weakness in front of others? Describe in loving detail.
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| Contact Information | | eMatrimony Editors
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