eMatrimony Newsletter 
 
Supporting, Encouraging and Challenging the WWME Community
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eMatrimony News  
 March 2012

Greetings! 

   

There are so many great stories to share it's almost too much for one edition! So we have included many links for you to go to other webpages to read the full story.

Lisa and Gary Morris, of Acworth, Ga., encountered in 1978 and currently serving as the National Executive Lay Couple for Worldwide Marriage Encounter United Methodist, were featured in an article about "The Power of Daily Writing" on the American Profile website. See the sidebar "Marriage in the News".

Also take a look at that sidebar area for just a few of the recent
articles generated about marriage, most of them concerning the Longest Married Couple results. Dick & Diane Baumbach and Father Dick Morse, North American Weekend Pillar Coordinators, provide a recap of some of the results of this year's project.

Also - please don't forget to register for the 2012 North American Secretariat Convention! The convention will take place in Sacramento CA on July 13-15. Please see below for the link and more details.The website now has a neat video to watch!


Joe & Linda Oppelt
eMatrimony editors

Have a blessed Lent and a joyous Easter!

    

 

ENRICHMENT: There is a WORLD in Worldwide Marriage Encounter  

David and Christine Baldiga, Section 20 

 

Oftentimes we say: "We went on a Marriage Encounter weekend" or "We're going to a Marriage Encounter community event. " We may not even notice that the word Worldwide is included in everything to do with our movement. Our movement's name is "Worldwide Marriage Encounter "and it is truly a worldwide movement. Currently WWME weekends are presented in over 90 countries, in 11 faith expressions and in numerous languages and dialects. In the last 40 years more than 7 million couples have attended WWME weekends throughout the world. That is ONE BIG Family!

 

In our local area we may not realize that we have this family and that this family extends way beyond our weekend. Our WWME family shares the same mission: To proclaim the value of Marriage and Holy Orders in the Church and in the world. This mission goes beyond lofty words. Our movement's leaders are committed to interdependence, a spirit of cooperation and mutual support, a stake in each other's sacraments for the good of the world and the good of the Church. Interdependence also means that we support each other spiritually and financially. Recent reach out efforts include bringing the WWME weekend to China, Cuba, Russia, and the Solomon Islands.

 

We have two opportunities for you to experience more of our WORLDWIDE family: 

2012 North American WWME Convention: Encountered couples and priests from North America and beyond will gather in Sacramento, California on July 13-15th to share and celebrate the richness of our movement. There will be a "youth track" so consider making this a family vacation.

For more information go to:
 2012 NAS Convention Website

Share Group Twinning: This exciting new initiative offers local share groups the opportunity to connect with a share group across the world via email, Skype or other communication means. The basic idea is to offer support, growth and love to our family in another time zone and culture. We can be connected by and through love. For more information or to sign up email Chris & Dave with your sharing group contact information such as email address and languages spoken.

Dialogue Questions: 

Living our sacrament can change the world. HDIFAT?
HDIF being part of a worldwide movement?
HDIF thinking about others around the world have a stake in our marriage/priesthood?
HDIF about us having a stake in the marriages of others around the world?
HDIF about us having a stake in the lives of priests around the world?
HDIF about inviting couples and priests to the weekend?  
2012 North AmericanWWME Convention Logo
Speaking of the Convention...

 Here is the latest information on the upcoming 2012 North American Secretariat Convention in July.

With the 2012 North American Secretariat (NAS) Convention less than four months away, hosting couples from Sections 12 and 17 are nearing the home stretch.

"Members of our 20 convention committees are hard at work, making final preparations for an unforgettable, family-oriented gathering of passionate lovers." said Jose and Trini Chavez, the convention chairs.

Already registrations of couples and priests have surpassed 400 for the July 13-15 event being held in Sacramento, California.

"We expect to reach 500 registrations shortly, we are confident our communities do not want to miss this extraordinary event. Our aim is for couples and priests to renew their sacramental lives, to renew their commitment to our Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement and to take away the message of the weekend to everyone Jesus puts in their path. The Convention 2012 theme is Sharing the Dream and our dream is to see this convention become a rallying point for couples and priests to share their passion for sacramental love and to energize their communities with excitement," Jose & Trini said.

The convention features a Priest Day program from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, July 13, at the Sheraton Hotel.
Bishop Eusebio Elizondo
Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, keynote speaker
The event costs $100 per couple and $75 per priest. (Lunch is included.)

For the convention itself, registration begins at 3 p.m. Friday. And, the convention's first day runs from 6 to 10 p.m., with our keynote speech delivered by Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, the current Episcopal moderator for Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

 

Click here for more information
(the link will open aPDF file).

En Espaol:

Con la convenci�n del secretariado norte Americano a solo cuatro meses, parejas anfitrionas de la Secci�n 12 y 17 est�n llegando a la recta final.

"Miembros de los 20 comit�s para la convenci�n est�n trabajando arduamente, haciendo las preparativos finales para lo que ser� una inolvidable reuni�n de parejas y sacerdotes que se aman el uno al otro con pasi�n." Dicen los coordinadores de la convenci�n, Jos� y Trini Ch�vez.

Hasta el momento ya rebasamos las 400 registraciones para este evento que se llevara acabo el 13 al 15 de Julio en Sacramento, California.

"Nosotros esperamos alcanzar las 500 registraciones muy pronto, estamos seguros que nuestras comunidades no dejaran pasar esta oportunidad de ser parte de un evento extraordinario. Nuestra meta es que parejas y sacerdotes renueven sus vidas sacramentales, que renueven su compromiso hacia el movimiento del Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial y que se lleven el mensaje del Fin de Semana a todos aquellos que Jes�s ponga en sus caminos. El tema de la convenci�n es Compartiendo El Sue�o y es nuestro sue�o es que esta convenci�n impulse a parejas y sacerdotes a compartir su pasi�n hacia un amor sacramental y que lleven a sus comunidades la emoci�n que vivieron en la convenci�n." Jos� & Trini dijo.

La convenci�n ofrece el programa del D�a del Sacerdote de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. el viernes 13 de julio en el hotel Sheraton. El evento cuesta $100 por pareja y $75.00 por sacerdote. (Incluye almuerzo)

 

Para la convenci�n, registro comienza a las 3 p.m. el viernes y el primer d�a de la convenci�n empieza a las 6 p.m. a 10 p.m. con nuestro Orador Obispo Eusebio Elizondo, que es el moderador episcopal del Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial.

 

 Click here for more information en espaol.

World Marriage Day logo
More Longest Married Couple/World Marriage Day Coverage

Here are just a few of the many articles in February, covering the Longest Married Couple Project & World Marriage Day     

World Marriage Day celebrates strong marriages, Vancouver, BC

Love lasts: Catholic ministry honors Arkansas' longest-married couple
http://www.arkansas-catholic.org/article.php?id=2879
Aurora Couple Receives Worldwide Marriage Encounter Recognition (Illinois)

˜Fight like heck and kiss and make up" (Archdiocese of Baltimore)
Baltimore Certificate

Retrouvaille helping marriages get back on track(Calgary Herald)

 

Recognition of WWME in Rome!
Click the links below to read all about it!

 

Patricia-DorianoConvention

Tough Times

Doriano & Patricia Baisi   

 

Tough Times. That phrase is bandied about frequently, but what do people mean when they say "Tough Times"? It means they are struggling -- in some personal way. When we struggle, we often feel overwhelmed like we are carrying the world on our shoulders. We cry out to God, "Why? Why me? Why now? When will it end?" God seems silent, but in reality He is busy answering our questions. We are often just too busy coping to hear the answers. Each struggle carries a message He wants us to hear, but we must stop, wait, and patiently listen for those messages.

 

We struggled with hard times a number of years ago when we discovered in the same week that I was pregnant with our third child and that Doriano would be laid off for three months! Those three months dragged out to three years. Doriano managed to keep us going with odd jobs and his Employment Insurance, but those years definitely fall under the category of "Tough Times".

 

Yet, when we look back on those days, we marvel at our inventiveness and God's gentle assistance. We found inexpensive ways to entertain the children; we took them to the dollar movies shown at a local community centre every Saturday. We took long walks in the parks when the weather was nice. We played cards with our friends instead of going out. We learned to make every dollar stretch as far as it could. And when the money could stretch no farther...God would provide Doriano with a temporary job or someone, like Ron, a kind parishioner, would press money into our hand when greeting us at church. God, in his wisdom, revealed our creativity to us and the generosity of the people in our parish.

 

Patricia and I have struggled with our relationship. We married young. We came from very different backgrounds with different expectations. She moved from the United States to my home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She soon became pregnant and she had no friends or family to help support her. Our relationship suffered as hormones intensified her feelings of homesickness and loneliness and fear of being a mother. I struggled to understand what she was going through and wondered whether we had made the right decision to marry so soon. Nothing seems to hurt as much as "Tough Times" in a relationship.

 

What lesson was God whispering in our ear as we struggled to make a life together? He gently led us closer together. We had nobody else to lean on, so we leaned on each other. He taught us how to build a family together; we weren't just individuals anymore, we had begun a new combined unit that required our openness to change and our dedication to continue to build on the foundation we had started.

 

A disagreement with our parish priest caused hurt feelings and a disillusionment with the Catholic Church for Patricia. She stopped going to Mass and entered into a deep well of depression that only seemed to get worse as time progressed. She sorrowfully trod the path through the dark valley of the soul. It has taken counseling and deep soul searching for her to find her way back to God and to the Church. Being embraced by the priests of Marriage Encounter and hearing their messages helped in the healing process and gently guided Patricia back to her Faith.

 

Through all that dark time, God remained faithful to us. That was God's message for us. He was not going to abandon us just because of "Tough Times". When God seems far away or hidden behind a dark curtain, it is during these times that God holds us close to His heart and toughens us up for the spiritual battles to come. Faith grown only during easy times is not faith. Faith must be tested in fire to harden it like the steel in a sword. In order to truly believe in God, we must question and examine our faith. We need to accept God into our hearts with the conviction that He is real, that He loves us, and that He will never abandon us. This is not an easy process; it wasn't ever meant to be easy. It is a necessary process.

 

Currently, we struggle with the "Tough Times" of medical problems. Patricia's back pain has been diagnosed as a herniated disc in her lower back which is pressing on a nerve and causing sciatica down her left leg. Patricia is in a great deal of pain and is prescribed strong pain killers. She finds it difficult to sit because the chair presses against the affected nerve, so she mostly stands or lies down. Needless to say...this limits what she can and cannot do. Computer work is limited and now done standing up at the kitchen counter; of course, she can only stand for a short time. She is bored and frustrated and lonely.

 

What does God whisper to us at a time like this? Patience. Prayer. Love. Reflection. Trust. Acceptance. Not just for Patricia, but also for Doriano. It's not easy to be supportive of an ill spouse, child, relative, or friend. You want to help them, fix them, so they are no longer in such pain. We need to accept that it will happen in God's time and in God's way. He always has a reason even if we do not understand it.

 

Why does a loving God allow "Tough Times" to invade our life? We are like plants. Plants must struggle to push their way through the rocky soil in order to reach the sunlight before they can flourish. When scientists make it too easy for plants to reach the sunlight, those plants often fall prey to disease or disaster. They didn't toughen up enough to survive the hardships of life above ground.

God allows challenges into our lives to toughen us up so we can survive the onslaughts of life. Tough times present us with an opportunity to learn compassion and empathy and patience. If we always had an easy life, how could we understand another's struggles? We experience kindness from others and, from that, learn how to extend kindness. We learn how help others and how to ask for and how to accept help for ourselves. Supporting one another through the challenges of life, the "Tough Times", helps to build relationships and our sense of community as we are brought closer together from our shared experiences.

  

P.S.

Thank you and God bless you for all of your prayers for Patricia as she struggles with her pain and tries to keep her spirits up. We have a small magnet on our fridge that helps keep us going and may help you during your "tough times". It says: "Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together can't handle."

 

10/10 Questions

1. What is God trying to teach us through the experience of our current "Tough Times"? How do I feel about my answer?

2. I remember the "Tough Time" when ____________________ happened. How do I feel about that time in our lives?

3. What was the most creative solution or activity we discovered during a Tough Time in our married life? What are my feelings remembering this?

4. Describe in loving detail the last time we reached out to a person or couple experiencing "Tough Times." How did I feel about reaching out at that time?  

5. What specific "Tough Time" we've experienced as a couple drew me closer to you? How do I feel about my answer?

6. When we had to ask for help during a "Tough Time", how did I feel? How do I feel about my answer?

7. Going through "Tough Times" has taught me ________________________. How do I feel about my answer?

8. The message I am hearing from God about our "Tough Times" is: ________________. How do I feel sharing my answer with you?

 

 

Longest Married Couple Project Followup 
Dick & Diane Baumbach and Father Dick Morse
  
 
A second successful  year for this project!  National, statewide and local media coverage reported for state and national winners.  There were winners from 47 states.  The national winners, Wilbur and Theresa Faiss from Las Vegas, NV were acknowledged by the White House and the President plans to return later this year to Las Vegas to formally recognize them.  Based on the Advertising Value Equivalency Model, which calculates the value of media/public relations exposure,  it is estimated that the publicity generated by this project equaled  $6.1 million dollars of paid advertising.Including a two page, center-spread about the 2011 national winners in the new JC Penney catalog/book which was sent to 14 million homes.   National media that either covered or reported on the presentation to Mr. & Mr. Faiss by Scott & Karen Seaborn, USET, included Time Magazine, CNN, Fox News, London (England) Daily Mail etc.

We also wanted to share with you a wonderful letter that was forwarded to us. We have heard several similar stories from section leaders, area leaders and community couples as they participated in the Longest Married Couple project.

What we have discovered with this project, it not only spreads the message of WWME, it also provides a special gift to those who are presenting the awards.

What a beautiful experience we had! We followed the GPS to 9636 Woodruff Ct parked across the street. As we looked up, we were followed by about 10 cars who had all come single-file down the cul-de-sac at exactly 1:30 so as not to ruin the surprise.

We ALL (with about 30 family members) approached the front door with balloons, candy, flowers and framed certificates in hand - even a proclamation from the Mayor of New Haven declaring it "Jack and Thelma Flory Day"! As Thelma opened the door and her eyes opened wide and a huge smile came across her face, we announced to her that her daughter Carol had nominated Thelma and Jack for the "Longest Married Couple" in a search by World Wide Marriage Encounter. Then we said, "and you won!" She said "We did? I can't believe it, I can't believe it!"

They welcomed us all into their home where we made our presentation of items and they both were humbled and so gracious. Their family all hugged them and the surprise was a huge success. The family had brought a special cake, food and drink, old photos and a binder that contained love poems that Jack had typed on a typewriter to Thelma, the most beautiful poems of love, faith and affirmation. I don't know that we could have found a more deserving couple. How inspired we are and blessed to have had the privilege of meeting this wonderful couple and their family.

Jack (90) and Thelma (87) Flory married May 9, 1942 at St Peter's Church in Fort Wayne. They are parishioners of St John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Haven.

Enjoy, Rick & Julie Nill
Northern Indiana Area Leaders
 

 

In This Issue
ENRICHMENT: There is a WORLD in Worldwide Marriage Encounter.
Speaking of the Convention
More Longest Married Couple/World Marriage Day Coverage
Recognition of WWME in Rome
Longest Married Couple Project Followup
Marriage in the News!
Quick Links
Marriage in the News!

Here are a few of the many recent articles in the news recently. Click on the link to take you to the article. 

 

The Power of Daily Writing
American Profile Website

 

A lifetime of learning
to trust God

Catholic News Agency Website, reprinted from Arlington Catholic Herald  

 

February: A Time to Celebrate Love and Marriage   

 

 

National Marriage Week

St. Valentine's Day: Celebrating true love and commitment

 

 WWME interview with Radio WWL 815AM  

Upcoming Events

North American 2012 Convention
Sharing the Dream ~ Compartiendo El Sue�o

2012 North AmericanWWME Convention Logo

Save the Date!
July 13-15 2012

Sacramento Memorial Auditorium


Sections 12 and 17 will be jointly hosting the 2012 North American Convention in Sacramento, California on July 13-15, 2012 at the Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento Convention Center. Plan on joining us for what is anticipated to be a very exciting convention! Update your calendars now!

  

Dear Friends and Lovers,

We are happy to report that planning for Convention 2012 has been an exciting and life giving experience for all of us in Section 12 and Section 17. We look to coming together on July 13-15, 2012, in Sacramento, California.



Convenci�n Norte-Americana del 2012
"Compartiendo El Sue�o"

Las Secciones 12 y 17 ser�n, conjuntamente, anfitrionas a la Convenci�n Norte-Americana del 2012 en Sacramento, California los d�as 13-15 de Julio del 2012 en el Memorial Audit�rium del Centro de Convenciones de Sacramento.  �Planee asistir a lo que se anticipa ser� una convenci�n muy emocionante! �Marque su calendario desde ahora!
Click here for the Convention website.

New feature on the website: Look Who's Coming

 

Contact Information
eMatrimony Editors

 

For comments related to this newsletter, or if you have something to contribute related to WWME, please send e-mail to the editors, Joe and Linda Oppelt, or to Canadian editors Doriano and Patricia Baisi, or to Spanish editors Israel and Mercedes Martinez.