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eMatrimony Newsletter
Supporting, Encouraging and Challenging the WWME Community |
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eMatrimony News
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December 2012
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Greetings!
We hope Jesus Christ is coming to you through the love you share with each other, your families and community. It has been a difficult time of year for many of us. So many people have experienced major losses of loved ones this year. Hardly anyone we know remained untouched by death, many have occurred just within the past couple of weeks. Of course the horrible events at Sandy Hook are included in these losses.
We pray with you and for you all - for the married couples, for priests, religious and all living a consecrated life, that we will be strengthened by the Lord and the community of faithful. In this dark time of year we all need to be lights to others, through the love we have been gifted with, the love whose very source is our God in his Holy Trinity. In light of the recent events, this verse from Holy Scripture seems appropriate for everyone to remember and consider:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Below you will find a letter from the new ecclesial team for the North American Secretariat, ScottandKaren Seaborn, and Fr Tom Ogg. Please keep them in your prayers as they embark on their new term of leadership for our continent. Also please pray for them and the other worldwide teams who will be traveling to Colorado Springs from their homes, in late January, for the World Council meetings.
Joe & Linda Oppelt eMatrimony editors 
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Introducing our New North American Secretariat Ecclesial Team:
Scott & Karen Seaborn and Fr. Tom Ogg
Dearest WWME lovers near and far,
Christmas greetings to each of you!
We are Scott & Karen Seaborn and Fr. Tom Ogg, and we were selected to serve as your North American Secretariat (NAS) Ecclesial Team this past August. While we are still in the early stages of un-wrapping this wonderful gift, we continue to be amazed at the many ways God provides for us when we open ourselves to serving our Lord and our Church. We hope that each of you is discovering the same as you serve our Lord in your corner of the world! 
Let us take a moment to introduce ourselves. We, Scott & Karen, have been married just shy of 29 years. We have four grown children and three grandchildren. We make our home in Waterloo, IL, which is just across the river from St. Louis, MO. We made our Marriage Encounter weekend in February, 1993 in Springfield, IL and our relationship and our lives have been abundantly blessed ever since that incredible weekend.
I, Father Tom, am a happy diocesan priest for 44 years, having "retired" in 2010. I was Encountered in 1975 and am a presenting priest since 2000. My little home is at the base of the Big Horn Mountains in Ten Sleep, WY, where I grew up on a farm/ranch. I relish celebrating God's great Love in all the sacraments and in a special way through your sacrificial, generous couple love.
The North American Secretariat is made up of two large countries, Canada and the United States, along with 13 smaller countries in which WWME has a presence. We are blessed to have Jamie and Connie McNeill and Brother John Juhl serving alongside us as the Canadian National Ecclesial Team, as well as Ron and Judy Pekny and Fr. Rocky Grimard, OMI as the U.S. Ecclesial Team.
One of the roles of the N.A.S. Ecclesial Team is to represent North America on the World Council. This Council is made up of a leadership couple and priest from each of six secretariats: Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, and Pan Africa, as well as the International Ecclesial Leadership Team (currently Tony & Cathy Witczak, Philadelphia, and Fr. Emile Frische, MHM, New York City). This Council meets once a year and we are excited to report that the U.S. is hosting the next (and our first) World Council meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado January 19-26. The three of us are eager to expand our hearts and minds as we meet these lovers from around the world, and we can hardly wait to introduce you to them, whether it is by way of Convention or letter to you posted on eMatrimony.
As we enter into this holy season of Christmas, we want you to know that each of you brings the Christ child to us today, just as Mary brought Jesus to us over 2,000 years ago. You are carrying Jesus into our Church and our world each time you love each other in good times and in times of struggle. We thank you for loving each other and for loving us.
Merry Christmas, dear friends! May the joy you experience this season continue to light up your world throughout the New Year and beyond!
With our love,
ScottandKaren Seaborn and Fr. Tom Ogg
North American Secretariat Ecclesial Team
Worldwide Marriage Encounter
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WWME Sails Away On The Norwegian Epic
Picture yourself sitting on the deck of a cruise ship watching as the ship glides into an exotic Caribbean port. Now picture it with a few hundred WWME couples and priests. You can because the Worldwide Marriage Encounter North American Community will be setting sail on the Norwegian Epic for a seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise on Saturday April 13, 2013.
The cruise will serve as a way for the WWME community to come together and enjoy a week of fun while visiting exotic Caribbean ports as we share our WWME values. Ports of call during the week at sea will include St. Maarten, St. Thomas USVI, and Nassau, Bahamas.
"This cruise will be a great opportunity to meet other WWME couples and priests from throughout North America, and share ideas while making lasting friendships and being visible to other married couples on their vacations. We look forward to meeting everyone on board" said outgoing North America Ecclesial Team Jose and Marilyn Garcia and Father Mitch Walters.
While on the cruise we will have the opportunity to attend daily Mass, have a daily 10/10 dialogue question, a get together party, fun contests, and many other activities. There will also be numerous opportunities to enjoy both the varied dining options onboard the Epic as well as the amazing entertainment including the world famous Blue Man Group.
What better way to spend your vacation than soaking up some tropical sun, working on your tan, soaking your toes in the blue Caribbean waters, walking barefoot on the beach, or enjoying your favorite beverage while watching the sun set from the deck of the ship.
New North American Ecclesial Team Scott and Karen Seaborn and Father Tom Ogg said "For years we have had couples say to us 'we should have a WWME Cruise'. Well... the plea has been heard and answered! We are grateful to Jeff and Rachelle for the work they are doing to plan this. And we eagerly look forward to reuniting with old friends and making new ones!"
Great cabins are still available. Also, for those who want to arrive in Miami a day early, we have rooms available on Friday night at the four star Sofitel at the Miami airport. You can join other WWME couples and priests on the cruise by calling Jeff or Rachelle Everts at 877-625-5859. Don't wait, call today and book your cabin for the WWME Cruise 2013.
In addition to the link above, you can also find us on Facebook at this page!
So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and join the fun.
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Longest Married Couple Project Continues in U.S. and Expands to Canada.
The search for the longest married couple project sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith-based marriage enrichment program in this country, enters the family holiday period with nominations from almost half the states. "Our plan, as we have done in previous years, is to not only honor the national longest married couple, but one couple from each state. Based on what we are seeing many family members along with longtime friends are nominating couples for the award," explained Dick & Diane Baumbach and Fr. Dick Morse, the coordinators for the project. The coordinators added, "We know that traditionally families get together during the holiday period and what a perfect time to nominate parents or grandparents who have been married for a long time." They also said that couples can nominate themselves for the recognition. In addition to continuing to accept nominations for couples living in all states, they are particularly being sought from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming. Plans call for Ron & Judy Pekny and Fr. Rocky Grimard, Worldwide Marriage Encounter's United States Ecclesial Team, to personally present the longest married couple in the United States with special gifts from the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement during the February 2013 Valentine's Week. The state winners will be presented their certificates of achievement along with other gifts by Worldwide Marriage Encounter couples. 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 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 and Diane's email; regular mail Dick & Diane Baumbach 8934 Puerto Del Rio Dr. Suite 204 Cape Canaveral FL 32920 and special phone number 321-613-5180. Nominations must be received by January 10th, 2013. The search begins for the longest married couple in Canada CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island, November 19, 2012 - The search for the longest married couple in Canada was announced today by James and Connie McNeill and Fr. John Juhl, the Canadian Ecclesial Team for Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. "We are pleased that our marriage enrichment ministry can take this opportunity to celebrate husbands and wives that been married for many, many years," said Mr. and Mrs. McNeill and Fr. Juhl. "In addition to recognizing the longest married couple in the country, we want to honour the longest married couple from each province and territory." National winners will be recognized in May of 2013. This is the first year that the highly acclaimed project will be held in Canada. The project is entering its third year in the United States. Nominations are open to husbands and wives regardless of religious affiliation, and may be submitted by a friend, family member or the couple themselves by email, regular mail or phone. To nominate a couple, simply submit the names of the husband and wife, their wedding date and where they currently reside, as well as a contact number or email address of the person nominating the couple. Nominations can be sent as follows: Renew Marriage email; regular mail to WWME Canada, 15 Centennial Drive, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 6C6 or phone (902) 367-2061 . Nominations must be received by January 10th, 2013. |
 WWME North American Convention 2014: Living with Passion/Viviendo con Pasión!
Hello Dear couples, We are excited to use this venue to greet and wish you a wonderful holiday season!!
We also want to ask you to please save the date for our next North American Convention in Pasadena, Texas, on July 25 - 27, 2014.
The convention theme is: Living with Passion/Viviendo con Pasión, and we would like to invite you to follow us on Facebook: WWME North American Convention 2014 Please participate by "liking" this page, posting comments and giving us feedback on what would you like us to publish on our news feed. Here is an invitation video from us: WWME 2014 NA Convention Invitation Video Hugs and God bless you, Rodrigo & Yoli Juárez 2014 NA Coordinators |
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World Priest Day/
Priesthood Sunday
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| Contact Information | | eMatrimony Editors
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