Signers add their names to a proclamation banner in support of a lifetime commitment to traditional marriage during the 40th international convention of World-wide Marriage Encounter in On-tario, June 28. More than 800 couples signed the banner.

By Voice staff

Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a weekend program designed to help married couples deepen and enrich their relationship, is offering two weekends in Pleasanton, Sept. 12-14 and Nov. 21-23.

Each weekend has three primary goals: to rekindle romance, improve or restore communication, and renew commitment, according to the Marriage Encounter website (www.lovemoredeeply.org). Through a series of presentations by three couples and a Catholic priest, couples learn how to focus more fully on each other and on God’s place in their marriage.

After each presentation, the couple has time in the privacy of their own room for personal sharing based on special communication techniques learned during the weekend, said Roberta Montes, a Marriage Encounter leader with her husband Ray in the Oakland Diocese. “There are no group discussions,” she said.

An atmosphere is created, she said, where each couple can concentrate exclusively on each other in a private, confidential environment. Each weekend begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and runs until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Between 20 and 30 couples usually attend the weekend, which is held at a hotel or retreat center.

There is a non-refundable registration fee and a request for a donation to cover food and lodging costs. Additional information and a pre-application form is available at: www.lovemoredeeply.org

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