catholic brides

amandalynn81887

Hello ladies.  Are there any brides getting married in the catholic church who are required to go on a retreat for the church?My wedding is out of state, but living here, it would be best to do the retreat here.  Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions for retreats you already took or will be taking? Thanks in advance!

maryandkirk0909

I had friends take the 1 weekend class at SLU and really enjoy it.

EMNI

I was in the same boat as you, only the reverse (wedding in STL in home parish, but living out of state.)  We ended up taking a one day class (9am-4pm) here in NC, but I called first to make sure that would be okay because on the STL archdiocese web their classes were a total of 10 hours...so check first if there is a required amount of hours with your home church.The St. Louis Archdiocese offers a retreat weekend, classes, and Parish-based sponsor couple experience.  I've heard some pretty amazing things about the retreat weekend from friends who have attended.  It's run like a seminar and you and your FI will have some alone time to discuss the various topics.  The classes are run in the same way, but you are rushed through your discussion time; thats what I felt like at least.  A good friend took the one day class that lasted 10 hours...he was not a fan but,  some of the classes are split up into two days either in one weekend or two. Looking back, I think I would have picked the retreat weekend. Here is a link to the Archdiocese/office of Laity and Family Life:http://tinyurl.com/ndukg7HTH!

amandalynn81887

thanks EMNI.  I had been to that website, but I like how you described it.  That makes more sense to me haha.  My church does not have a specific requirement, the priest simply said we need SOME preparation. 

nlreed22208

Our priest recommended the retreat. We got a lot out of it and thought it was good for our relationship. There are other things you can do though that dont involve the entire weekend. Try looking up st louis engagement encounter weekend and it should pull up the retreat. Our retreat was at the marinest (spelling) center on 109 in Eureka. I really liked it a lot. Good Luck!

morris2010

My fiance and I are looking into going to the retreat in Eureka. There isn't much info on the website about the engaged encounter weekend. Any info would be great. What were your accomodations like?

linda_lou_lou

Hello, My fiance and I went to the Engaged Encounter Weekend in Eureka last July...it was the best experience! It was far more powerful than I could have imagined. I have to admit that I was dreading the whole thing, but actually truly enjoyed myself and feel as though our relationship is stronger. It erased any doubts that I had. I would recommend it (or the equivalent) to any engaged couple. They also have similar weekends for married couples, so I intend to participate in the future for sure! As far as accommodations go, you do have your own room, but will only be there to sleep or for meetings between you and your fiance. The weekend focuses on you as a couple, so there is not a whole lot of group interaction other than listening to the "talks" from some wonderful, experienced married couples, in the large meeting room. So, I do recommend it--when else do you get an opportunity to spend the whole weekend focusing on one another and your relationship? Good luck and best wishes! Linda