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From the Wedding Show held
in Wellington recently:
The best comment we heard
was from a couple who approached the stand and in a big voice were saying
“That’s what marriage is all about. That’s what we need”.
The CEE stand
at the Show was very favourably received (and not at all "out of
place" as we feared it might have been) amongst all the "trade"
stands of wedding dresses, suit hire, photographers, car hire, venues,
wine merchants, florists, cake decorators,
etc.
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Other comments from CEE weekends...
"Really appreciated
the talks and the openness of them." - Rachael
"Best thing I have done
for 'us' in a long, long time. So helpful to our relationship. It was
fantastic to have a weekend to solely concentrate on my partner without
the pressures of the world" - Andrew
"Thank you for this
weekend. We really valued the privacy and the time to explore our relationship
further. It was wonderful to reaffirm our love and commitment and confirm
that we are on the right track" - Radha
"Tremendous benefit
to me and I learnt a lot about myself and how best to communicate, get
through problems, etc. I feel so much better about our marriage and
our life together" - Jonathan
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"As a non-Catholic,
I was very hesitant in relation to the non-acceptance of other Christian denominations
at a Catholic Church weekend. I was very pleased that you were very open to
other denominations and made us feel welcome. I got an understanding of some
of the Catholic beliefs of my partner" - Murray
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"Being a non-catholic
I was dreading the weekend. In the end I found it enjoyable and informative
and I will recommend it to others." - Gary
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"A fantastic
and inspiring weekend. I feel it has benefitted our relationship. Having the
opportunity and time to talk intimately to each other with no interuptions was
great and I found it rewarding listening to the presenting couples' very deep
and personal experiences. We will really encourage all our engaged friends and
those considering marriage to attend" - Vicky
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"As an atheist
I was a little concerned about what would happen but as soon as the talks started
I was overwhelmingly glad to be here. I think EE provides an excellent coverage
of what many people do not realise - relationships need work, need skills and
tools (especially for communication and forgiveness). I think every couple who
is involved in a serious relationship should be here" - Chris
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This article was written
for the "WelCom" (Wellington region catholic newspaper) recently by
Tina and Nick after their 'Engaged Encounter'...
TINA AND NICK'S CEE
EXPERIENCE
Tina and I were married
in February of this year in the Waihi catholic church near Turangi. As a requirement
for our marriage preparation we travelled from the Hawkes Bay for the CEE and
had little idea what to expect of our weekend in Wellington. Tina being a non-catholic
felt quite apprehensive about the weekend, and I felt obliged to go as part
of the requirements for being married. We were in for a good surprise.
Right from the start
the openness and honesty of the lead (married) couples made us feel touched
that they would share such personal experiences for the benefit of the young
couples gathered. Sharing their experiences of married life with the group also
made us feel obliged to share openly with each other and later with the group.
Having Dot and Den and Caroline and Matt as such down to earth, approachable
couples was important for making the weekend a success.
The format of describing
potential issues to be expected in our married life together, writing our thoughts
individually and then sharing them with each other was a great way to share
views without the complications of face to face discussion. It was a good way
to answer the questions honestly. Over the two days the group was spread around
the grounds scribbling in note books so we were also lucky with the weather.
While not keen on the
idea prior to the weekend, staying on site was the best way of removing all
potential distractions from a weekend in Wellington. This helped us focus on
what would be one of the most important steps we would make in our lives. It
also gave us a good break from the task of organising the wedding day. We were
made to think hard about what we were getting ourselves in for, an opportunity
we may not have taken otherwise.
We discussed a whole
range of issues over the weekend. These ranged from religion, starting a family,
our values and beliefs and money. Many of these topics we had never talked abut
before and haven't really touched on since. However, by taking the time to write
down our thoughts and feelings on these issues Tina and I discovered new things
about each other's values and why they were important.
Driving away from Wellington
we both felt that we were very lucky to have attended the course and felt a
lot closer to one another. We knew that we had gained a lot from the weekend
although found it difficult to describe the experience to many of our friends.
Despite the big group it was a really personal time and we gained insights into
our future life together that we never expected or considered.
Tina and I have referred
to our note books a few times over the first year of our marriage, sometimes
when we need reminding about why we fell in-love and more recently, why we have
committed to loving each other in our marriage. With family now expected soon,
we're sure this commitment will be tested plenty of times but feel confident
that it was a good decision.
We would recommend the
CEE weekend to anyone preparing for marriage. Even though the weekend is run
by the Catholic Church, any couple would benefit from the course and not feel
overwhelmed by topics that specifically deal with religious issues. It was really
important for us and we are very grateful to those who organised the course
and shared their experience of marriage so openly with us.
Tina and Nick Giera
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