Malawi’s Marriage Encounter, a lay Christian Family Movement in the Catholic Church will on Saturday, September 12, celebrate the 30th anniversary for the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the national couple Godfrey and Selina Mwenelupembe and national team Priest, Fr. Jos Kuppens have confirmed.
According to Godfrey Mwenelupembe, the anniversary celebrations will be held at St. Pius Parish in the Archdiocese of Blantyre and the main activity of the day will be a Holy Mass.
“We have invited various dignitaries including senior clergy in the church, government officials as well as members of the movement locally and internationally. Other family movements in the Church have also been invited,” reads the invitation letter co-signed by the National Ecclesial Team in Malawi comprised of Godfrey and Selina Mwenelupembe with Fr. Kuppens.
Mr. Mwenelupembe said Worldwide Marriage Encounter is one of the Christian family movements in Malawi whose vision is “Love one another as I have loved you” where as its mission is to proclaim the value of Marriage and Holy Orders in the Church and in the world.
“According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a charism is a specific gift or grace of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefits the Church, given in order to help a person live out the Christian life or to serve the common good in building up the Church,” said Mr. Mwenelupembe.
He said Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples, priests and religious an experience of deepening relationships in a Catholic tradition.
“Our name defines who we are (worldwide) and what we do (encounter another). “Worldwide” means open to all, but it also reflects our unity.Throughout the world, Wherever Worldwide Marriage Encounter is present, there is conformity to the same concepts and values.
“Marriage” refers to the spousal relationship between a married man and woman. In the wider sense, it also refers to the spousal relationship of priests and religious with the people of God. “Encounter” means “to meet” and it reflects the exposure of married couples and priests to the full meaning of their sacrament as they meet each other and Christ within their sacramental relationships,” he said.
The story of Marriage Encounter began in 1952 when a young priest in Spain, Father Gabriel Calvo, began developing a series of conferences for married couples, whose focus was on the development of an open and honest relationship within marriage and learning to live out a sacramental relationship in the service of others.
Here in Malawi, WWME came to Malawi in 1985 by His Grace Lordship late Bishop Chimole, (may his soul continue resting in peace), and the family has since 1985,continued to grow in membership as well as in their endevours of being visible sign of Christ in their families, community, church and parishes. We have so far about 700 encountered families, 19 encountered priests and 18 encountered sisters.