Within the Catholic Diocese of Arlington there are multiple opportunities for couples to enrich and enhance their marriages.
Sacred Heart of Jesus - Winchester: Date Night
Date Night at Sacred Heart is a large social gathering of couples with a catered meal (and spirits). The focus is on having the couples engage in a relaxed setting, let them get to know other couples in the parish, and hopefully also provide a little dose of Catholic culture by focusing the night on one of the Saints or a Feast Day, etc. This is highly supported by the pastor Fr. Lundberg who does his best to be present at all the monthly gatherings. One night will be a Stump the Pastor night where couples can ask the priest(s) any questions they would like. It is a great evening and often is filled with good theology and humor. It has been greatly received by the parish and about 45 couples attend the event on average!
If you are interested in hearing more about Date Night at Sacred Heart in Winchester, or if you would like to hear more about getting a similar group started at your own parish, feel free to call Mark and Beth Schloemer: schloem@comcast.net.
All Saints - Manassas: All Saints Married Apostolate
The group for married couples at All Saints used Covenant of Love as their model after Greg and Julie Alexander came to All Saints for a Valentine's Day event! After completing the program of videos, they broadened the range of topics and materials. Typically about 12 to 20 couples attend every month (including the core team couples), and there are couples of all stages of married life (including engaged). Through the past six years, Date Night at All Saints has included the following topics or activities: the four temperaments, forgiveness, lectio divina, the five love languages, the not-so-newlywed game night, and dance lessons!
If you would like to receive notifications regarding upcoming events at All Saints in Manassas, email allsaintsmarriage@gmail.com. If you would like to learn more about how to get a similar group started, contact Joe Duda: fe2man07@gmail.com.
Holy Trinity - Gainesville: Marriage Ministry
Marriage Ministry at Holy Trinity also began with Covenant of Love! The ministry at Holy Trinity strengthens and supports married couples by offering monthly date nights which affirm spousal love, provide continual learning, and encourage spiritual growth. Date nights blend dinner with inspirational talks, interactive discussion, mingling with other couples, and of course prayer. Whether your marriage is young, old, thriving, struggling, or anywhere in between, you are invited to join!
If you would like to receive notifications regarding upcoming marriage enrichment events at Holy Trinity, or if you would like to learn more about how to start a similar group at your parish, please contact Mary O'Kray: maryokray@gmail.com; (703) 494-1104.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - Lake Ridge: Ten Great Dates
The marriage enrichment group at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton began with the videos produced by Ten Great Dates. After completing the video program, the organizers began to have the couples listen - on their own time - to a CD by Lighthouse Media which would feature a talk on the subject of marriage by speakers such as Scott Hahn, Greg and Lisa Popcak, Matt Kelly, Jason Evert, Dr. Ray Guarendi, and Dr. Tim Gray. Then, on Date Night, the couples come to the Church, drop off their kids for free babysitting, do an ice-breaker, and briefly discuss the topic (about 30 minutes). After the short discussion, they can go for dinner on their own while the kids are watched. There are many young couples in the group! An advantage to this model is that couples can easily go on a “double-date,” if they wish to connect with another couple more closely, while also receiving a bite-size portion of nuptial theology.
Marriage & Family Life - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (setonlakeridge.org)
If you are interested in learning more please contact Melissa Maleski - m.maleski@setonlakeridge.org.
St. Francis de Sales - Purcellville: Teams of Our Lady
There are three Teams at Saint Francis de Sales, each consisting of about six couples. For their monthly meetings, they gather at one of the couples' homes and start with dinner, where they each give lighter updates from each of their family lives for a few minutes each (“the whip-around”). After dinner, they settle in for a more focused discussion. For this portion, the pilot resources by Fr. Caffarel, the founder of Teams, have been used, as well as Dr. Edward Sri, St. Francis de Sales, and other personal selections. The gatherings also include “highs and lows,” reading of Scripture, and petitions, and the evening concludes with the singing of a psalm. The small community of faith is usually joined by a priest who serves as an informal advisor.
If you are interested in hearing more about a team in Purcellville, please feel free to contact Michael Galdo at M.Galdo@saintfrancisparish.org. If you are interested in Teams in the northern Virginia area, please contact sector couple David and Carol McCaffrey at themccaffreys22003@gmail.com. If you are interested in finding a Team outside the metropolitan D.C. area but still in Virginia, please contact regional couple Ed and Gilda Cadieux at coastal-rc@teamsofourlady.org.
Church of the Nativity - Burke: Marriage Enrichment Ministry
At Nativity Catholic Church, we support engaged and married couples on a path to holiness through resources and programs with the Marriage Enrichment Ministry. A Catholic marriage is a vocation that thrives on the support and encouragement of the entire community, and at Nativity, we strive to build community and forever Christ-centered marriages. With the vocation of marriage, we empower couples to build, restore and maintain healthy relationships while embracing spiritual values. We accomplish this by fostering a community of mutual support.
Our core principle is The Marriage Enrichment Ministry strengthens marriages in the Church and provides support to all couples called to the holy vocation of marriage.
Our slogan is: "The Joy of Love and Marriage." Since we are Nativity Parish, our patron saints are St. Joseph and Mother Mary.
Our goals are:
- To celebrate and affirm the gift and vocation of Christian Marriage.
- Deepen relationships with God.
- To provide practical help and tools for couples to grow in their life together.
We have date nights about every two months after the Saturday evening 5 PM Mass that affirms spousal love, provides continual learning, and encourages spiritual growth. The date nights provide inspirational talks and guest speakers, different themes and topics, interactive discussions, and prayer to enrich marriages.
We also have couples with Teams of Our Lady and a 2nd team is forming. Email Jennifer for the contact for Deacon Dave McCaffrey or Lou and Sandra Volchansky. More information can be read here https://www.teamsofourlady.org/.
In the fall and spring, we also offer a marriage program such as Better Together, Witness to Love, Joined by Grace, 10 Great Dates, Beloved- Finding Happiness in Marriage, Fight Less- Love More, The Beatitudes: Finding Happiness in Marriage, 6 Dates for Couples, and other wonderful programs.
In the fall and spring, we have a marriage enrichment mini-retreat. Couples attend the Saturday 9 AM Mass and then stay for the mini-retreat from 10 AM until Noon.
At Nativity, we also have a Wedding Coordinator Ministry to assist with wedding planning at the parish, to be supportive at the rehearsal and the day of their wedding. Being attentive to details and assisting during this special time provides comfort and eases to the bride and groom to remain focused on their marriage.
For those engaged, every couple is paired with an Engaged Mentor Couple to connect with. Mentor couples assist the priest in forming engaged couples in God's plan for marriage according to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
For those who would like, when going through the annulment process- a time of healing, we do have prayer warriors available to meet or pray for the person. We also have prayer warriors and mentor couples for anyone who would request to be paired with another couple.
Couples love to be connected to a couple who has already been through the teen years, college years, or are empty-nesters. Marriage mentorship and prayers are for all ages and stages with children in the home to strengthen homes being a domestic church. The basic cell of society is the family, founded upon marriage. At Nativity, we also have a College Ministry, Young Adult Ministry and Young Family Ministry for those married to also participate in.
During the summer months, we continue meeting in group settings to connect and pray with other couples. There is a beauty in coming together in small groups and meeting others in their homes. Our summer events include lawn games at the parish (families and the Family Ministry invited); Old Town Alexandria Tours (couples only); Burke Lake Hike (couples only); Clifton Ice Cream outing and corn hole, Frisbee and football (families invited), movie theater outing (couples only), other local outings, and small group gatherings in backyards/decks. It is a time to build community and come together in fellowship. Coming together in small groups allows couples to make friends with other couples, be a catalyst for spiritual growth, provides an intimate prayer setting, can offer “accountability partners,” and support.
Website: https://nativityburke.org/marriage-enrichment-ministry/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nativitymarriageenrichmentministry
For further information contact:
Jennifer Sturgeon
Director of the Marriage Enrichment Ministry
marriage@nativityburke.org
or call 703-861-7720 ext. 116
St. Rita of Cascia - Alexandria:Teams of Our Lady
There are currently about seven Teams in the Alexandria area. One of these teams began as a women's prayer group, where they would watch each other's kids while one would go to confession! They discovered the Teams program and got organized. Now they have the prescribed dinner, “whip-around,” and discussion of the endeavors and the reading. They see the necessity of having a priest on the team and for the couples to discuss the reading on their own as well as part of the larger group. The annual retreats have tended to be one-day retreats rather than overnight trips, and destinations have included the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and the Saint John Paul II Shrine. In times when a group retreat has not been feasible, the couples still find it important to go on retreat as a married couple on their own.
If you are interested in hearing more about the Teams around Alexandria, VA, please feel free to contact Sarah Greiner at sdgreiner1@verizon.net. If you are interested in Teams in the larger northern Virginia area, please contact sector couple David and Carol McCaffrey at themccaffreys22003@gmail.com. If you are interested in finding a Team elsewhere in Virginia, please contact regional couple Ed and Gilda Cadieux, at coastal-rc@teamsofourlady.org.
Basilica of Saint Mary - Alexandria: Date Night at the Basilica
This is a brand new marriage enrichment group, and it's happening in Old Town! The group will be a speaker series that meets quarterly in the Lyceum (313 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314). One of the first to speak to the group will be Beverly Tauke, a marriage therapist, who will be speaking on communication. Dinner and drinks will start at 7:00pm. The program concludes at 9:00pm, though it is followed by fellowship at Union Street Pub on S. Washington Street. Future topics will include Theology of the Body for married couples, parenting strategies, budgeting, and family of origin issues.
If you are interested in learning more or joining the group, please contact Ann Somerset and Erica Englefield at datenightatthebasilica@hotmail.com.
Our Lady of Angels - Woodbridge: Una Familia Mejor
Una Familia Mejor es un grupo de parejas casadas que se reúne dos veces al mes en la parroquia de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles en Woodbridge. Entre diez y quince parejas asisten cada reunión, donde se tienen discusiones acerca de la fe y temas tales como la santidad en la vida conyugal, una nueva encíclica papal (si la hay) y demás literatura relevante.
Asimismo, un retiro para casados es organizado en la parroquia cada marzo, donde se presentan charlas y música, incluso posibilidades de confesión y adoración del Santísimo Sacramento. El retiro es dirigido por el Padre Alex Diaz y los temas se enfocan en las necesidades e intereses particulares de parejas en la comunidad. Tanto el grupo como el retiro son para casados hispanohablantes.
Para más información, comuníquese con el P. Alexander Diaz: padrealexdiaz@gmail.com
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