A Wedding Is A Day, A Marriage Is A Lifetime®
Welcome
Congratulations on your engagement, and welcome to the Catholic Engaged Encounter of Greensburg! Our community has been serving the Greensburg Diocese for many years. Most of the couples that attend our weekends live in the Greensburg area, but we warmly welcome any engaged Catholic couple that needs to complete a pre-cana program.
Our Community
Our community currently hosts several weekends per year, and have team couples that volunteer their time to share the gift of marriage with engaged couples. Our weekends are typically held at Christ Our Shepherd Center.
FAQ
It is a time for a man and woman to prepare for the sacrament of marriage by building and deepening their relationship. Free from the pressures and distractions of life, the engaged couple has the opportunity to concentrate exclusively on each other while examining the essential issues they will encounter within marriage.
Yes, the CEE weekend retreat fulfills the requirement for Marriage Preparation in the Diocese of Greensburg.
We recommend that couples attend 6 months prior to their wedding.
The weekend is designed for a man and woman preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church.
The weekend costs $300 per couple.
A team of two trained married couples facilitate and guide the weekend. Team presentations involve personal sharing on marriage and family life issues.
The design of the weekend encourages the engaged couples to privately explore five major themes: the family they grew up in, Sacramental Marriage, communication, intimacy, and values.
You should arrive at the Christ Our Sheperd Center in Greensburg at 7:00 pm on Friday.
The CEE retreat begins at 7:30 pm.
Sunday approximately at 3:00 pm
Weekends are held at Christ our Shepherd Center in Greensburg.
The retreat center is similar to a college dorm. Two women share a room and two men share a room. There are common bathrooms for each sex.
A weekend stay is necessary to keep the atmosphere generated by the encounter.
Everyone is asked to bring a snack to the weekend (cookies, pretzels, fruit, etc.) to share with the group. The Christ Our Shepherd Center has requested only store bought snacks be brought to the weekend. If you are on any medication, be sure to bring enough to last the entire weekend. All meals are provided, as are towels, and bedding. The retreat center is dorm style and you will be sharing a room with another person. Please no alcohol, other drugs, or sex on the weekend.
Each couple will receive two workbooks to use throughout the retreat. These are yours to keep. The workbook provides an outline of the retreat and topics covered. Due to varying factors, such as meal times, slight differences in presenter’s length on topics, we are unable to provide exact timing of each presentation. Most presentations, individual reflection and couple reflection time total about 60-90 minutes.
YES, it is very important that you stay for the entire retreat. If you arrive late or leave early, you will miss important parts of the retreat experience, and we will not be able to give you your certificate of completion of the retreat.
Yes, we do ask that you observe a few basic rules.
- Please refrain from the use of alcohol and illegal drugs.
- Please respect this is a Catholic retreat – we ask that you dress appropriately. Gentlemen, please no hats.
- Please remember the weekend is presented at a Catholic facility and be respectful of your surroundings.
- Please do not leave the weekend, for any reason, unless an emergency arises. If you need to leave, please speak to one of the team members.
Dress for the entire weekend is casual. Please dress comfortably. We will attend Mass during the weekend, however casual attire is acceptable.
Catholic Engaged Encounter is a smoke free environment, and due to state law all of our facilities prohibit smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes. If you do smoke, each facility has designated smoking areas outside of the building. Additionally, as a sign of respect, we ask that you please refrain from using e-cigarettes or vaping inside the facilities as well.
Planning a wedding can be a fun and exciting time. It can also be stressful. Catholic Engaged Encounter offers a weekend-long retreat away from the hustle and bustle of life, where you can focus on each other, your relationship, and what it means to become a sacrament. While couples spend the majority of the retreat together – there is not much free time. Couples should plan to start their day a little earlier and work a little later than they typically would on an average weekend at home.
Catholic Engaged Encounter offers a weekend-long retreat away from the hustle and bustle of life, where you can focus on each other, your relationship, and what it means to become a sacrament. As such we ask that couples refrain from using electronic devices as much as possible – including cell phones.
No, the purpose of the Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend is to interact with and talk with your fiance about issues you may not have already discussed. If your fiance is not present, you will be unable to complete the program.
Reservation Policies
If your reservation is not paid in full at least 2 weeks before the start date of the weekend, it will automatically be cancelled without the possibility of re-booking. All cancellations earlier than 2 weeks before your scheduled weekend will incur a $50.00 administrative processing fee. If you cancel less than 2 weeks before your scheduled weekend, we are unable to issue any refund due to the policy restrictions at the retreat house.
Testimonials
Volunteer for CEE
Our community is always looking for charitable people to donate their time to our ministry. We often reach out to ask for prayers for the engaged couples that attend our weekend. The couple will receive a personal note card with the name(s) of those praying for them. This ministry can be fulfilled from the comfort of your own home!
If you have a strong call to serve our community, you and your spouse may be interested in serving as a team couple. Serving as a team couple involves writing talks on topics using your personal marital experience. To serve as a team couple, you and your spouse must be a couple in good standing with the Catholic Church.
If you would like to be a face in our community, but aren’t called to be a team couple you may be interested in serving as a host couple. Host couples arrive before the weekend starts to help engaged couples to their rooms at the retreat center. This commitment involves an hour or two of your time, but serves as a warm welcome to the engaged couples we serve.
Volunteer Today
Donate
Our community relies on the generous support of individuals like yourself to make our weekends accessible to all engaged couples. Couples with financial hardships appreciate your help in covering the cost of the retreat house, meals, and the workbooks they need to make the most of the weekend. If you feel called to support our ministry, please use the link below to give within your means. Our community appreciates your consideration and support!
Get in Touch
Please contact us if you have any questions. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
