Volunteer

What is Engaged Encounter?

Please visit our About the Weekend page

Where are the weekends given?

Please visit our Dates & Locations page

Who makes the weekends happen?

It takes many people to make a weekend happen. There are EE couples that work behind the scenes to handle business and logistics. The EE team scheduling couple schedules the teams on the weekends. The financial couple handles the budget

The local coordinators oversee everyone and act as a liaison with the facility managers. The priest scheduling couple schedules the priests and the enrichment couple schedules enrichments for the monthly meetings.

On the weekend EE support couples greet and check the engaged couples at the facility. Finally, a priest and two presenting couples deliver the weekend's talks and facilitate the activities. When the weekend is complete the support couple and two presenting couples clean up.

What benefits will we gain from being part of the EE community?

First and foremost you will become part of a community of couples who share a deep commitment to their marriages, their families, and their faith on a day-to-day basis.

Second you have the opportunity to increase your spirituality through optional community activities.

Finally, as a presenting couple you will be reaffirmed as the two of you share significant experiences from your marriage with the engaged couples.

What ways can we get involved?

Support Couple - Provide support to presenting couples and priests throughout the weekend.

Presenting Couple - Presents the weekends Do you have other talents (artistic for banner making, or a knack for finances?)? Do you own a business that would be helpful to us

Prayer Couple- Pray for one of the engaged couples while they are on their retreat weekend.

Yes! I want to be involved, what do I need to do?

If you are ready to learn more, contact Ty & Derric Salvant at: (504) 286-4650

Who can become a support couple?

Any couple who wants to serve can become a support couple, even if you are not married yet.

Who can become a presenting couple?

Presenting couples are practicing Catholics who have been married at least one year.

How many weekends does a presenting couple give each year?

Because of family and time commitments, it varies from couple to couple. Most couples average two weekends a year.

Are there other commitments for the presenting couple?

Presenting couples as well as all team couples are encouraged to attend a regular business meeting once a month. In addition, many of the presenting couples take other responsibilities for the running of the organization: finances, web page, facilities, priest scheduling, team scheduling and much more.

What do we do with our children?

Children of any age are always welcome at the business meetings. However, for weekends, babysitting arrangements need to be made. Arrangements can often be made with other teams.

Talk to a group? We aren't public speakers!

Neither are we. That's why we have our talks written out.

How will we know what to write about?

All talks are written from outlines, which develop basic ideas and values. Presenting couples and priests add their own experiences to illustrate the concepts set forth in the outlines. You will be assigned an experienced EE "workshop" couple to help you develop your experiences and put them down on paper.

Are there any financial obligations?

There are no financial obligations for the volunteers. The community pays the cost of room and board of a weekend.

How do we know if EE is right for us or if we are right for EE?

For most positions you can try it, as you like. For the presenting team this is a strictly a try-before-you-buy plan. We'll invite you to be our guest on a weekend. You'll experience the weekend from the perspective of the engaged couple and you'll have the opportunity to imagine yourselves as a presenting couple. If you like the weekend and can see yourself in the picture we'll invite you to write three talks. You'll write your talks under the guidance of an experienced presenting team. When you are ready, you'll be given the opportunity to present those talks on an actual weekend. Only after you've had the chance to actually experience being a presenting couple, will you will decide whether to make the commitment to finish writing the talks and become a presenting couple.