Guyana - Worldwided Marriage Encounter

HISTORY

How WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER came to Guyana

The story of Marriage Encounter really began in Spain. In 1952 a young priest named Fr. Gabriel Calvo began to develop a series of conferences for married couples. Each conference ended with a question that encouraged the couples to look at the concepts presented in terms of their own relationship. In 1962, Fr. Calvo presented the conferences as a Weekend Retreat to 28 couples in his native Barcelona. It was called "Encuentro Conyugal."

With the help of the Christian Family Movement the Weekend spread in 1966 to Latin America and then to Spanish speaking couples in the U.S.A. In 1967 at the close of the Christian Family Movement Conference at Notre Dame University, a Mexican Couple and an American Missionary Priest from Mexico presented the first Weekend in English to 7 couples and a few priests and nuns. The Movement began to grow in the U.S. with the help of the CFM. The New York area quickly became the Centre of the Marriage Encounter activity and, under the leadership of Ed and Harriet Garzero and Fr. Charles A. Gallagher, SJ, the weekends grew until by 1970 an Encounter was scheduled for every weekend.

In 1971 American couples traveled to Belgium and later to England to present the Weekend. There are now about 80 to 90 Countries in every part of the world in which The Marriage Encounter Weekend is presented in the native language of the people.

Marriage Encounter Weekends are always open to all faiths. But in 1971 the decision was made to introduce Marriage Encounter to the Jewish and Episcopal faiths. The Catholic Movement supported them financially, and with teams for guidance while their programs began. Since then, many religious faiths have developed their own expressions of Marriage Encounter. These include Anglicans, Assemblies of God, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, United Church of Christ, and United Church of Canada.

In Guyana, the first priest to become involved was Fr. Michael A. Coutts, S.J. He was the coordinator of the Marriage Preparation Course for the city of Georgetown. He was invited by Fr. Chuck Gallagher to come up to New York and make the Marriage Encounter Weekend. He did this in November 1976. He was selected as a team priest and did his training in New York itself. While doing his final year as a Jesuit in Denver Colorado, he had the opportunity to give weekends in Los Angeles, Denver, New York and Bangor Maine. When he returned to Guyana in 1977, he was contacted by Wilfred & Kay Holder. Wilfred & Kay, a Guyanese couple, living in Belize, experienced the Weekend early in the 70's and started to team there. When they returned to Trinidad, where they were originally living before they went to Belize, they got into contact with the M.E. Movement in Canada and were instrumental in getting the Canadians to introduce the Weekend to Trinidad in November 1978. In 1979 the Holders came to Guyana to start the groundwork for introducing M.E. to Guyana. In July 1979 Fr. Anthony Metcalfe SJ went to Trinidad to experience it and decided to join the Team Community. He did his Team Training Weekend in Toronto in November 1979. Also in 1979, three couples, Vincent & Olive Perreira, Victor & Doris Lewis, and Aubrey & Joan Collins, and a Diocesan priest, Fr. John Smith, were recruited to experience separate Weekends overseas.

With the help of these couples as a core for the initial arrangements, the first Weekend in Guyana was presented at the Park Hotel in November 1980. Trinidad provided the financial backing and three teams for thÿÿe Weekend with Fr. Coutts as the Team Priest. In all a total of 48 Weekends were held between the period November 1980 and November 1999

The Trinidadian teams helped with the first five Weekends. The first Guyanese team couple were Billy & Sandra Fernandes who presented on the third Weekend in April 1981. Terry & Pat Solomon presented on the fourth Weekend in July 1981, and Chris & Noelma Lam presented on the fifth Weekend in November 1981. The first Weekend with all Guyanese teams was held in February 1982 with the three Guyanese couples and Fr. Anthony Metcalfe, SJ.

The first six Weekends were all held at the Park Hotel, then, to reduce the costs the venue was changed to St. Paul's Pastoral Centre. One Outreach Weekend was held in New Amsterdam, Berbice, in September 1990. The Teams on that Weekend were Richard & Gillian Van Sluytman, Chris & Noelma Lam, Lloyd & Desiree Grannum, and Fr. Derrick Maitland, SJ

Another outreach Weekend was held in Essequibo in January 1999 at the Arabian Atlantic Hotel in Henrietta, on the Essequibo Coast. The Teams were Anthony & Sharon Mansell, Charles & Yvonne Quintin, Chris & Noelma Lam and Fr. Ben Parrott, SJ.