Programs for Engaged Couples

The Office of Marriage & Family Life is offering a virtual retreat experience for engaged couples to assist with their spiritual preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony. Because engaged couples may spend a great deal of time and energy arranging the practical details of their wedding day, they may lose sight of the real significance of that event. This retreat will help couples refocus on the meaning of that milestone.

The retreat has two main objectives; 1.) to help couples recognize how God is a partner in their relationship actively calling them to marriage and 2.)  to help them understand what God is asking of them in marriage so that they can knowingly respond to that call. To meet those objectives, the couples will learn a variety of ways to pray both individually and as a couple to include God in their relationship. They will reflect on the Scripture readings pertaining to marriage from the marriage ceremony to understand the demands of God’s call. They will reflect on the various elements of the marriage ceremony which have implications for their married life. They will experience support and inspiration from the other couples present, both married and engaged.

The schedule for the retreat includes a full-day  on Saturday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM and a morning session on Sunday from 9 to 11:30 AM followed by a pre-recorded Mass.

COST: $100 per couple.

2021 Called to Love Retreats:
January 16-17
February 6-7
March 13-14
April 17-18
May 15-16
June 12-13
July 17-18
August 14-15
September 18-19
October 16-17
November 13-14

Called to Love Registration Information:

Registration is only considered complete when both registration and payment are received.

Register Online with Credit Card

If you would rather pay by check:
If you wish to pay with a check, you will need to mail in your registration. To begin, download and review the Information/Instructions Sheet for Called to Love, then print out a copy of the Called to Love Registration sheets (which can be downloaded below). Fill out the forms and return them to us via mail, along with your check or money order.

The check can be made payable to: Diocese of Baton Rouge. 

Mailing Address
Office of Marriage and Family Life
Diocese of Baton Rouge
P.O. Box 2028
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

Catholic Engaged Encounter is a two-day retreat designed to give couples the opportunity to deepen their relationship with each other and with God. Couples are invited to dialogue honestly and intensively about their prospective lives together including their strengths and weaknesses, their desires, their ambitions, their goals, their attitudes about money, sex, children, family and their role in the Church and society. Through these dialogues, couples are challenged to explore their relationships in a much deeper, more honest way than they have before.

A team consisting of two married couples and a priest present a series of concepts throughout the weekend. After each presentation the engaged couples are given time to reflect individually on important questions and write their thoughts in their workbooks. Then, they are given additional time to discuss their responses with each other. These personal reflections and couple dialogues lead to an increase in communication and a better understanding of the importance of God in their marriage. CEE has also made the necessary changes to be Covid-19 compliant by having each couple only interact with each other and return to their homes at night.

Remaining 2021 CEE Weekend Schedule (with Covid-19 variations):
       June 26-27^th
       August 21-22^nd
       November 20-21^st

The registration fee for the CEE two-day retreat is $160.00 per couple which includes Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday lunch.  
Click here to go to the Engaged Encounter website.

This is a program for engaged couples in which one or both parties have been previously married. It involves private sessions with the host couple over a flexible period of days and can be tailored to personal schedules.

How to Get Started:
Contact one of our host couples to set up your first appointment:

Vera and Ben Dunbar
225-324-2939
225-324-5808
vera717@cox.net

Karen and Dwayne Vidrine
225-937-6826
225-229-2476
adisneymom@cox.net

You can also call Mila Gernon at 225-242-0323  in the Marriage and Family Life Office.