Catholic Engaged Encounter

kristen86

New Member
Hi gers,

Any of u going for Catholic Engaged Encounter 12 - 14 Jan?
For those who've attended previous weekends, what should we pack for the weekend?
 


jmi

New Member
Hi there

I am attending 12-14 Jan's EE.

Pack separate toiletries, proper clothing for mass on Sunday evening. A cardigan, the hall can get quite cold.
 

kristen86

New Member
Oh cool, so i guess i'll see u there. Just got a call from the coordinators and they gave me all the info i need.

How old r u by the way? I think i might b the youngest there. I'm turning 21 this yr...
 

jmi

New Member
Hi Kristen

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, was busy with work and all.

Not sure If I met you during EE though. There were so many couples there.
 

jmi

New Member
Oh...such co-incidence. I was sitting beside you during today's session.
happy.gif
 

clldavid

New Member
Eh. Gladys wanna noe how U felt about the proposal. Is it anywhere near your dream proposal?

Ur FH should consider himself lucky man... I was contemplating on doing it, so if I did, then would have done it before him. Just that I decided not to due to a number of reasons (conditions that Gladys gave me for proposal not met, including must have "sparkly", must not be in front of a lot of people etc)
 

clldavid

New Member
Hi sea blue,

Who are you ah? Haha. We're still planning for our marriage. Still got quite a long time, thanks to finances.
 

jmi

New Member
Well, I don't want to compare if it's my dream proposal or not. It was totally unexpected.

If you had done it, I'm pretty sure he won't have done that though. So nothing much to be lucky about..
happy.gif
 

kristen86

New Member
Haha,

Actually i tot it was quite sweet, and i
kao_cry.gif
when ur bf (now fiance) proposed to u!

I wun haf minded the same thing, despite all the "conditions" i laid down for David. Wud haf been pretty special. Cos at the end of the day, even if he propose to me wif an aluminium foil ring, i'll still say yes lah.

But since it din happen for me, i have lotsa waiting to do... Esp when my lipsticks r 3 for $10.
lame.gif
 

jmi

New Member
Yeah, you summed up how I felt. It might not have been the ideal situation but just that act is enough to score the brownie points.

Poor girl, I seriously have no clue where sells 3 lipsticks for $10 :p
 

benceltay

Member
I quite sad....duno why bf (not catholic) are ok with everything but when I asked him to sign up for EE, he delay and delay...sob sob
 

clldavid

New Member
jmi:

Well... I never buy lipstick before mah... How I know how much? She'll just buy, and she buys like once in a blue moon?
 

clldavid

New Member
ben:

Hmmm... EE would be good for couples like you, because they explore many topics on inter-religious marriages?

Have you asked him why he's so reluctant? Perhaps he thought that they'll ask him to convert? You can assure him that no one would ask him to convert lah. Haha.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi Ben,

Did he tell u why he's so hesitant? If he din, perhaps he's afraid tt it'll b a v hardcore catholic sorta weekend?

Mayb it'll b a gd idea to ask him to come to this forum so tt he can clarify wot it's abt. We've all gone thru it and found it v helpful, catholic or not. There were at least 5 non-catholics present during the weekend tt i attended.

There's totally no pressure for him to convert at all.
 

lilac

New Member
Hi Ben,

I was like you 3 years back when I attended EE. Hubby is not a Catholic and I had problems convincing him to attend EE with me moreover its a stay-in retreat.

In the end, after I explained to him how it's important to me and our marriage, he finally agreed to attend it with me. We both found the experience very beneficial.
 

sea_blue

New Member
Hi David, Kristen and Jmi,

I roughly know who you all are already
happy.gif

I never sat with any of you during the meals or even during the sessions so also don't know how to describe who I am... heehee

Ben, I have the same problem as you. He was really reluctant to attend EE with me. I explained to him so many times why it is important to me that we attend it together. I think for non-catholics, they might think it would be like trying to convert them to the faith. My bf was so unhappy when we were heading there on Friday. But by Sat, he kinda fitted into the flow and went for the sessions and mass without complaining anymore. Just sign up and go. It will turn out fine. Don't worry.
 

clldavid

New Member
sea-blue:

Just PM us your name? Haha. Anyway, it's quite obvious who I am lah ah. I'm using my actual name here anyway. As for Jmi, she had the most attention after all.

To all:

In case you didn't get Kristen's idea of BO-RING, she meant NO ring. I was the one who came up with it actually.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi Sea Blue,

I THINK i know who u r. R u the ger wif short hair who spoke during the sharing session at the end? Ur bf din speak i think. U said tt ur bf came and learnt how impt God is to u or smth liddat.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi purpleclouds,

Glad to hear tt u're going CEE soon.

It's basically a time for u and ur other half to explore and affirm ur relationship wif each other. The activities r mostly couple-centred.

Shall not tell u too much, in case i spoil ur weekend for u! Just go there with an open heart and mind, and i'm sure u and ur other half will find it an enriching and enjoyable weekend! =)
 

purpleclouds

New Member
hihi kristen86, thanks! actually there are two types of EE right? one is a 3D2N weekend stay and the other are weekly sessions of about 3 hours right? Are these 2 the same? mostly likely, i'll be going for the weekend one due to my FH schedule. The EE is held at Punggol 17th Ave isit?
 

clldavid

New Member
Hi purpleclouds,

The weekly one is MPC actually. Not EE. The address is correct. How would you be going there? If you are going there by public transport, we can offer you the directions how to get there. It was hard getting there man. Haha. I can still remember that night when Kristen and I braved the rain and walked down the dark road, not knowing if it was the right way. Thank God for leading us to the correct place.
 

purpleclouds

New Member
hi david: MPC is also the same as EE right? its either you attend one of them correct? hmm, probably go there by car. Actually, i've been there before as my parents went for the marriage encounter few yrs back and yes its super ULU place!! Its scary to be walking along that road at night!

BTW, for the EE, do we sign up with the church or we can sign up direct? because i know there is a website to sign up.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi,

Since David is asleep, let me answer for him! =P

MPC is a more general sorta marriage prep course, while EE will touch on catholic issues, altho it's not TOTALLY abt catholic issues. Both have their pros and cons.

MPC Pros:
Ur hubby might b more comfortable, cos it's less catholic.

MPC Cons:
If u dun discuss those religious issues, u're merely avoiding them. They'll still surface at a later time, causing more problems.


EE Pros:
U'll be able to discuss the religious issues in a non-threatening situation and manner, so hopefully it wun become a big issue after u're married.

EE Cons:
Well, u have to dig up those religious issues and talk abt them! Ur hubby might b more resistant.


My suggestion, however, is to go for EE. I'll especially recommend it to those couples of mixed religion marriages. Cos during EE, i've seen how discussing these issues actually helped the couples understand each other better, which will hopefully help them avoid future problems. Once again, there is NO pressure during EE for ur hubby to convert, so he doesn't have to worry.
 

kristen86

New Member
By the way, for EE, u can sign up online. After tt u will still have to print out the form and send it by snail mail wif a cheque tho. EE is usually fully booked a few mths before the actual date, so u have to plan ahead of time. David and i booked in Oct 2006 to attend the Jan 2007 weekend!
 

clldavid

New Member
Oh. Is any of the 369 couples thinking of getting the "369 choir" for their wedding? Haha. I really liked the singing of that day, I must say.
 

purpleclouds

New Member
hihi kristen86: thanks for the explanation. Looking forward to the EE. Both me and my FH are catholics by birth but he doesn't go sunday mass. sigh. Have been persuading him to go but he still doesn't want.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi purpleclouds,

Don't worry too much abt tt. Just pray abt it and trust tt God will give you an answer in His own time. He always will. =)
 

purpleclouds

New Member
thanks Kristen86
happy.gif
Have been persuading him for like 6 years plus since we've been together. Pray that there will be a miracle that he will attend sunday mass with me
happy.gif
 

chillibird

New Member
Hi!!

I am going to the EE weekend in March. I am the catholic in our relationship, my H2B was christened but really of no religion. I am an infrequent attender at mass but still believe it's important to get married in the eyes of God so have been trying to go to mass more regularly.

I am concerned if the weekend is going to be very "catholic". My H2B was quite happy to sign up, as it's a good idea to have some relationship advice (if you like) before marriage and he can see that will be useful but I think would be less keen if it's very full on religious. We are going anyway, just wanted to get some feedback/warning about what it's like.

Friends from other countries who have been to similar things say it's more about marriage and relationships that religion, but maybe Singapore is more traditional?

Thanks for any advice!!
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi Emma,

Don't worry, Singapore will be just like what ur friends from other countries told u abt EE. Cos EE is standardized thruout the world.

I went for it earlier this mth, and i feel tt it's more abt marriage and relationship than religion, altho religion is being touched upon too.
 

clldavid

New Member
The religion part is more of like "This is an Engaged Encounter that has quite a lot of information specific to Catholics" kind of idea, and not like "We're trying to convert you" kind of idea, so rest assured.

It's good that you actually feel the importance of getting married in the eyes of God. I think you'll definitely enjoy the weekend then. As Kristen has said in a previous post to someone else, just go with an open heart and mind.
 

chillibird

New Member
Just to warn you, I think the March one is booked out already. The next available weekend is in May. They don't book you on until they receive the cheque, no matter when you sent the on-line thing through. I know cos we had a slight panic when I realised that we were not booked on as they had not received my cheque but luckily were able to sort it out as our wedding is in May!!
Teach me to be more organised next time (well, not next time I get married cos hopefully this is the first and last!)
 

snowball05

New Member
Hi Emma,

Yeah I thought so, but will see how. May is fine with us also just that it means we wld have gone thru our ROM already ...cos of the flat.

I'm actually quite apprehensive abt the whole EE...i dunno why. The last time I went for a weekend church retreat is when I was a teen!...not sure if the preaching and sharing will be too overwhelming.
 

kristen86

New Member
Hi Snowzie,

I just came back from EE weekend early this mth. B rest assured that their style is not one of "preaching".

Also, this is a couple weekend, so u're not gonna b sharing ur ideas with other couples.

What happens is tt there'll b a series of presentations (mostly less den 30mins each) by the speakers, followed by time for u and ur partner to haf the privacy to discuss abt the issues that were introduced.
 


clldavid

New Member
snowzie,

If you read the previous posts, you'll see that other people have expressed their concerns abt EE already, and we have all assured them that it'll be very much about the couple and marriage, no preaching. Honestly, I feel it's something that even non-Catholics can go for, and it would probably be helpful to them. Just that they cater much more for Catholics.
 

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