In Sacrofano, near Rome, a small miracle happened on 14-16 April 2023! 90 couples and 15 priests from all over Europe experienced a new, intriguing Marriage Encounter weekend!
Dare to Love!
The gestation and birth of this weekend was really difficult and the threat of abortion was present until the end of the pregnancy.
In 2020, the then European team: Josico, Susana and Father Andy had dreamt of and conceived a new weekend that would fascinate the young couples and motivate them on their paths. It was a long-term project, with 2033 as the final destination, an ideal date, but not a random one, of course! (2000 years of our Redemption!).
Everything was ready to be presented in Sacrofano in spring 2020, and the invited couples had even already paid the registration fee for this new weekend. But as you well know, viruses do not only mess up our devices!
We, Paola, Felice were also hit by this virus, but together with Ralph we always believed in this weekend!
So on Friday 14 April everything was ready again in Sacrofano. But in the days immediately before, Susana and Father Jun were hospitalised! However, Susana was able to attend the weekend online, while Father Jun defied the doctors and braved a 12,000-kilometre journey from the Philippines to be there!
The labour of childbirth was not easy either! Flight delays and cancellations, sudden schedule changes, missed connections and, as if that wasn’t enough, even an Italian railway strike!
Despite all this, the new creature came into the world in the best possible way. Couples and priests were able to see the light again, the light of a distant but important lighthouse to guide, confirm and motivate. The starting point was the concept of freedom, freedom which seems to be the most important value in this liquid society of ours. Starting from this value, through some intermediate stages, we even came to rediscover the value of the so-called theological virtues: faith, hope and of course love!
With a very personal and captivating style Josico, Susana and Father Jun were able to capture the attention of the participants. We are convinced that Dare to Love was the right medicine, an effective restorative for this community of ours affected somewhat by the weight of years (50 years are making themselves felt) and by a certain overweight and ankylosis of structure. In short, an injection of confidence, a drip of optimism for everyone!
We hope that the content of this weekend will soon become an outline so that all communities can enjoy the freshness and smile of this new-born! Special thanks go to the Italian community who hosted this important event.
Paola and Felice Raineri with Father Ralph Schmeder