Why it is important for a deacon to experience a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend?

“My wife Marian and I made our Marriage Encounter 32 years ago. This Spring we will celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary and the 20th Anniversary of my ordination to the Permanent Diaconate. Our Marriage Encounter Weekend was life changing for our marriage and spiritually life changing for me personally. We came away with a deeper awareness of our love for each other and also of God’s love for us as individuals and as a couple. I can say that my service as Deacon is rooted in a sense of gratitude to God for what I experienced that weekend. I came away saying, ‘how can I serve you Lord?’ I found out the answer to my question in our marriage, our family, in the Church and in the world.”