A WEDDING IS A DAY...A MARRIAGE IS A LIFETIME!
For English & Spanish retreat dates: scroll to bottom of page
Please note, not every retreat is able to guarantee the full presence of a priest for the entire weekend. In Joliet CEE we do attend the Holy Mass with a Catholic priest on Sunday.
About Us
We are a community of couples concerned about the sanctity of marriage in today's society. Every couple shares their time, talent and treasure to run weekend retreats preparing engaged couples for a sacramental marriage. Some of us give the presentations at the weekends, while others help behind the scenes. We need couples to prepare supplies, set up the retreat center for the weekend, greet and check-in couples as they arrive on Saturday morning, clean up after the weekend, and to support and pray for the couples attending our weekends. https://engagedencounter.com/?temp-new-window-replacement=true
About Our Weekends
It is a weekend away, with other engaged couples, which allows plenty of private time to plan your MARRIAGE, not your wedding day. It is designed to give you the opportunity to talk honestly and intensively for 32 hours about your prospective life together—your strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, goals, attitudes about money, sex, children, family, your role in the Church and in society—in an environment free from the pressures and distractions of the outside world. View this testimonial video to see what couples are saying.
Upcoming retreat dates
Jan 17-18, 2026
March 21-22, 2026
If these dates do not work for you,
the next closest CEE communities: Mid-Michigan here or the National CEE Website here
CEE en Español: Fechas del Retiro 2026
Febrero 14 y 15, 2026
Junio 13 y 14, 2026
Octubre 10 y 11, 2026