Worldwide Marriage Encounter began in 1952 in Spain when Fr. Gabriel Calvo, a young priest, created a series of conferences designed to help married couples reflect more deeply on their relationship. For nearly a decade, teams influenced by Pope Pius XII shared these sessions across Spain, encouraging couples to build intimacy and trust through meaningful conversations.
The Story of Worldwide Marriage Encounter
The First Steps of
Marriage Encounter
In 1962, Fr. Calvo presented the program as a weekend retreat for 28 couples in Barcelona. Called Encuentro Conyugal, it quickly spread throughout Spain and, by 1966, was introduced to Latin America at an international Christian family conference in Caracas, Venezuela. From there, it reached Spanish-speaking couples in the United States, and by 1967 the program was translated into English and offered more widely.
Laying the
Foundations of ME
A turning point came in 1968 when Fr. Chuck Gallagher, S.J., experienced a Marriage Encounter weekend in New Jersey. Inspired, he envisioned the movement as a powerful tool for renewing marriages and communities. With a newly formed National Executive Board, guidelines were created to expand the retreats across the U.S. and Canada. Drawing from the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, Fr. Gallagher developed the first model of Marriage Encounter weekends, with a focus on honest sharing, daily dialogue, and ongoing community support.
From a Local Initiative to a Global Movement
Fr. Calvo’s original initiative became known as National Marriage Encounter, while Fr. Gallagher’s group evolved into Worldwide Marriage Encounter. Though rooted in the Catholic Church, couples of all faiths have been welcomed since 1969. The movement spread rapidly during the 1970s into Canada, Australia, and beyond, continuing its mission of renewal and evangelisation to this day.
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image for illustration purposes only.
Malaysia held its first weekend in Kuala Lumpur in March of 1980
It was presented by a Priest from India, two couples from Singapore, and an Australian couple.
They gave their services freely. Singapore provided the finance. Since then, the ME weekend has enriched the lives thousands of couples, priests and religious in Malaysia.
Currently, weekends are held in Penang, Perak, Johor, Melaka and Kuala Lumpur. It is held in English, Tamil and in Mandarin.
Today, Worldwide Marriage Encounter is active in 100 countries
Organised through six Catholic secretariats: Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, and Pan Africa. To date, more than 3.5 million couples and 27,000 priests and religious have experienced this enriching weekend, which continues to strengthen marriages, priestly vocations, and the wider faith community.
100
Countries
3.5
Married Couples
27
Priests and Religious