Rob and Kate Markiewicz, members of St. Joseph Parish in Manchester, participated in a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend at Fort Leonard Wood three years ago.

The communications techniques they learned are a key to their relationship right now as Rob, a U.S. Army major, has just deployed to Iraq. For the next year he will be the executive officer of a combat support and sustainment battalion.

The Markiewiczes are the parents of three young children.

“The first thing we were able to do is dialogue about how we felt about his leaving,” said Kate. “It helped us through the emotions of getting prepared. For a while, I put up a wall. I didn’t want to share everything I felt. These techniques allowed me to break down the wall. It kept us closer as the time approached.”

She and Rob were so impressed by their 2006 weekend at Fort Leonard Wood in mid-Missouri that they trained and became a presenting couple for these weekends. Kate also manages registrations for Marriage Encounter weekends throughout the St. Louis area. She will continue to volunteer during Rob’s absence.

In addition, she and Rob plan to continue the communications techniques via e-mail “to keep our relationship a priority.”

“I urge both active and retired military couples to take advantage of the Fort Leonard Wood weekend. It can make all of the difference,” she said.

She recalled that in their weekend Rob first resisted talking about sensitive feelings until he saw a brigade commander at Fort Leonard Wood and his wife make presentations, sharing heartfelt challenges in their marriage during his military career.

St. Louis-area active and retired military couples are invited to attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend at Fort Leonard Wood June 26-28. It will focus on strengthening the marriages of men and women in the armed services faced with the stress of deployment and mobilization.

Three Catholic couples and a priest will present the weekend, which begins by helping couples to understand themselves, then helping them to look more closely at their own relationship and ways to communicate more effectively. They also are helped with understanding God’s role in their Sacrament of Marriage.

The weekend begins on Friday evening and ends Sunday afternoon. Both Catholic and nonCatholic couples are welcomed.

Marriage Encounter
WHAT: Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend for active and retired military couples.

WHEN AND WHERE: June 26-28 at Fort Leonard Wood in mid-Missouri.

WHY: To strengthen marriages of men and women in the Armed Forces faced with the stress of deployment and mobilization.

To register: For this weekend or any Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend in the St. Louis area, call (314) 469-7317 or see http://stl-wwme.org [1].