Contact: Dick & Diane Baumbach, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, 321-544-3440, dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net, media@wwme.org

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 3, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Key leadership teams from Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), the original faith-based marriage enrichment program, completed the taping this week of three episodes on Church Universal, a television series airing on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), on Wednesday, May 31, 2017.

The shows, hosted by Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe, MFNV, will air later this year on the EWTN network, which has an audience of 230 million viewers in 140 countries.

"What an honor to be on Church Universal with Fr. Joseph Mary," said Gene & Maggie Tokraks and Bishop Bill Skylstad, the WWME North American Secretariat Ecclesial Team.  "This was a great opportunity to spread the message of WWME that we help make good marriages, great marriages," they added.

The Tokraks and Bishop Skylstad, who were featured on the first episode, were followed on a second show by Joe & Sue Talarico and Fr. Tom Ogg, the WWME United States Ecclesial Team.  The Talaricos and Fr. Ogg spoke about WWME's Longest Married Couple Project, which is entering the eighth year of the project in October. The third show features Peter & Sheila Oprysko and Fr. Tom Griffith, SVD, the WWME 50th Anniversary Convention Ecclesial Chair Coordinators.  The convention will be held next year in Lombard, IL from June 22 to 24, 2018.

The television series "Church Universal" started in 2014.  The show focuses on lay movements in the Catholic Church and tells their stories focusing on the programs and activities they provide.

The tapings were done to highlight the various programs that WWME offers to married couples around the world.  In the United States hundreds of WWME weekends are presented to thousands of couples each year.  This is the first time EWTN's Church Universal has highlighted a Catholic movement or organization on three different shows to be aired in the same year. 

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 49 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities. The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at the parish where the couples return to their homes in the evenings. WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other.  Priests are also encouraged to attend a WWME weekend, which offers insights into their relationship with the church and their parishioners, and how their Sacrament of Holy Orders interacts with the Sacrament of Matrimony.  WWME offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today's world. To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online, go to wwme.org, or contact the WWME national office at (909) 863-9963.

Media inquires -please contact Dick & Diane Baumbach at 321-544-3440 / dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net or media@wwme.org