In face of social distancing restrictions, Marriage Encounter coordinators continue to encourage couples

Friday, May. 29, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY — The Hispanic Marriage Encounter of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has been active despite the COVID-19 pandemic challenges.

The Marriage Encounter coordinators, Eva and Jesus Mendoza, have been in communication with all the community coordinators as well as with the parishes around the diocese.

“We cannot let all the work that we have been doing stop due to the pandemic,” Eva Mendoza said.

Speaking with the staff of the parishes and the community coordinators, “We have been encouraging them to keep it up and to keep supporting their communities,” she said.

Because of the social distancing restrictions, many couples have been spending all of their time with their families; for some this has been good, but for others it has been a challenge, Mendoza said.

“People have been isolated due to the pandemic but that doesn’t mean to be isolated from God, and if we all have God as the center of our lives, we can overcome any and all challenges,” Mendoza said. 

Before the pandemic, some parents focused more on working and making money than on their children or spouse, but “now they have been kind of forced to reconnect, to get to know each other better and to spend more time together,” Mendoza said. “God has given us an opportunity to discover and to rediscover our marriages. … This is an opportunity to get to know each other better, to be more united and, consequently, to make your family stronger.”

Mendoza wants people to remember to be patient and to pray more for one another through these times.

“We have to extend our hands to whomever is in need. We need to respect them and work hard with and in our families, and never forget that God is always with us,” Mendoza said.

Having Marriage Encounter alive now is important more than ever because “we know that many couples are nourished through Marriage Encounter. … We know that healthy marriages are healthy families, and we are here for them,” she said.

Mendoza encourages people to follow all the social distancing guidelines and instructions from the federal and local governments “so we can all come out of this. Work harder and stronger, love one another and respect one another,” she said.