Engaging with
married couples
to build
parish communities
Equipes Notre-Dame (Teams)
What’s in a name?
Equipes Notre Dame
- Teams of Our Lady
- Teams
(The story about French fishing boats: where they set out together in
an “equipe” in order to offer each other mutual support, both in good
weather and bad)
A new approach to married spirituality
had its beginnings in Paris in 1939
Teams is an ongoing model
supporting couples in their parish
Haven’t heard of Teams?
• Teams is a significant married couples movement in the church
• Every month 130,000 people meet in homes around the world
Pope Benedict’s message to
Teams International Gathering 2012
…. couples of the Equipes Notre-Dame proclaim,
not only in words, but also through their lives,
the fundamental truths about human love
and its deeper significance.
Address of Saint John Paul II
to Teams
Fr Caffarel taught the greatness and beauty of the vocation to
marriage,
anticipating the fruitful directions of the Second Vatican Council
Pope Paul VI:
(a message to the Teams movement)
A man and a woman in love, a child's smile, peace in the
home: this is a sermon without words, but extraordinarily
persuasive …
Pope Francis
(Meeting in Rome: September 2015)
The Teams role is clearly defined
as an international association
in the Church
“A private association of the faithful with
juridic personality”
What is a Team?
A group supporting each couple in their
married life
Couples supporting
couples
A typical Team
(Couples supporting couples)
A small Christian community
5 to 7 couples
A spiritual counsellor (ideally)
Meets monthly in the home for a meal, sharing, prayer & discussion
Mutual support continues beyond the meeting
Local, national & international support are available to the Team
Growing as a couple
Six areas of Team endeavour
- A framework for growth
The Endeavours
Sitting down as a couple
Reading the word of God
Annual retreat
Personal prayer
Couple prayer
Rule of life
Not tasks to be
accomplished,
but attitudes to be
awakened and nurtured
The monthly Team meeting
• Liturgy & Prayer
• Meal
• Sharing
• Study topic
Liturgy & Prayer
We pray together.
(We support couples,
no matter where they are in
their spiritual journey)
The meal
We have dinner at someone’s home
each month and enjoy each other’s
company
Sharing
We share a little about ourselves & our lives
(Over time, a Team grows closer in friendship and
mutual support)
Study topic
Life long learning
(Relationships, The Church in the world, contemporary issues)
A large married couples movement
in the Church
Teams is a growing movement
in the church
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2012
Growth in Teams worldwide 130,000
members
Teams in Australia
Teams 130
Members 1, 200
Spiritual Counsellors 72
Teams in selected countriesThe larger countries Selected countries
Brazil 3,250 Syria 64
France 2,127 Lebanon 50
Spain 922
Portugal 868 APAC Countries
Italy 731 Australia 130
USA 645 Japan 9
TOTAL 8,543 China 14
Korea 2
World Teams 11,327 Cambodia 17
Philippines 5
New Zealand 6
A movement of diverse cultures
Valuing cultures
Teams in Australia
supports a number of
cultures and languages
Teams in the Philippines
A movement reaching out
Teams:
Encouraging parish involvement
Support for Teams growth in parishes
Presenters
Formation for new Teams
Literature and guidance
Retreats (local, national, international)
Ongoing formation
Links to many cultures
Engaging with
married couples
to build
parish communities
Equipes Notre-Dame (Teams)