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)