Teams of Our Lady is an international movement of married couples in the Catholic Church that focuses on couple spirituality. It was founded in France in 1938 by Fr Henri Caffarel, who made couples enthusiastic about the greatness of the Sacrament of Marriage, the sign of Christ’s fruitful love for the Church and of His union with her.

Today, Teams is present in over 90 countries on five continents and has over 72,006 couples. Internationally, 14,296 teams are accompanied by 8,951 priests and 1,017 spiritual companions.

The movement has been present in Trinidad for the last 40 years, where couples, united by the Sacrament of Marriage, come together in community so to deepen the graces of the Sacrament.

Every six years, the Teams International Movement gets together for a single meeting to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage through daily Mass, testimonies, spiritual reflections, shared meals, couple sit down, fun activities and guided tours of historic religious sites.

The 13th Teams International Gathering was held this year in Turin, Italy. The Gathering, which took place July 15 – 20, was attended by seven couples from Teams Trinidad and our Regional Chaplain, Fr Raymond Francis. The overall theme was Let us go with a burning heart, developed around the Gospel passage of the disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24:15–35).

Each day, the programme was led in a different language, reinforcing the internationality of Teams and the universality of our Catholic Church.

Some of the highlights of experiences as expressed by the Trinidad cohort included “it humbled me”, “very spiritual”, “beautiful experience of internationality”, “great connections”, and “collaborative.”

On our way

Before leaving Trinidad for Turin, the cohort of Trini pilgrims celebrated Mass with Fr Francis, other Team couples and well-wishers, asking God for His travel mercies and a successful International Gathering.

We then set out for Turin, travelling on different days and in different ways, as some couples used the opportunity to visit friends and families in Europe. As we neared our destination, we converged at different places and met Teams couples from other countries on the way.

Day 1, Monday, July 15

Activities included arrival in Turin; registration at the Inalpi Arena; the opening ceremony which included the blessing of all couples by Archbishop Roberto Repole; a warm welcome by the outgoing lead couple of the movement, Clarita and Edgardo Bernal; and a flag-bearing parade by each country.

Day 2, Tuesday, July 16

Morning prayer and spiritual meditations themed FRAGILITY: What are you discussing as you walk along? were led by the Region of Liban A conference, and testimonies were shared on the topic of ‘Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Christian Life’. Mass was celebrated by Msgr Nicodeme Barrigah of Africa and presentations were given on the social saints and prophets. After dinner at our hotels, we resettled to join our respective International Mixed Teams Meetings to discuss ‘Fragility’.

Day 3, Wednesday, July 17

Morning prayer and the daily meditation themed ENLIGHTMENT: …He interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures were led by the Oceania Super Region Conference and heartfelt testimonies were shared on ‘Listening to the Word to illuminate the path.’

Mass was celebrated by Bishop Steve Lowe, Super Region USA and concelebrated by Fr Francis. Trinidad and Tobago was represented in the candle procession by Canute and Natasha Hudson. The day ended with our International Mixed Team Meeting.

Day 4, Thursday, July 18

The morning prayer and the spiritual meditation on the theme OFFER: Stay with us were led by Brazil. The conference and testimonies were on ‘The profound meaning of the mutual gift of self in marriage’. Mass was celebrated by Fr D Nuno, Super Region Portugal, after which a private handover ceremony was held to mark the transition of the Trinidad Teams Region from Great Britain to the USA Super Region. We visited the EXPO, and the day ended with the last Mixed Teams Meeting – ‘The deep meaning of Mutual Self-Giving in Marriage’.

Day 5, Friday, July 19

Morning prayer and spiritual meditation on the theme COMMUNION: With that their eyes were opened and they recognised Him were led by South America; and after, a conference and testimonies on ‘Synodality, a path of communion’.

Day 6, Saturday,  July 20

Morning prayer and spiritual meditation on the theme SEND: So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem…Then the two recounted what had taken place on the road were led by Italy; conference and testimonies on ‘Let us go with a burning heart’; Mass celebrated by Fr Ricardo Londono and approximately 475 priests; the instalment of the new Teams International Leadership Team was completed and all were ready to depart Turin.

We hope that by sharing this experience with you, it will cause other local and regional couples to become interested in joining this movement that offers a pathway to increased love, happiness, and holiness in the Sacrament of Marriage.

For more information, please contact our Expansion Lead Couple, Mario and Shelly-Ann Romany at 315–6257 and/or TTteamsExpansion@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you and close with the following quote: “Teams of Our Lady have as their essential aim, to help couples strive after holiness—no more, no less.” –Fr Henri Caffarel, founder of the Teams of Our Lady).

We thank our Blessed Mother, Patroness of Teams of Our Lady, who continues to keep us and those we love under her protective mantle.

Our Lady, Queen of Teams, pray for us!

Prepared by: Trini Pilgrims of the 2024 Teams International Gathering

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