How is a Team Formed?

Step One:
Interested couples are invited to an information meeting to learn about the Teams of Our Lady Movement by a trained Information Couple. The purpose of this meeting is to give the interested couple an overview of the Teams Movement, its riches and commitments. This information meeting usually takes 30-45 minutes with time for questions afterward. At the completion of the meeting, the couple is asked to go home and prayerfully consider whether or not they would like to join a Team. The Information Couple will contact them in about a week or they can contact the Information Couple to advise of the result of their prayer and discernment.

If they would like to try Teams, they will be assigned to a new team with 5-7 couples and, whenever possible, a Priest Spiritual Counselor. Couples will sometimes be added to an existing team that needs additional couple(s), due to attrition.

Step Two:
When a new team is formed, a Pilot Couple is assigned to the new team and the piloting process begins with the Pilot Couple entering on this journey with the couples. The structure of the meeting and the Endeavors, set forth by the Charter of the Teams of Our Lady, are learned over time, in the team meeting setting. The Pilot Couple is always present to assist the new team in its formation.  At the end of the piloting term, each couple will be asked to make a formal commitment to continue as team members for one year.

Step Three:
At the end of the initial piloting process, there will be a New Teams Welcome Celebration (NTWC). A NTWC is a gathering of newly piloted teams in a region for a day of prayer, presentations, discussions, team building, and celebration.  The outline of the day reviews the pedagogy and charism of the Movement and allows new couples to experience the larger movement and it’s mystique.

Meeting Format
 
Each team meets monthly, rotating from one home to another. If a couple cannot accommodate the entire team, they can make other arrangements (possibly a meeting room at church).  The meeting begins with a potluck meal and follows a prescribed format, with the meeting lasting about three hours.
 
A meeting includes the following:

• A meal and light sharing
• Prayer time: This includes a Scripture reading, meditation on the reading, prayer intentions, a Psalm and a concluding prayer.
• Deep pooling: This is an opportunity to discuss any pertinent topics that are of concern to a couple or individual.
• Sharing on the Endeavors: The endeavors are the “heart of the team”… what we learn and practice between meetings.
• Discussion of Study Topic: We share our thoughts on our answers to questions at the conclusion of the monthly reading materials.
• Administrative Matters: Set the schedule for future meetings and share on Team’s news and events.
• Close with the Magnificat prayer: Mary’s proclamation of God’s goodness.

Benefits of Joining Teams

There are many benefits to joining the Teams of Our Lady.  You will be with like-minded folks whose marriages are important to them, just as their relationship to the Lord is.  At a team meeting, you will be in a non-judgmental setting where you are supported in your efforts to make your good marriage better.  If you are on a newly formed team, a Pilot Couple will be with you during part of your first year to set you on the right path, introducing you to the various publications produced by Teams and other recommended sources.  (If you join an on-going team, your introduction to Teams will be handled by that team.)  These brochures and books, coupled with your practice of the Endeavors, will help you and your team to have greater intimacy with your spouse and the Lord.  If you are fortunate enough to have a Spiritual Counselor on your team, the priest, deacon, religious sister or brother can provide a certain objectivity about marriage; he or she is a very important member of the team, though not the leader.  Teams is a lay-driven movement, and the team leader is the Responsible couple, elected annually.  One of the best benefits of being in Teams is the opportunity to attend the triennial National Teams Conference, where you will meet even more like-minded couples from across the country.