Teams of Our Lady (French: ''Equipes Notre Dame'', END) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

lay organization recognized by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

under the

Pontifical Council for the Laity The Pontifical Council for the Laity was a pontifical council of the Roman Catholic Curia from 1967 to 2016. It had the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their co ...

. It is a movement of "Married Spirituality" which brings together Christian couples united by the

Sacrament of Marriage Marriage in the Catholic Church, also known as holy matrimony, is the "covenant by which a man and woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procre ...

; and who wish, together, to deepen the graces of the Sacrament of Marriage. The movement is active in 75 countries.

History

Teams of Our Lady were founded in France in 1947 by Father Henry Caffarel. The movement came into being in Notre Dames Parish in Paris, France at the end of the 1930s when a number of married couples who began to meet every month in each other's houses under the guidance of Father Caffarel. As more couples sought to join them, the movement was formally established with the promulgation, on Dec. 8, 1947, of the Equipes Notre Dame Charter.Pontifical Council for the Laity. "Teams of Our Lady", ''Directory of International Associations of the Faithful'', 2006] The Teams of Our Lady are under the patronage of the Veneration of Mary in Roman Catholicism, Blessed Mother. On April 19, 1992, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the Equipes Notre Dame as an international association of the faithful of Pontifical right. In 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Charter, Teams couples from around the world returned to Paris. Three of the original team were there to join in the celebrations.

Expansion

Teams of Our Lady is an international Catholic movement active in over 75 countries. Teams came to the United States in 1958 where there teams are currently active in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish. It began in Washington D.C., New York and California and spread slowly around the country. Teams of Our Lady was introduced to Great Britain in 1959. The original Cheltenham 1 team is still active. In 2009 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, Teams couples from across Britain met at the church of St Gregory the Great in Cheltenham. As of 2021 there were 120 Teams in Britain.

Organization

The international team has overall responsibility for the movement, and comprises married couples from different countries assisted by a spiritual counselor. A team is a group of four to seven couples and a spiritual advisor who meet once a month in each other's homes to share a meal, pray together, and discuss a chosen study topic on married life and faith.Equipes Notre Dame - Great Britain
/ref> The daily prayer of the movement is the

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...

. Teams of Our Lady proposes that its members undertake a number of specific practices called "endeavors." These include regular reading of the scripture, and daily personal prayer. Youth Teams of Our Lady is a Catholic youth movement where young people can get together to pray and deepen their faith. It is founded on the spirituality of passage of young people towards vocations of adult life. The group organizes team meetings and

retreats The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities. In Hinduism and Buddhism, meditative retreats are ...

. Every team has a leader, a spiritual counsel and a married couple to assist, give input, and share their experiences about the things discussed in the meetings.Youth Teams of Our Lady - Canada
/ref>

Notes

External links

Equipes Notre-Dame International,France, Official websiteGuide of the Teams of Our Lady, 2008Teams of Our Lady, Canada, Official websiteTeams of Our Lady, Great Britain, Official website
{{Authority control Christian organizations established in 1947 International associations of the faithful Catholic organizations established in the 20th century

History

Expansion

Organization

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links