In Germany, “KANA Welcome” is experiencing a great start, is supported and equipped with the means to make this new pastoral offer known throughout the country.

Natalie & Markus WEIS
CANA Germany

KANA Welcome, Germany: quality time for couples with questions, faith and doubts!

We are currently experiencing a great start for “KANA Welcome” in Germany, twelve groups are being created in five dioceses, there are many trainings and online weekends. Soon KANA Welcome will also be available in the Protestant Church, which we are very excited about.

Escape from everyday life and take stock of your life as a couple

Volunteers from the Catholic and ecumenical Chemin Neuf community in Berlin have developed a series of programmes, accessible throughout Germany, for couples who want to get away from everyday life and take stock of their life together as a couple. In nine CANA Welcome meetings, couples of all ages first meet as a couple in private and then in small groups. In a relaxed and personal atmosphere, inspiration and new experiences are guaranteed! Faith can be a theme, but it doesn’t have to be.

The German CANA Welcome team is supporting the launch of new groups throughout Germany. Every month, four to five couples meet in the home of one of them in turn, or in the premises of a church, to discuss important topics for couples in a safe and well thought-out setting: How do we communicate in everyday life? How do we deal with conflicts? What helps us to make decisions? And also: How can spirituality, the Christian faith, help us to strengthen our life as a couple?

A new kind of pastoral offer

KANA Welcome is a new kind of pastoral offer in and for parishes.

The KANA Welcome groups are a simple pastoral offer for parishes to welcome parents with young children, people who are looking for help or who have not been involved in the parish until now. The course is quickly and easily integrated into the parish’s offer and is led by a couple of volunteers from the parish. KANA Welcome enriches the life of the existing parish, encourages and trains volunteers and connects open and interested couples and their families with members of the local parish.

Supported by Bonifatiuswerk, the Archdiocese of Berlin and the Caritas Family Council

The KANA Welcome programme is supported by the Bonifatiuswerk, the Archdiocese of Berlin and the Caritas Family Counselling Centre in Berlin-Mitte. The KANA Welcome team is available to offer couples free weekend seminars and online workshops, before the start of a freely chosen period. To promote this new offer, the team provides posters, brochures and manuals.

In the German language

Our press release is available here in German.