The Retrouvaille weekend went great. There were a few logistical hiccups but I don't think the participants really noticed or at least they didn't say so on the evaluations forms. One of the most repeated comment was, "I wish we'd known about the program sooner." I'm really grateful to God and the wonderful people who spread the word about Retrouvaille but also a little sad more people don't hear about it in their parishes.
I guess this is a good time for a question. Have you heard about Retrouvaille from your parish or diocese, from a pulpit talk or a posting in the bulletin?
We've adopted Retrouvaille as our ministry. It best fits our gifts and what I pray God wants us to do with our time. Every marriage will hit a roadblock and many more will hit lots of roadblocks. If both spouses are willing to take the necessary steps, marriages can be preserved and really thrive. What the priest said this weekend is that God created us to be lovers, to find joy in one another and I love the fact that my husband and I have a very playful relationship and hope others can find the same. God Bless all the couples who were with us this last weekend and I pray for their marriages to thrive!
UPDATE: I should point out that the Retrouvaille program is somewhat similar to Marriage Encounter but I find the former much more inspiring and helpful. Retrouvaille recognizes that married people go through disillusionment and misery. Retrouvaille is a place to find relief from the disillusionment and misery, not just to learn how to communicate or spend time alone together. I find the program respects the sincere feelings we all have and teaches us to communicate respectfully to our spouses. So, if I had the choice between the two, I'd go to Retrouvaille.
I have heard of it, but know nothing about it. I am interested! I have been playing with the idea of dh and I doing a retreat together to work on something. I was also thinking we need to put some of the playfulness back in our relationship. I will look more into this. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it went well! I have to say, I haven't heard of it in my parish, although I don't peruse the bulletin very closely most weeks.
ReplyDeleteWheelbarrowrider, I should make it clear that the weekend is not a retreat. It's a time to work and heal. Some couples have experienced a lot of pain and they are asked to move beyond the past.
ReplyDeleteIs that different from a marriage encounter, and if so, how? We did a marriage encounter, and it was a TOTAL fiasco (I thought the concept was sound, the execution was mediocre - we were, however, pretty much not playing ball. Well, I was trying to...)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, healing sounds good, so if it were something available in our area and in a format that sounds to have less potential for disaster than the last attempt, maybe I'll look into that.
Misfit, I see there are at least three weekends already scheduled in No. VA. Click the lifesaver cross on the upper right and search for weekends under Virginia.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't done marriage encounter but I think the principles are generally the same. But the real value in Retrouvaille is listening to the presenting couples tell their story and it's beyond inspiring how they've overcome insurmountable odds to save their marriage and most importantly in my mind, stop hurting. Yes, there is a lot of work to do during the weekend and beyond but if both people are up for it, it's a no lose experience.
There's usually an ad for Marriage Encounter and/or Retrouvaille in our parish bulletin every week. My husband and I volunteer with our parish's marriage prep ministry so we're well aware of both, and they're great programs. Someday, when our kids are older, we'd love to volunteer with them as you and your husband have.
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