The Retrouvaille Program is for Married Couples Facing Difficult Challenges in their Relationship.
Retrouvaille is a Catholic ministry for married couples that welcomes all faiths. The program helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship using a three-phase approach to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help struggling couples reconnect. Phase one is an intensive couples' weekend, which is then followed by weekly and monthly sessions to build on the initial weekend.
Love is a Decision
love is not a feeling...
divorce
marriage trouble
marriage help
Tens of Thousands
of Couples have been Helped by
the Retrouvaille Program
2016, San Diego
"This is a fantastic program. After 30 years of counselor's and therapist trying to fix a Miserable marriage, this is the program that help us the most. We both recommend Retrouvaille every chance we get. We are living examples that it doesn't matter how bad things get, anyone can heal and forgive. Just give it a try. Most people get married believing a myth that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for: companionship, sexual fulfillment, intimacy, friendship. The truth is that marriage, at the start, is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage; love is in people, and people put it into marriage. There is no romance in marriage; people have to infuse it into marriage. A couple must learn the art and form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising-keeping the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty."
2018, San Diego
"Wanna save your marriage? You need Retrouvaille! After numerous marriage therapists failed, we gave Retrouvaille one final shot to save our marriage. We started the journey to save our marriage by attending the Retrouvaille weekend. We learned so much about how to simply communicate with each other! We dove into feelings we had both suppressed and learned how to deal with highly sensitive issues without blaming or chastising each other. We went back to our foundation and learned how to give our marriage a 2nd chance. I wish I could give this program 10 stars!"
Danielle and Mark, 2021
"Because of our participation in a Retrouvaille weekend one year ago today, this past year was nothing short of miraculous for us as a couple, and consequently for our family and preschool aged daughter. Before attending our Retrouvaille weekend, both my wife and I had resigned ourselves to the reality that we were likely going to separate and perhaps even divorce. As Mark describes it, we were in a 4th and long situation, down 6 points, and running out of time, so we knew our last play was going to be a long shot, a true “Hail Mary” pass. (If we don’t understand this reference, go on YouTube and type in Doug Flutie from Boston College defeats Miami.) Truth be told, we both thought we were checking the last box so we could tell our families: “See. We did everything we could but the marriage just could not overcome the challenges it faced.” We even got to the point where we wondered what we should do about our situation, if not for our own well being, then for the good of our daughter. So, in one last act of faith and hope, we registered for our Retrouvaille weekend. To our amazement, we still had some affection left for one another and harbored a little hope, perhaps hidden deep in our hearts, that God could do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Perhaps the most important thing that we did to cooperate with God and the Retrouvaille process was to enter the weekend with an open mind and open heart. That small gesture provided just the opening for God’s help to rehabilitate our marriage. As the Retrouvaille logo suggests, the Retrouvaille weekend throws a lifesaver to the couple, but it is the follow up work with the program that brings the couple back to shore safely. The weekend actually provided a life raft for us with oars, water, and even some energy bars. (Don’t worry, this is just a metaphor. They feed you much better over the weekend!) And, the follow up program, which boasts a 90% plus success rate for couples who continue to work the program in good faith, gave us the tools we need to navigate the rough waters safely. In fact, we have grown so much as a couple in this past year, committing to apply what we learned on a weekly, if not daily basis, that it is hard for us to recognize our “former” marriage. In short, Retrouvaille helped us to let God back into the center of our marriage and our family life, and that changed everything. Of course, our growth and progress can feel like two steps forward and a step back, but persevering with process, cooperating with the special graces bestowed by the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, transformed our life together and makes each day a joy, in the midst of, and not in spite of, the challenges we still face."
2017, San Diego
"After visiting 3 attorneys, 2 licensed family / marriage counselors, and attending a few Al Anon meetings, I was at my wits end and didn't know where to turn. I went on the internet, consulted Dr. Google and found Retrouvaille. I spend several hours reading reviews and blogs of others who attended the program. I took the information to my husband who agreed that we needed to give this a try. We were the couple who never fought. We don't like conflict so we just didn't talk. Never. Discussed. Issues. He got sucked into his Married Singleness Lifestyle, and I got sucked into mine. We were not a married couple, we were living as roommates, and not even GOOD roommates. I was dreading the weekend, and will admit that it was physically and emotionally exhausting, but it was nothing short of a miracle. I honestly thought we would go to the weekend, and that would be the end of it. Most of the real magic occurs in the post sessions, so I cannot stress enough the importance of making these sessions a priority. If two busy people, like my husband and I can drive almost 4 hours every weekend, then anyone can do it ! This is a peer based ministry. Everyone involved has "been there, done that" and worse. Their only goal is healing YOUR marriage. Being that this is peer based, no one is getting paid. These are all VOLUNTEERS. I had a sick feeling during counseling, that I was viewed as nothing but a paycheck to the counselor and that if she could keep me coming back, then she was getting paid. NOT the case in Retrouvaille. These volunteers speak from years of experience and have healed countless families and marriages."
