Gaylord, MI 49735 News & Press Releases
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Retrouvaille: A Lifeline for Troubled Marriages
March 18, 2008
Is your marriage breaking your heart? Retrouvaille is a Christian Peer Ministry for troubled marriages and claims a rate of 83% of non-divorce for couples who complete the entire program. It will be offered in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Lansing throughout 2008 (see schedule of dates and locations).
The program consists of a weekend experience and six follow-up sessions offered within the two months following the weekend phase. In addition, it provides continuing monthly support through Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience (CORE).
Retrouvaille began in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In 1977, the first weekend program was presented to French speaking couples. Later it was translated into English by the Retrouvaille community of Toronto who also strengthened the contents and developed the post-weekend phase.
In 1982 the Toronto community began sharing the program with communities throughout Canada and the United States. Today, Retrouvaille communities are actively serving most of the United States, many provinces in Canada, Central and South America, Africa, Europe, Mexico, the Western Pacific region, and the Caribbean.
Retrouvaille begins with a weekend experience in which husbands and wives are helped to re-establish communication and to gain new insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple. This part of the program is presented by three married couples and a priest. The team couples, who have experienced disillusionment, pain, anger and conflict, offer hope as they share their personal stories of struggle, reconciliation and healing.
The weekend is not a spiritual retreat, nor is it counseling. Couples who attend will not be asked to share problems with anyone else. They will be encouraged to put the past behind them, to look beyond any hurt and pain, in order to rediscover each other in a new and positive way. The weekend will help couples discover how listening, forgiveness, communication, and the dialogue process are powerful aids for building a loving and lasting relationship.
There is a non-refundable registration fee for the program, but no couple is ever denied the chance to heal and renew their marriage because they are facing financial difficulties. A financial concern should not adversely influence a couple’s decision to attend a Retrouvaille program. Also during the weekend couples will be asked to make a donation to help fund the program. One donation will cover lodging, food and materials for both the weekend and the post-weekend phase.
More information can be found on the web at www.retrouvaille.info. Individual contact numbers for the Michigan locations are noted in the program schedule below:
2008 WEEKEND DATES FOR MICHIGAN RETROUVAILLE
Grand Rapids – Contact Tim and Susan Erhardt at 616.752.7004
March 28-30
September 12-14
Detroit – Contact Frank and Teresa Shuy at 517.437.2013
March 7-9
July 11-13
Sept. 12-14
October 24-26
Lansing – Contact Butch and Brenda Secord at 517.290.5596
April 18-20
June 6-8
August 8-10
October 17-19
