Retrouvaille programs are not spiritual retreats, sensitivity groups, seminars or social gatherings. Nor will you receive counseling during Retrouvaille. You will not be required to share your pain with anyone.

Retrouvaille is a community of couples, in all stages of marriage, who have experienced troubles in their marriages. You will meet couples suffering from drifting apart, infidelity, conflict and anger, poor communication, abuse and addiction, and other barriers to a strong marriage.

All these couples have one thing in common. A desire to bring joy back into their marriages. Meeting other couples who are struggling in many of the same ways can have a profound impact. It gives couples hope at a time when hope is not easy to find. Each marriage is worth saving. Retrouvaille can help.

Retrouvaille programs begin with a weekend experience, away from the distractions of everyday life. You will learn to re-establish communication and gain new insights into yourselves as individuals and as a couple.

A team of three couples and a priest gives a series of presentations. All presenting couples have been through Retrouvaille. They have all experienced disillusionment and pain in their own marriages. They offer hope as they share their pain, struggles and successes in rebuilding their marriages. You will be encouraged to put the past behind you and start rediscovering each other.

The team presents a technique of communication that enables you to take a good look at most areas of your relationship. The team provides practical tools for improving your marriage. They will share how they were able to benefit from these techniques themselves.

A registration fee is required to confirm your reservation, food and lodging. There is limited capacity so early registration is encouraged. On the weekend you will be asked to make a donation. One donation will cover all expenses for the weekend.

No couple is ever denied the chance to heal their marriage because they are facing financial hardship.

The pain of falling out of love cannot be healed in a weekend. Retrouvaille is here to support you during your weekend and the post-weekend sessions in which you learn more ways to strengthen your marriage.

The Weekend is not a miracle cure. Therefore, the post-weekend sessions, called Post, have been designed to continue the marriage renewal begun on the weekend. This post-weekend phase is critical to the healing of your marriage problems. During Post, the techniques learned on the weekend are further developed and are used to explore additional areas of your marriage. If you cannot make all the post-weekend sessions, you can make them up at anytime. You can also attend any post-weekend session as many times as you want. It’s a great way to refocus on specific areas of your marriage.

Again, the Weekend and Post are not spiritual retreats, sensitivity groups, seminars or social gatherings. Nor are they counseling. You will not be required to share your problems with anyone. Retrouvaille helps married couples in all stages — young or old; separated or divorced; children, no children or empty nesters. We all share the same goal of building a stable, loving and joyful marriage.

C.O.R.E. (Continuing Our Retrouvaille Experience) is a support group that is available to all members of Retrouvaille. The Weekend and Post sessions last 7 weeks. Your marriage is for life. For most couples, it takes consistent work to rediscover and change a marriage. C.O.R.E. offers that support through regular meetings with other couples who want the same things from their marriage as you do.

C.O.R.E. groups meet once or twice a month. Each meeting consists of a presenting couple who gives a 10-15 minute presentation. Couples then have an opportunity to connect one-on-one and discuss a topic relating to the presentation. There is also a group sharing question based on the presentation. C.O.R.E. is a great way to interact with couples who are also struggling in their marriages while giving each other support.

Most couples will need some form of regular motivation to continue rebuilding their marriage. All couples who attend C.O.R.E. provide hope and an example of the power of healing to each other.

There are four C.O.R.E. communities in the Twin Cities metro area and St. Cloud.

South Metro C.O.R.E. meets the 1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, 5426 12th Avenue S, Minneapolis.
Contact: Eric and Charlotte, SouthMetro@TCR-MN.org

St. Cloud C.O.R.E. meets the 3rd Sunday of each month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 1036 County Road 4, St. Cloud.
Contact: Cyle & Jennifer, jennifer_paumen@hotmail.com

The Writing Day is designed for couples who completed Retrouvaille to spend a day writing their personal story, a C.O.R.E. presentation, a Post presentation, or a Weekend presentation. It is a day away from distractions. There are mentors and outlines to assist you.

Writing Workshops are a great way to get involved in Retrouvaille’s core mission, helping couples who are hurting. Writing is another way to strengthen your marriage. By being open with yourself and with your spouse as you write, your marriage will deepen. The more you write, the stronger it will become.