We were that couple that everyone thought had it all.  Success, great kids, great house, luxury cars, frequent travel, etc.  We were the picture postcard of the perfect standard to shoot for, and we even had what everyone believed to be the ideal marriage.  Everyone we knew thought we were "the lucky ones."

Nobody knew our dark secret.  To keep up that life, we worked countless hours, seven days a week, and spent long periods of time apart chasing that financial dream, and supporting that facade on our lives... until it all came crashing down on us.   Our marriage was unsustainable as we grew further and further apart.  We were like business partners that lived together, and that effected everything.

We reached a breaking point, and knew that we had to let it all go.   We had both broken so many of our marriage vows and one of us broke "the big one".

Attending our Retrouvaille weekend was absolutely amazing for us.  Suddenly, there we were with couples that understood.  These presenting couples shed a light on our marriage that we wish we had seen a decade prior, and helped us understand what really mattered in life.  We opened up and learned things about each other that we had been completely unaware of.  As the name Retrouvaille means in French, we truly "rediscovered" one another... and even ourselves.

We can honestly say that despite the years of keeping up a facade while we were miserable, it was all worth it.  Retrouvaille brought our marriage to a place where we could truly heal, forgive, and trust.  No marriage therapist asking how something makes us feel, "telling" us what to do.  No group therapy asking us to reveal our private lives to strangers.  It was all about us, and it was a true miracle.

Did it help us?  To say yes would be an understatement.  It helped us achieve a relationship that is now better than it was when we were first married.  Something we never thought possible.

Once the truth surfaced we chose marriage counseling and a weekend at Retrouvaille to see if we could salvage our marriage. The cautious feeling for the unknown at the Retrouvaille weekend soon became safe with a realization no one was there to judge but only to support us. Presenting couples and the Priest were there to share their story. We gained the powerful tools to start healing what was broken and strengthen us and our marriage. The healing and support through Retrouvaille is a refreshing gift in today's society. The effort and mutual choice we made to attend has given us a true and positive hope to our marriage, family and future. We are stronger and better than we ever were.

I was looking for something to refresh our marriage, to bring us where we used to be, to find ourselves, and our love and our interests. We were just moving along not in a bad way, but I felt our marriage could be better and more meaningful and attending really helped us communicate. It was wonderful. This program should be a part of everyone's marriage and it needs to begin very early in your marriage. We learned so much about each other we didn't know.

My wife and I struggled with marital issues for years, and after months of traditional counseling, we saw little progress. Retrouvaille was life-changing. This program, founded as a Catholic ministry but open to all, is welcoming no matter your beliefs (I’m an atheist, and my wife is a non-practicing Lutheran). Only about 10% of the content has a Catholic perspective, but you can take or leave what fits your beliefs.

Retrouvaille isn’t counseling; it’s an intensive, structured weekend retreat, followed by weekly sessions. During the weekend, you’ll learn practical tools to help rebuild trust and communication. Unlike therapy, you won’t share personal details in group settings but engage privately with your spouse to tackle issues together.

After completing Retrouvaille, my wife and I communicated better than we had in years, and our 20th anniversary was the happiest in a long time. For any struggling couple, this program offers hope, a fresh start, and a path toward a lasting, loving marriage.

We were in misery when we went on our Retrouvaille weekend. We could not talk without arguing. Our three teenagers lived in a war zone. At the Retrouvaille weekend we were able to reconnect and found hope. Eventually, our marriage entered a second honeymoon. We are able to live in harmony thanks to the skills we learned in the Retrouvaille program.

Some marriages have a big event. Ours was death by a thousand cuts. Retrouvaille changed the course of our lives. We are truly happier today than when we were first married.

Before this, I couldn’t even find a birthday or anniversary card that felt meaningful. Now, I want to buy every card I see because the words finally resonate. That’s how much this has changed our marriage.