Retrouvaille offers a lifeline for hurting marriages

Published: 2004-01-29

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (CNS) -- Each year in parishes of the St. Cloud Diocese, approximately 1,200 couples solemnly vow before God and their guests to love each other all their lives. Yet, if statistics hold true, one-third to one-half of those marriages will end in divorce. "None of the couples on their pre-marriage weekend ever think it's going to be them," said Christine Codden, director of the diocese's Family Life and Respect Life Office. To help couples beat the odds, Codden's office sponsors weekends for marriage preparation, but also provides them with a booklet on resources, including a program called Retrouvaille, to help them through the lifelong voyage that marriage is supposed to be. The program offers participants who are in a troubled marriage a chance to rediscover that love can be the driving force. Yet, according to Codden, the couples on a pre-marriage weekend don't think they're going to need it.

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