Hurricane's effects still felt in New Orleans marriages, experts say

Published: 2006-06-27

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Ten months after Hurricane Katrina, gale-force winds are still buffeting marriages that might have been in trouble before the storm but now are reeling because of emotional, financial or other stressful problems, according to marriage experts in the New Orleans area. The Family Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New Orleans has been fielding many calls from couples seeking information on marriage counseling or on the Catholic program known as Retrouvaille (French for "rediscovery") that helps couples overcome marital difficulties. "We sent out at least 15 applications last week to couples who are interested in Retrouvaille," Deacon Drea Capaci, director of the Family Life Apostolate, said in a recent interview with the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. "That doesn't mean all those couples will go on the weekend, but these people are not calling up sheepishly. They want to go on this weekend." There's a simple reason for the increase in calls for help, Deacon Capaci said. Hurricane Katrina created an uproar in family life.

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