Retrouvaille Hope for Troubled Marriages BY JOHN STEGEMAN
Retrouvaille Hope for Troubled Marriages BY JOHN STEGEMAN
Twenty-three years after saying “I do,” Gloria and Dan Sprague were staring at the end of their marriage. “Communication had totally broken down for us so much that we didn’t think it could be restored. We lived in two separate households for 11 months. I filed for divorce. It wasn’t until we went on our Retrouvaille weekend that we got a spark of hope.” Fifteen years later, the couple volunteers as community coordinators for Retrouvaille of Cincinnati/Tristate, helping other troubled marriages. Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi) is a program to help those in struggling marriages. It was established in Quebec, Canada, in 1977 by Guy and Jeannine Beland who worked as a Worldwide Marriage Encounter presenting couple. They witnessed struggling couples attend their events but need more, so they created their own program to minister to these couples, and it took off. Retrouvaille has since spread to 29 countries and 40 U.S. states, saving countless marriages. No troubled marriage can be saved in just one weekend, said Gloria Sprague, and the Retrouvaille program recognizes that. Couples attend six follow-up sessions then monthly meetings. “First we got hope, then we got healing,” Gloria said.
2 8 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH
Catholic in origin, Retrouvaille includes a spiritual component, but is open to couples of all faiths or no faith. Run entirely by volunteers, it is not an official ministry of any diocese, but many endorse it – including the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The program’s success rate is tremendous, with 95 percent of participants recommending the program to others and 76 percent of couples still married five years later, according to a 2015 international survey. “It doesn’t have to be a last-ditch effort,” Gloria said. “It is for when communication has broken down or couples are disengaged, or life has been taken over with kids and jobs and COVID, or whatever has happened in life.” Three couples and a clergy member present at each Retrouvaille weekend, usually at a hotel or retreat center from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. In the Cincinnati/Tristate We lived in two separate households for 11 months. I filed for divorce. It wasn’t until we went on our Retrouvaille weekend that we got a spark of hope.” –Gloria Sprague
