Pope praises work of couples involved in Retrouvaille |
 |
 |
|
Written by LAURIE STEVENS BERTKE, Chronicle Writer
|
|
Saturday, 08 November 2008 01:00 |
Four married couples and a priest from Northwest Ohio Retrouvaille received an apostolic blessing from Pope Benedict XVI when he addressed representatives of the international movement in a private audience at Castel Gandolfo Sept. 26.
Welcoming some 300 people who were attending an international Retrouvaille meeting in Rome, Pope Benedict praised the ministry to couples experiencing marital difficulties, which was founded by a Canadian couple in 1977.
"Yours is a service ‘against the wave,’ " Pope Benedict noted, adding a couple affected by crisis "finds many people ready to advise them to separate."
Members of Retrouvaille are not professionals, but "married couples who have yourselves lived these same difficulties and overcome them through God’s grace and the support of Retrouvaille, and have, therefore, felt the desire and the joy to put your experience at the service of others," he observed.
Pope Benedict called Retrouvaille the "custodian of a bigger hope for the couples who have lost it."
Laurie Pacer of Wauseon St. Caspar, who attended with her husband, Bob, describes the audience as "quiet and regal." Unsure of what to expect, she says she thought Pope Benedict might discuss the ministry with Retrouvaille couples.
Instead he read a prepared statement that "was a validation and affirmation of the ministry," she relates. Since Pope Benedict addressed the group in Italian, the Pacers had to wait until they arrived home to read an English translation.
Mrs. Pacer says she appreciates Pope Benedict’s comments about their ministry being countercultural.
"Retrouvaille is, to a certain extent, the road less traveled. More people divorce than work it out, so that was nice he acknowledged that," she says.
Mr. Pacer is pleased with how well Pope Benedict understood the nature of the ministry. "He acknowledged that we couples had gone through the experience ourselves," says Mr. Pacer.
The Pacers hope Pope Benedict’s recognition of Retrouvaille will raise awareness of the ministry. Even after more than 30 years, "it’s still a matter of getting the word out," says Mr. Pacer.
Retrouvaille — French for "rediscovery" — is a peer-to-peer marriage ministry offering hope to couples living in the disappointment and pain of a troubled marriage. It includes a weekend experience and six follow-up sessions led by couples that have rebuilt their own marriages.
The Diocese of Toledo sponsors Northwest Ohio Retrouvaille, but the ministry serves married couples of all faith traditions. Four Retrouvaille weekends are scheduled each year.
The International Council Meeting is an annual business meeting that includes marriage enrichment workshops and speakers. The location changes each year.
"Being at a conference where everyone believes in marriage, and God’s love inside that marriage is a powerful thing," coordinators Scott and Bonnie Langmeyer of Deerfield, Mich., share in an e-mail.
"After listening to all of these speakers, the most important message was simple, yet can be so difficult: It is that God is love, and without God at the center of our marriage, we will fail," add the Langmeyers, who are members of a nondenominational Christian church in Blissfield, Mich.
During the conference in Rome, Retrouvaille couples attended an evening prayer service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and a special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica celebrated by Msgr. Giuseppe Anfossi, president of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life for the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Father Fred Duschl, spiritual director for Northwest Ohio Retrouvaille, says it was exciting to be at the Mass. About 500 people attended, including 40 priests.
The Pacers, who serve on the Retrouvaille International Board, say they enjoyed meeting Retrouvaille couples from more than a dozen countries around the world at the conference.
"It was thrilling to put a face to all these dear people that we have a sense of knowing through e-mail," says Mrs. Pacer.
Others from the Diocese of Toledo who went to the international council meeting include Mick and Lori Lucas of Toledo St. Patrick of Heatherdowns and Michael and Kathy Robinson of Perrysburg St. Rose.
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 23 January 2009 09:47 |
