"Excellent and Outstanding!"
Two Souls United in Christ Marriage Retreat in La Crosse was tremendously blessed. The Shrine Crypt was decorated beautifully and the WCI Retreat Team greeted the couples warmly as they arrived.
Every table of spouses had a different "Bishop Team." These teams prayed for their assigned bishop during the retreat. There were 29 dioceses represented by the 86 couples in attendance, and so, 29 bishops received prayers! Consequently, each bishop was sent a note following the retreat letting him know the couples prayed for him.
The retreat began with games and prize give-aways, and then a talk by Peter & Theresa Martin followed by time to speak with their beloved. After couple dialogue time concluded, the entire group prayed Night Prayer together. As prayer concluded, His Eminence, Cardinal Burke, joined the gathering and the retreatants greeted him with a spontaneous standing ovation.
The couples enjoyed fellowship, wine, cheese, and all good things Friday evening. Saturday brought more opportunities for catching the deeper potential of holiness in marriage and time to experience it with their spouse.
In Cardinal Burke's homily on Saturday he said, "In the present moment when the attacks on matrimony and on the family seem the most ferocious, it is the Church, it is we who must show to the whole of society the truth in all its richness, and therefore the beauty and the goodness of marriage and of the family.”
Cardinal Burke reminded the couples that: “[t]he Church accomplishes its mission of evangelization of the family with its teaching, with the celebration of the Sacraments and with the life of prayer and devotion, and with its discipline. Hence, the importance of following the rule for the married life, as it has been set forth by Pope Saint John Paul II.” A welcomed encouragement for those couples, many of whom were learning about this rule for the first time.
One couple from Rochester, MN shared their experience:
"Ely and I discovered, through active and intentional dialogue and prayer, old, deep, hidden past hurts/sins from before we converted to Christianity that we were holding on to. We had some barriers getting to the retreat. Looking back I know how much the evil one hates families/marriage and how GREATER God is than all our sin. I share because HEALING through the name of Jesus is real, true and beautiful."
Here are just a few of the comments from retreat couples:
“You have helped our marriage tremendously!”
“Peter & Theresa did an amazing job presenting the beautiful theme JPII gave us on Marriage. 5 stars!”
“Very well put together and organized! Thank you!!!”
“Thank you so much for your vulnerability and your humility in sharing your lives together with us. It has been a beautiful renewal in my heart.”
“Thank you so much for an amazing retreat experience.”
"GREAT RETREAT! Consider making it 3 days!"
"THANK YOU IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!"
Click here to see the Press Release about the retreat.
Click here to read Cardinal Burke's full homily.
The Next Marriage Retreat in Fargo, ND is now SOLD OUT.
Registration for the 3-Day Marriage Retreat in Winona, MN (Feb 28 - Mar 2) will be opening soon! theme: Duc in Altum - Into the Deep with Bishop Robert Barron celebrating Mass.