Newly Married Retreat Day

By Jimmy Meagher

My wife and I were excited to be attending the Archdiocesan Newly Married Retreat Day (Archdiocese of Saint Paul/ Minneapolis) on February 1st where Peter & Theresa Martin were the main speakers. Jordan and Alli Malikowski, WCI Leader Couple, also spoke. 

It is always nice to spend some intentional time on retreat. The speakers were enjoyable and informative. The thing we enjoyed most was hearing the personal experiences of marriage from the speakers. It is a blessing to hear from others in a similar state of life – and especially those further along on their marriage journeys. Hearing the stories of struggles overcome through the grace of God brings much hope for a continued happy and holy marriage, especially amid a culture that would rather call it quits at the first sign of hardship. 

Our favorite session – and what seemed the favorite of the group – was the separated men’s and women’s session. My wife and I agreed that it was nice to be able to hear about the particular issues on the top of the minds of husbands and wives. It was a refreshing space to be able to talk about married life and be candid amongst a supportive group. 

We were also happy to get time alone as a couple after each speaker so that we could talk to each other and reflect on what we had just heard. The method of dialoguing – each spouse writing a letter to each other, describing their feelings, and then sharing – was quite fruitful. We plan to continue this process in communicating with each other in such an intentional way. 

One of the biggest things I learned that will stick with me was Pope Saint John Paul II’s idea that a Catholic married couple could ideally share one interior life together. It is an incredible reminder of the greatness of the call to marriage, and how it helps us in our mission to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Luke 5:48, NABRE). It can seem daunting at times, but it is also such a gift to be seeking the reward of Heaven together. 

We are excited to pursue this mission in a greater way by attending the Wojtyła Community & Institute's Leader Couple Training Course, and hope to start our own Married Couple Group so that we can spread the love of Christ to other Catholic couples and the community. In that way we can help each other to grow in friendship, love, and holiness all the days of our lives.

Attendees of the Newly Married Retreat and MCG members, Caleb & Jeannine, pose for a photo with Peter, Theresa, Alli, & Jordan.