The Impact of a Marriage Retreat
by: Sheila Pelowski, WCI Leader Couple, Rochester, MN.
Can a marriage retreat really make a difference in one’s spousal relationship? Who will be there? I won’t know anyone. It sounds forced and cheesy. Is it worth my time? I share these honest and real thoughts that weaved in and out of my mind as a I pondered registering for our very first Catholic marriage retreat.
God has been gently working within our marriage since Ely and I both entered the fullness of the Catholic faith almost 13 years ago. Through the graces of the sacraments, we naturally worked through and healed from past wounds, but I also knew there was more to our journey. Something more was on the horizon.
In prayer, the idea of a marriage retreat would wander into my thoughts. I would say to myself “that does sound nice.” Then, ‘the real world’ distractions kept me from action. Through God’s grace, I was encouraged to ask my husband about attending the marriage retreat in La Crosse. I thought: I’ll just drop this little nugget from the retreat flyer into Ely’s inbox and see what happens. “Give your spouse the gift of time, dedicated to strengthening your love in Christ.” To my amazement and surprise, Ely replied “sounds amazing…road trip!” So off we went!
Since the retreat, I am acutely aware of how our spiritual enemy wants to ensure that married couples remain paralyzed and blocked from understanding and growing in authentic and intimate love with God and each other (conjugal spirituality). The enemy used the fragile nature of close family members to try to keep us from attending the retreat. We truly had to place all our trust in God that family would be safe from self-harm. God in his glory granted us a peace that surpasses understanding. It was still an uncomfortable leap of faith. A leap that led us to discovering the truth, beauty, and goodness of God's plan for marriage.
It was during this marriage retreat that Ely and I discovered, through purposeful dialogue and prayer, hidden past hurts and sins from before we converted to Christianity that we were holding on to. While praying in Adoration during the retreat, God’s grace burst through, like a ray of sunshine after a long period of dark and dreary weather and gifted us with deep forgiveness for each other, healing, and a lightness of heart. Most of all he gifted us a profound interior intimacy that is meant for all marriages. So, was the marriage retreat worth our time? A resounding yes! So much that we are looking forward to the next one! In the meantime, Ely and I are equipped with the tools for a joy-filled marriage of divine love!
