An announcement from the pulpit helped Sarah and Jeremy Bottom save their marriage six years ago.
Their deacon stood before the congregation that day in 2017 and shared that he and his wife attended the Retrouvaille program for troubled marriages; it saved their marriage, he told them.
That’s what the Bottoms needed to hear.
“We were on the verge of divorce and decided to go to Retrouvaille,” Sarah Bottom explained during an interview last week. “At the time, we had a 10-year-old daughter and she was seeing our struggle.
“Retrouvaille gave us the tools we needed to talk to each other,” she said. “We stayed together and attended monthly after-care sessions.”
Now the couple serve on the Retrouvaille board, lead after-care sessions and promote the program in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
The next Retrouvaille program will be offered Feb. 16 to 18. The weekend-long program is confidential and designed to help troubled marriages regain their health. It is open to all couples, including those who have already separated or divorced.
‘We were on the verge of divorce and decided to go to Retrouvaille. … Retrouvaille gave us the tools we needed to talk to each other.’
Sarah Bottom, Retrouvaille board member
Local Retrouvaille organizers hope that parishes will help promote the program in their bulletins and announcements.
Pastors can help, too, said Sarah Bottom, a member of St. Thomas Church in Bardstown, Ky. In addition to the pulpit talk, a priest also nudged her toward Retrouvaille, she said.
She noted that finances and communication seem to be two of the most common problems for couples.
“A lot of people probably present these issues in the confessional,” she said. “Retrouvaille may be something priests can share with them.”
She added that the priest who helped with their weekend in 2017 told her that Retrouvaille makes a difference he could see on the faces of participants.
“He has seen the difference it made from Friday, the angry faces on couples, to the softness you see on their faces, the softness of their hearts on Sunday when they’re getting ready to go.”
Parishes that would like to share information can call 479-3329 or email 3012@helpourmarriage.org.
Those who’d like to attend Retrouvaille can register or gather more information by calling 479-3329, emailing 3012@helpourmarriage.org or visiting helpourmarriage.org.
