Retrouvaille International

Retrouvaille International is an organization of couples helping other couples that are experiencing troubles in their married relationships. The word "retrouvaille" (pronounced re-tro-vi with a long i) is a French word meaning rediscovery. The program teaches attending couples how to use communication tools to help rediscover life in their relationship.

The Retrouvaille program consists of a weekend experience combined with a series of 6-12 post-weekend sessions over 3 months. The main emphasis of the program is on communication between husband and wife. The organization is made up of volunteers organized into communities. As of December 2006, there are about 230 individual Retrouvaille communities throughout 26 countries, with about 150 locations in the U.S.A.

History

Retrouvaille began in 1977 as a French language weekend for hurting marriages in the province of Quebec, Canada. It was adapted to English by the Toronto community, who also revised and strengthened the contents of the weekend and developed the post-weekend programs. From 1982, Retrouvaille has spread through the U.S.A. and South America; from 1991, into many other countries around the world.

Program Structure

Retrouvaille is a program developed from Catholic roots, that is open to all faith traditions, that uses Christian teachings to help hurting married couples. A team of three couples and a priest or three couples and a Christian minister & spouse for Christian Multi-Denominational (CMD) weekends present the Retrouvaille weekend. The presenting couples have grown through serious disillusionment, pain and conflict in their own relationships. These couples offer hope as they share their personal stories of struggle, reconciliation and healing. The team couples share the deep and personal hurts they have experienced. This helps participants find the courage to express some of their own pain with their spouse in a safe and private place.

The 6-12 Post Sessions expand upon the topics covered in during the weekend phase of the program. In the Posts, a presenting couple again shares their story as well as expanding the teachings of reconciliation and healing.

Links

* Homepage of [http://www.retrouvaille.org/ Retrouvaille International]
* Christian views of marriage