Retrouvaille gives hope for hurting marriages

With the blessing of Archbishop Julian Leow and the efforts of Fr Edwin Peter, along with the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s Committee, the first Retrouvaille Weekend in Malaysia was held in Kuala Lumpur January 26 – 28, 2018.

Feb 15, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: With the blessing of Archbishop Julian Leow and the efforts of Fr Edwin Peter, along with the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission’s Committee, the first Retrouvaille Weekend in Malaysia was held in Kuala Lumpur January 26 – 28, 2018. Ten couples took home a richly-rewarding experience.

The presenting team was Fr Arul Raj from India, Max & Sam from Singapore, Merit & Bernie from the Philippines and Canute & Lourett from Kuala Lumpur.

Troubled and hurting marriages now have a lifeline available to them — they can get specialised help from the Retrouvaille programme.

Archbishop Julian Leow gave this advice to hurting couples in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. “The Retrouvaille Weekend will now provide a programme specially aimed at healing troubled and hurting marriages,” said the Archbishop.

He added that Family Life is one of the eight priorities of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, the Church wants to reach out to married couples through such enrichment programmes.

Echoing the Archbishop’s views, Fr Edwin, one of the Ecclesiastical Assistants to the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, said that the Retrouvaille programme helps married couples who are struggling to communicate, struggling to stay together, are cold and distant from each other, are separated or divorced, but want to try again.

“Retrouvaille helps couples put the pieces back together and rebuild loving relationships,” said Fr Edwin, who is also the parish priest of the Church of the Sacred Heart in KL.

Fr Edwin ‘prayerfully guaranteed’ that Retrouvaille will help couples discover how listening, forgiveness and healing, communication and the dialogue process are powerful aids for building a loving and lasting relationship. He said that the weekend itself is not a ‘miracle cure’ and emphasised that attendance of the post-weekend sessions are important. The sessions have been designed to continue the healing and communication begun on the first weekend. Joseph and Anita Pragasam, chair couple of Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, noted that the Church is very concerned with the state of marriages and the growing trend of separations and divorces leading to fragmented families and a breakdown of traditional family structures.

Explaining further, Joseph & Anita said that the Retrouvaille programme begins with a weekend experience in which hurting couples learn to gain new insights into themselves, as individuals and as a couple. Retrouvaille is based on the belief that marriage is the most significant relationship in any society and is worth the investment of time, energy and efforts to make it the best it can be.

“During the Retrouvaille Weekend, couples will be encouraged to put the past behind them and to look beyond the hurt and pain in order to rediscover each other in a new and positive way,” said the Pragasams.

Joseph & Anita also mentioned that, during the Weekend, couples will not be asked to share their problems openly or with anyone.

For further information on the Retrouvaille programme, call and speak confidentially to coordinators Basil 016-7768274 or Martina 019- 2305776. All enquiries are treated with the utmost confidentiality.--Retrouvaille Committee

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