Also See National Website at Marriage Retorno

What is Marriage Retorno?

Marriage Retorno means turning toward God as a couple. The goal of Marriage Retorno is to provide an atmosphere, a context, in which the couple can open themselves both as individuals and as a couple to a dialogue with God through Scripture. It is a weekend prayer experience for husband and wife, facilitated by a married couple and a Catholic priest. It provides participating couples with an opportunity for a renewal of their relationship as a couple with God.

What couples say.

" “Before the weekend, we never prayed together. Even grace before meals was a silent prayer done separately. Now we hold hands and pray out loud together. My God has become our God. The weekend opened up a whole new world of togetherness for us through Scripture and couple prayer.” (Manny & Emily - Tucson, Feb. 1996)

" “We experienced our Marriage Retorno on February 14, 1997 and have not been the same since. We had been searching for a way to deepen our relationship with God. We read about Marriage Retorno in the church bulletin. We both were surprised at how much one weekend could enrich our lives as a couple and individually so deeply. We laughed, cried, held each other and forgave one another for hurts we didn't even know that we had caused each other. We talked and we listened to each other; but more importantly, we were able to listen to God. We discovered a God who was eager to talk to us and give us direction to our marriage, once we quieted ourselves and were ready to listen. The Marriage Retorno was our opportunity to take time away from our busy, scheduled lives. We discovered that in being still and letting God bring out the beauty in our marital relationship, we were able to love each other with His love, the way He intended it.” -- (Rene & Mary - Tucson, AZ)

"We were inspired by and felt the support of other Christian couples."

"We made a deeper commitment to God and each other through our commitment to read Scripture every day." .

Who is it for?

Marriage Retorno is an experience intended for every married couple who wishes to deepen a sense of communion with one another and the Lord. Marriage Retorno assumes that the husband and wife desire a deeper communion with one another and are hungry to deepen their relationship with the Lord as a couple.

Marriage Retorno also serves to renew the prayer life of priests and religious.

What Marriage Retorno is not:

The weekend is not a "prayer group" experience, a Scripture study course or marriage encounter type weekend experience. Marriage Retorno does not encourage any particular apostolic endeavor nor is there any structured follow-up. Rather, it is a deepening of a couple's prayer and spirituality, designed specifically for a married couple.

What happens on a Marriage Retorno?

The weekend consists of four basic moments: a period of reconciliation as husband and wife; then three phases in which God is encountered through Scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Reconciliation:

This is a period of writing and sharing between husband and wife about their marriage, the level of trust and openness in their relationship, and the barriers to deeper union with each other.

Three Phases of Listening

Through Scriptures and

Opening the Heart to God's Word:

Each phase offers the couple time for individual reflection, writing and sharing while listening as God speaks through Scripture. There is time for:

* prayer alone,

* prayer as a couple,

* and group sharing.

The phases deal with finding the will of the Father, following the example of the Son, and becoming witnesses of God's love and unity through the Holy Spirit.

History of Marriage Retorno: Marriage Retorno is the step in Fr. Gabriel Calvo's vision of a Christian Marriage that leads to couple prayer.

In 1970, many couples in Spain began voicing a need to deepen their spiritual life within the context of their marriages. These couples approached Fr. Calvo, the originator of Marriage Encounter, and from their sharing and searching together, Marriage Retorno was born. The first English language Marriage Retorno was held in Ireland in 1971 and in the United States in 1972. In 1975 the Marriage Retorno National Office was formed and Marriage Retorno was established as a service independent of all other organizations and movements. Today, Marriage Retorno is active throughout North America and in many overseas countries.

Marriage Retorno Information

If you are interested in Marriage Retorno and want further information, or

 if you would like a team to come to your area to conduct a Marriage Retorno, please contact:

Kevin & Kathie Stogsdill

Marriage Retorno in Tucson, Arizona

4321 N. Ventana Drive

Tucson, AZ 85750-6223

(520) 722-2931 fax:(520) 722-2152

stogskk@mindspring.com

 or

Fr. Pat O Brien, CSsR

1111 Milwaukee Ave

Glenview, IL 60025-0006

(847) 724-0425 fax: (847) 724-8943

Pobcssr@aol.com

 Kevin                   Fr. Pat                  Kathie

We are interested in Marriage Retorno email us at: stogskk@mindspring.com the following info

Name________________________________

Address______________________________

State____________________ZIP__________

Phone_______________________________

Other National Links

Marriage Retorno in Iowa

National Marriage Retorno Coordinating team is Joe & Mary Ward and Fr. Mel Hemann

Contact Joe & Mary at (215) 362-8699 or email: jward265@comcast.net

Send e-mail to stogskk@mindspring.com

This page is maintained by Kevin & Kathie Stogsdill