Regarding the survey questions asked of the couples shown in bold below:
What contributed the most to your weekend experience?
“The personal stories shared by the married couples, and I appreciated how they opened up about their marriages and the challenges we could potentially face”
“No cell phones and televisions allowing us to disconnect”
“The ability to be separate completely from average daily life and distractions and fully immerse ourselves in His great wisdom and lessons portrayed by our sharing couples and priest.”
“Expressing ourselves with writing was helpful before communicating with each other.”
“Time apart to give us time to reflect and write our thoughts, then come together and express and understand one another.”
“Being in a serene setting without distractions. The presenting couples also really helped us see sides of ourselves worth discussing.”
“Communication techniques and conflict resolution techniques.”
“The raw, heartfelt experiences. The tough questions asked to bring out emotions that I didn’t think possible.”
What did you learn on the weekend that has impacted your relationship with your future spouse?
“I thought we had talked about everything in regard to our relationship, but I actually learned there were more things we needed to discuss and understand.”
“Her love language and what is most important to her in regard to that. It will help me understand and fulfill her needs in the future. ”
“It gave us a better understanding of our shared values, what it means to get married in the church and tools to help us deal with conflict, make decisions and continue to love each other.”
“Some fears he had been holding back on communicating with me.”
“I learned he had been neglecting his relationship with God. Instead of communicating that, he had herald it in until now.”
“I got to understand how spirituality can help us overcome obstacles that we could not have been able to face by ourselves.”
“Wow….learned a lot. Communication-different means and ways. What a contract vs convent is, and how church marriage differs from civil marriage.”
“It opened my eyes to the Catholic Community and that it not just about the mass.”
‘Being able to open up to my loving partner more than I ever have before.”
Any additional comments you would like to share?
“I am very thankful for the presenting couples; they are truly an inspiration. Father I thank you for opening my fiancé’s heart, I will never forget what this weekend did to him and us.”
“Great food and beautiful property. Nice weekend getaway with a lot to take away.”
“This retreat showed me for what I was looking for all my life. It will change my life.”
“The beds were too soft.” (response- understood, Retreat Center will be under construction soon and new rooms are in the works)
“This was an unforgettable experience that will positively impact our marriage for a lifetime.”
“This weekend meant a lot. I feel that I was able to open up in a I hadn’t before.”
“Fantastic presentation. It was not preached, but sharing other experiences and challenges made it real. “