Franciscan Retreats: February Married Couples

February Married Couples

This February couples retreat may have been the first Franciscan Retreat offered in our new facility in 1966, forty-one years ago. Retreats for married couples was a bold, new idea when people thought retreats were like visiting a monastery for a weekend. Yes! Jesus loves married couples and enthusiastically blesses marriage!
Franciscan Retreats maintains this sacred tradition into the 21st century and looks forward to the next one!

Following are some of the remarks of this latest group about their weekend:

God’s peace is always present on these retreats but the assurance of God’s love and peace shone through. The staff sharing their God moments was powerful.

It’s so wonderful not to have to cook and the best part this year was we didn’t have to bus the tables!

The retreat experience has opened my heart to the love of God. It is difficult to describe the positive benefits from all the conferences. The variety of topics assists in providing a broad spectrum of spirituality to me.

Food was good and substantial.

This is a wonderful place to come and relax and reflect and quiet ourselves so as to know the Lord’s presence.

The renewal of our wedding vows was both an event full of sadness and joy. It’s been a few years of great pain, sorrow, loss and slow repair and recovery for us. I wasn’t sure I was ready to do it but you provided a safe setting for that renewal.

The retreat always leaves us peace-filled with a new awareness of God’s love for each of us within the Sacrament of Marriage. The weekend was filled with many blessings and a new sense of hope for our future.

Chef Judy and her staff do an excellent job preparing our meals. Hats off to the cook!

I’ve been here six times and I enjoy seeing familiar surroundings and faces.

Our room was warm and inviting. We appreciated the queen-size bed.

The retreat helped me to see that I must give our grandson, who was tragically killed almost a year ago in a car accident, back to God as God gave his Son for us to die on the cross.

I often asked myself, “Are you a good listener?” And the answer is yes, I thought. Today, with the listening exercise, the answer is “No, why?” Today I came to realized that one must try to filter out other sounds, as in music, that only what the composer wrote should be heard. However, it is normal for these other sounds to be heard, stay focused on your thoughts and you objectives will be met. It’s a great day since I was born.

Blessed are those hands that work together which embraced passion, cooking the most appreciated and delicious meals for us all, God’s children. Thank!

The retreat blessed us with peace and love for God and one another.

This has been a very meaningful retreat. The theme and conferences resonated with us. Thank you .

His presence is so strong here in this place, in the people, and in the quiet. It’s like being wrapped in a warm, handmade quilt on a frigid, winter day, knowing he will keep us in his care.

I was touched much more emotionally than in past years. The other couples added so much to our experience. And, as usual, everyone was so nice and friendly.

The food was very tasty and healthy.

Everything was clean and working well. The room stayed nicely warm, even when we first arrived.