Sights & Sounds: Helping married couples find new ways to pray and connect

On Nov. 15, married couples from around the Archdiocese of Newark gathered for the first God Chose Me for You Marriage Retreat Day at Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish Center in Bloomfield, NJ.

Organized by the archdiocesan Office for Family Life Ministry, the retreat day aimed to help married couples find new ways to pray, connect, and encounter God’s love.

“This retreat experience frames marriage not merely as a social or contractual union but as a sacramental calling from God and a spiritual vocation, a mission, and a visible expression of God’s love in the world,” said Joanne DePasquale-Parent, Director of Family Life Ministry. “The day helps couples see that their union is about more than personal happiness. It is a mission, infused with eternal significance by God’s grace.”

A prayer for each couple

During the day, couples received a workbook that delved into topics such as “The Beauty of Matrimony,” “Let the Graces Flow,” and “Loving Each Other into Heaven,” with questions to aid discussion during moments of personal sharing with the retreat team. As they complete each of the workbook’s five chapters, couples are invited to compose one line of a prayer together.

“At the end of the retreat, the couple takes each of the five lines they composed to formulate one prayer specific to them and their marriage,” DePasquale-Parent said. “They are then encouraged to pray it together every day, offering them a tangible tool to deepen their relationship with God and with one another daily.”

Couples were also given the opportunity to pray their prayer together before a priest or deacon and receive a blessing.

Enthusiastic responses

Interest in the retreat day exceeded the Family Life Ministry’s expectations. “To have 53 couples present was amazing,” DePasquale-Parent said. “We learned that there’s a great interest and a real need for Catholic marriage enrichment and support in the Archdiocese of Newark.”

Responses to the God Chose Me for You Marriage Retreat Day demonstrate how eager couples are to reconnect and deepen their commitment to each other:

This is one of the best workshops to spend time together and reconnect. We love the presenters who shared their own experiences and connected them to their faith.”
– Jeanna and Ricardo R.

It’s a great speed bump to the daily grind, helping us remember why we started this journey together.”
– Tim and Jen D.

Talking about God and marriage topics, the interactive Q&A, and creating a prayer together… were POWERFUL moments that made a lasting impression. The retreat was everything we expected and more. Thank you, thank you, thank you! My husband and I really needed this.”
– Margie & Ray S.

The Family Life Ministry will next offer a Marriage Retreat Day in Spanish on March 7, 2026, and one in English on March 28, with details available soon. To learn more about these and other program offerings, including resources for Marriage Enrichment, visit the Office for Family Life Ministry.

To view more photos from the “God Chose You for Me” Marriage Retreat Day, click HERE.

Each week, Jersey Catholic features the rich and inspiring “Sights & Sounds” of the Archdiocese of Newark. Visit us regularly to explore our vibrant parishes, sacred artworks, historic landmarks, and the faithful men, women and youth who bring our Catholic community to life.

Featured image: Couples participate in the God Chose Me for You Marriage Retreat Day on Nov. 15, organized by the Archdiocese of Newark’s Family Life Ministry. (Photo by Office of Family Life Ministry / Archdiocese of Newark)