With Saints Louis and Zélie, taking care of couples
The joy of accompanying couples on their life journey
Within the Church, there is a growing call not only to prepare couples for marriage but also to accompany them throughout their lives. This is what Pope Saint John Paul II already said in 1981: “Pastoral care for the regularly constituted family means, in concrete terms, the commitment of all bodies within the local ecclesial community to help the couple discover and live out their new vocation and mission.” (Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio 69)
At the Alençon sanctuary: a set of proposals
As a sanctuary for couples and families, we are fortunate to participate in this mission in many ways, whether by welcoming pilgrims following in the footsteps of Saints Louis and Zélie, or through missions undertaken in France or abroad. We also offer programs specifically designed for couples.
- Cenacle Weekends, in the form of a retreat within thePilgrims hostelryThis encourages deeper exploration.
- Valentine's Day pilgrimages, where walking in the countryside and forest facilitates communication within the couple.
- Annual retreats of Teams of Our Lady (END).
- And a meeting of Christian entrepreneurs and leaders (EDC) where, in both cases, sharing with others is experienced.
Through teachings and testimonies that open up interiority and reflection (personal, as a couple or as a team), in the company of the Martin family whose message is proving to be increasingly relevant, through times of adoration, the celebration of the sacraments (eucharist, reconciliation and renewal of the Covenant), through gestures that speak to the heart and many thoughtful gestures to discover, couples testify to the many graces received from the Lord.
Real time for couples
Thus, this young father, after 4 years of marriage, acknowledges: "I came without expecting anything because everything was fine. I leave a little shaken (having realized that everything wasn't so fine), but strengthened in our love and our faith. We hadn't taken the time to communicate much. That's been done now." Or, on the contrary, this husband who had been expecting it: "I arrived tired, I left energized and full of good resolutions." The discovery that love needs nurturing and that the promises of marriage need to be renewed. Thus, this couple is already reaping the rewards of the time spent rebuilding their alliance: "Real time together as a couple. A moment of clarity and truth, highly precious for preserving love and trust." While all these exchanges prove necessary and incredibly beneficial, For many, the same applies to discovering the role of the third person in their married life. : "A weekend that allowed us to put the Lord back in first place and at the center of our relationship." "We learned to pray together, to ask the Lord for help with our family plans." And this is often accompanied by a genuine friendship with the Martin couple. “We have incorporated Louis and Zélie’s prayer into our own. Thanks to them, holiness seems more accessible and desirable.” And as if by synthesis : "A demanding but magnificent adventure. We leave feeling confident, light-hearted, and filled with love for each other and for the Lord."
Father Thierry Hénault Morel, rector of the sanctuary
