Retrouvaille: how overtly Christian?

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Is it much more overtly Christian than Financial Peace University?
 
I’ve never heard of Financial Peace University, but I’ve been to Retrouvaille, and I didn’t find it particularly Christian at all. It’s about methods of communication.
 
If my understanding of the two is correct then Retrouvaille is for married couples facing serious issues…I’ve heard it described as a last ditch weekend long effort to save a marriage where one spouse feels completely through with the marriage.
Financial Peace University is a course in financial freedom by Dave Ramsey. While you may come away with a better marriage (because you will have to face and deal with your financial issues together) my understanding is that is not the primary focus of FPU.

With that said…Dave Ramsey is apologetically Christian, but you don’t have to be Christian to follow his ‘plan’.
The symbol for Retrouvaille on their site is a cross with a life preserver/life ring/life saver on it…I’m guessing it’s pretty Christian 😉
Here’s what their site says about being Catholic:
Retrouvaille is Catholic in origin. Couples of all faiths and those with no faith tradition are welcome and encouraged to attend. Christian Multi-Denomination (CMD) weekends may also be available in some areas. On CMD weekends, a Christian minister and spouse take the place of the priest on the presenting team.

I don’t think you can compare the two…although a better marriage might be the outcome of both…🤷
 
Is it much more overtly Christian than Financial Peace University?
Retrouvaille is a Catholic-based weekend retreat program for troubled couples. It is not limited to Catholics however. It’s about learning how to communicate better and work out your problems. There is one weekend and then about 6 weeks of follow-up sessions. It works better if you do all of the follow-up sessions.

Financial Peace University is about getting yourself out of debt, and Dave Ramsey is an evangelical Christian, so the principles are Christian but not necessarily Catholic. I haven’t found anything anti-Catholic in his approach to getting out of debt. His program has nothing to do with troubled marriages per se, although getting out of debt can reduce the stress in any marriage.
 
We have done FPU so it is a reference point. In FPU there are some biblical verses, especially from wisdom books, but without those it could be a secular class.

Is R really a last step thing? I thought it was for any marriages that realize they have issues.

Thanks!
 
We have done FPU so it is a reference point. In FPU there are some biblical verses, especially from wisdom books, but without those it could be a secular class.

Is R really a last step thing? I thought it was for any marriages that realize they have issues.

Thanks!
No, it’s not necessarily a last step thing, it’s one type of intervention that frequently saves a marriage. It’s just that people don’t usually get to that point without some serious issues in the marriage. But there are various stages of that in the couples that attend. This is what I have been told by leaders of the retreat - I have not actually attended. About 2 years ago, we were deeply in need but my husband’s travel schedule was such that he could not attend all of the follow-up sessions so we didn’t do it.
 
Regarding the follow up sessions (asks the traveling husband) are they also on weekends or does it vary by the hosting jurisdiction?

We’re hoping that getting rid of financial and commute stresses will help by themselves, but if things do not improve enough after those stresses go away, we will consider some sort of outside intervention.

Again, thank you for the info!
 
Regarding the follow up sessions (asks the traveling husband) are they also on weekends or does it vary by the hosting jurisdiction?

We’re hoping that getting rid of financial and commute stresses will help by themselves, but if things do not improve enough after those stresses go away, we will consider some sort of outside intervention.

Again, thank you for the info!
I believe they are also on the weekends, at least they were in our area. But you might contact your area group leaders to make sure.

I like your plan! If your dear wife is on board with FPU, you’re already ahead.

👍
 
Thanks! We’re actually kind of cheating on the baby steps, we’re closing on a HUD home very soon that we are purchasing using the one hundred percent down plan. Then after we sell our current home we will be without a mortgage and two miles from my office. No mortgage will then allow us to transition to my wife not needing to work.
 
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