Catholic Military Couples Celebrate Marriage Enrichment Retreat in Nemi, Italy

NEMI, ITALY — The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), welcomed more than one dozen U.S. Military couples to Nemi, Italy, this past weekend for an AMS Catholic Marriage Enrichment Retreat. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, took part in the Oct. 18-20 retreat at the Centro ‘Ad Gentes’—a retreat center run by the Society of the Divine Word about an hour’s drive southeast of Rome, an area dear to Romans who “escape to the hills” during the summer or for a Sunday meal.

This was the eighth such retreat sponsored by the AMS since 2018 at locations throughout Europe, the U.S., and Guam. AMS Vice-Chancellor for Evangelization Mark Moitoza, Th.D., D.Min, facilitates the retreats, which are funded by benefactors of the Archdiocese. “Thanks to the generosity of donors,” Dr. Moitoza said, “these marriage enrichment retreats invite couples in the military to pause and reflect upon the gift of their marriage. Such encounters permit spouses to recall that marriage is a sacrament geared toward mission.”

The couples traveled to Nemi from U.S. Military installations in Germany, Italy, and the U.S. Their points of origin included Ramstein Air Base (AB), U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Wiesbaden, and USAG Suttgart in Germany; Aviano AB and Naval Support Activity (NAS) Naples in Italy; Fort Eustis and Fort Belvoir in Virginia; Fort Liberty in North Carolina; and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

The couples spent the three days in prayer, group sessions, and dialogue, using the REFOCCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory, a resource developed by FOCCUS, Inc. USA of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska. FOCCUS stands for “Facilitate Open Couple Communication Understanding and Study.”

Taking a break from his participation in the Oct. 2-27 General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, Archbishop Broglio came from Rome on Saturday afternoon and stayed through most of Sunday, celebrating Mass both days and engaging the couples in conversation and fellowship. In a sign of the importance he places on the vocation of marriage, particularly within the transient military lifestyle, Archbishop Broglio has written on the topic and participated in nearly all of the previous AMS Marriage Enrichment Retreats, which were held Feb. 16-18, 2018, in Marriottsville, MD; Dec. 7-9, 2018, in Alhambra, CA; September 27-29, 2019, in San Angelo, TX; Dec. 6-8, 2019, in Assisi, Italy; Oct. 1-3 in Atlanta, GA; and July 8-10, 2022, in Waldfischbach-Burgalben, Germany.

“Marriage is indeed a union most sacred and serious,” Archbishop Broglio wrote in a 2010 article, "Married Couples and the Challenge of Extended Tours, Financial Pressures, and Reentry into the Family After Military Service." “It is a wonderful gift to the Church and to society. Like all precious gifts it must be cared for, supported, and sustained.”