Catholic U.S. Military Couples Gather on Guam for Marriage Enrichment Retreat

Twenty-six couples from Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam participate

Left to right: Father Guy Kagere, Dr. Mark Moitoza, and Catholic U.S. Military couples at Marriage Enrichment Retreat on Guam, May 20, 2023.

GUAM – Twenty-six Catholic couples based at U.S. Military installations on Guam spent part of last weekend on Tumon Bay for a Marriage Enrichment Retreat sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The May 19-20 retreat took place at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa, about a five-minute drive from Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. The time of reflection was facilitated by Mark Moitoza, Th.D., D. Min., AMS Vice-Chancellor for Evangelization. Fathers Guy Kagere, Ch, Capt, USAF, and Daniel J. Swartz, CHC (LT), USN, were on hand and led the couples in prayer.

The couples came to the retreat from their assigned duty stations at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) and Naval Base Guam. Their ranks included Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen. Among them were Lt. Col. Chris Dupuis, deputy commander of the 36th Maintenance Group, based at Anderson AFB, who attended with his wife. This was the seventh Marriage Enrichment Retreat the AMS has sponsored for Catholic military couples over the past five years, but unlike previous retreats which were each held over three days, the one on Guam was shortened to two days to accommodate the tight work schedules of participating servicemen and women on the 217-square-mile island.

The couples spent the two days in prayer, group sessions, and dialogue, using the REFOCCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory, a program developed by FOCCUS, Inc. USA, of the Archdiocese of Omaha. FOCCUS stands for “Facilitate Open Couple Communication Understanding and Study.” Using short presentations in the REFOCCUS inventory tool as a guide, the couples explored topics such as marriage as a process, intimacy, compatibility, communication, and commitment.

Dr. Moitoza said: “Catholic couples assigned to Guam find a beautiful island and culture. At the same time, active-duty spouses travel frequently supporting the military mission and that can create enhanced experiences of isolation. The marriage enrichment retreat permitted a safe space apart from those daily stresses. Husbands and wives rediscovered how to reflect upon meaningful questions, how to listen to one another, and how to enliven their relationships through sharing and prayer. Participants were grateful for the opportunity to get to know other Catholic couples, pointing to the need that we all have for being part of a community of faith. The Lord blessed this gathering as couples explored questions about intimacy along with their desire to be effective witness to the love of Christ through their vocation of marriage.”

Father Kagere noted spiritually healthy marriages build spiritually healthy families. “I believe,” he said, “since the family is the foundation of society, authentic catholic families’ education and raising of children in line with gospel values and Church teaching is beneficial to the community and country as a whole. Forming children’s conscience with divine and natural law is beneficial to the nation as a whole.”

The AMS Office of Evangelization organizes these retreats under the direction of His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA. 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 all six previous AMS Marriage Enrichment Retreats, which were held Feb. 16-18, 2018, in Marriottsville, MD; Dec. 7-9, 2018, in Alhambra, CA; Sept. 27-29, 2019, in San Angelo, TX; Dec. 6-8, 2019, in Assisi, Italy; Oct. 1-3, 2021, 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.”

The next AMS Marriage Enrichment Retreat will be held Aug. 25-27, 2023, in Bel Aire, KS, at the Spiritual Life Retreat Center. Registration is open and space limited. To register visit milarch.org/ams-marriage-enrichment-retreat/.

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