People attend the Life-Giving Wounds retreat with a wide variety of backgrounds, but have one key thing in common: they have lost the love of their parents together. This primarily means folks whose parents have divorced/ separated/ annulled/ dissolved cohabitation, but it can also apply by extension to those whose parents, though living under the same roof, are not united.

In short, the answer is yes. However, please know that this retreat is a healing retreat specifically for adult children of divorce or separation. Our mission is very specific: we provide healing for adult children of divorce or separation. But we do allow in folks who have essentially lost the love of their parents together, on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to the retreat coordinator.

The general policy is that spouses who are not ACOD should not attend the retreat. The reason behind this policy is that the small group sessions are a sacred space where each participant can feel free to share their experience and feel seen and understood by each of the other members of the small group. In such a setting, a non-ACOD would not be able to relate with their own experience, even if he or she is an empathetic person.

That being said, there have been cases where a non-ACOD spouse did in fact join a retreat, particularly the online retreat. This was allowed because the non-ACOD spouse was primarily interested in entering into this wound with his or her spouse and in advance agreed to just listen and not actively share anything in the small group. Please discuss with the retreat coordinator as each situation is addressed on a case-by-case basis.

In the near future, a better option will be available for couples: “Perfect Love Casts Out Fear.” This will be a program designed specifically for couples (where one or both are ACOD) to attend together.

To help a therapist understand if a person is ready for the retreat or not, he or she should be told about the content and format. They can be told the following:

On the retreat, participants will hear inspiring witness talks from fellow adult children of divorce; discuss their own experiences in compassionate peer-led small groups; receive many opportunities for prayer, the sacraments, and more. The retreat will cover the following topics: grieving the loss, rediscovering our identity, recovering our faith, regulating our emotions, growing in virtue, striving for forgiveness, establishing boundaries, and more.

With this information, the therapist should be able to tell if anything will be triggering or otherwise problematic.

Yes! Many people have attended the retreat multiple times, and we welcome this. As we make progress on our healing journeys, it can be helpful to return to the same topics again and again, since each time we visit them we will find new insights and hear new stories. Furthermore, new friendships can form with every new retreat experience.

Yes, and again this is strongly encouraged! While the online retreat/ support group is helpful and worth doing, there is an aspect of the in-person retreat that simply cannot be replicated in the online setting. We always encourage online participants to plug into their local chapters so that they can find the local support and resources they need. In this way, we consider the online branch of our ministry to be a key factor in building up the local communities across the land.

Yes. As stated above, the Life-Giving Wounds retreat is available to any adult whose parents are divorced or separated.

We have welcomed participants from a wide range of faith traditions, and even those with no faith background, all of whom found genuine healing and community on retreat.

We do ask that attendees come with an openness to the experience, as the retreat is rooted deeply in Catholic theology, prayer, and the Sacraments. You don't need to be Catholic to benefit, just open.

You always discuss your questions or concerns with the retreat coordinator as well.

Yes! We will do what we can to provide a private space for you to nurse your child. There will be breaks throughout the retreat, but please feel free to step out during a talk if you need to. And let us know if there is anything else you may need - we want to make this retreat possible for you!

Although the experience of being adopted can certainly cause struggles with some of the same themes, it is a different wound than parental divorce and therefore the Life-Giving Wounds retreat is not for you.

However, if you were adopted and now your adopted parents have gotten divorced, then of course you would be more than welcome to join us for a retreat.