One couple’s experience revitalizing a failing marriage, and how they’ve become leaders of Metro Detroit’s marriage-saving Retrouvaille ministry

(0:00) Meet Mark and Betty Squier, a couple on the eve of their 19th wedding anniversary — and on the brink of divorce.

(1:25) Mark tells the story of how he and Betty met, when they got married, and of the five children the two have.

(3:25) Both active in their parish, and with Betty a stay-at-home mom and Mark out working as a police officer, the two began living very separate lives, what Mark calls the “married singles” lifestyle.

(5:37) We learn that Betty has had an affair, and Mark had a hard time forgiving. The marriage encountered more problems from there — Mark had an affair, too.

(7:02) Betty became determined to live a better marriage and family life and began looking for programs to help her and Mark recover. The two eventually chose a weekend retreat that would prove much more challenging than expected.

(10:49) The emotional turmoil from their retreat weekend left Mark and Betty in a state of mental duress, with Betty hospitalized from a nervous breakdown and Mark internally struggling with good and evil.

(11:47) Years later, they began being more civil together, and they stopped talking of divorce. The two discuss learning about self-giving, communication, and love languages. 

(16:14) Mark and Betty are approached to help bring a Canadian marriage therapy program, Retrouvaille, to Metro Detroit, and through this process they discover the gift of healing through sharing their story.

(18:09) Mark shares a metaphor of how we can open ourselves up to spiritual healing by “pouring out” our sins and speaking honestly and openly about them. He stresses that we are all still becoming the people we are going to be.

(21:42) Mark and Betty are happily married, loving each other every day and every minute, and recognizing all that the other has to offer.

Reporting by Gabriella Patti; narration by Casey McCorry, production by Ron Pangborn