Five years ago, Nick Fadero answered a call in his church bulletin for someone to run a marriage-saving program in Charlotte. As an ordained Catholic deacon, he had years of experience counseling engaged couples. As word got around, hundreds of couples signed up, hoping for an alternative to divorce. Fadero is proud to say he draws couples from all faiths and all over the Carolinas. Fadero and the couples who flock to Retrouvaille are part of a national marriage-building movement taking root in the Carolinas.
Participants span the spectrum of political views and professional affiliations.
What unites them is their belief that America's high divorce rate can be changed. It's a notion that's catching on in the Carolinas. Last year a coalition of Wilmington churches and synagogues signed a Marriage Savers covenant, pledging to require intense premarital preparation and to train happily married couples to mentor others. Clergy in Hickory and Rock Hill are working on similar efforts. A Duke University physician has started teaching marriage skills as part of his rehabilitation program for heart-attack survivors.