SATURDAY: Valentine's retreat for married couples

The Archdiocese invites married couples (and those preparing for marriage) to a free Valentine's retreat this Saturday (10 February).

The free event takes place at St Kentigern's Church, Parkgrove Avenue, Barnton, Edinburgh, EH4 7QR from 2pm to 5pm.

It is hosted by Stephen and Martha Milne, who have long experience in running retreats, catechesis and marriage/family events.

There will be a crèche available for children of primary school age and older. Registration closes Thursday 8 Feb at 2pm.

The event is hosted by Stephen and Martha Milne who live in Dalmally, and are part of the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community. 

Stephen said, "The Valentine's Retreat is an ideal way for couples to spend time together in quiet reflection and prayer, in thanksgiving to God for each other and all the positive things that spring from your relationship.

"We’ll provide some inspiring stories and practical advice from our own background and what we’ve learned over the years through delivering catechesis about and for the family and from working with families.

"We hope it will help you look afresh in appreciation of each other ahead of Valentine’s Day in the relaxed and friendly environment of St Kentigern’s Parish in Edinburgh. We look forward to welcoming you."

Register for this free event here.

About Stephen and Martha Milne

Stephen and Martha were married in 1989 in Baltimore, USA.

They have six grown up children, four grandchildren and another on the way.

They currently reside in Dalmally, Argyll and Bute, recently joining the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community.

Stephen is a retired English teacher and taught in schools in Kent, London and Lincolnshire.

He taught at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham for several years as an Associate Lecturer on the MA for Catholic Pastoral Studies programme, running a course on Marriage and Family in the teaching of the Church.

He has a BA (Hons) in Developmental Psychology University of Sussex, an MA in English Literature and Language from King’s College London, and a PhD from the University of Nottingham.

Martha spent nine years as a primary school teacher at The Lamb of God Community School in Baltimore, Maryland.

She is the Director of the Machine Quilter Company Ltd and currently runs social media for the Juki Sewing Machine Corporation Europe.

The couple have been involved in helping organise and run family retreats at Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community in the last year.

She has a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology M.Ed Literacy (Dyslexia), Catechesis Certificate from Maryvale Institute

The Valentine's Retreat is a free event organised by the Marriage & Families Commission of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. The registration address is bit.ly/valretreat. The event includes talks, time for coples to talk, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Guided prayer with readings and prayers relevant to the vocation of marriage. There will be a crèche available for children of primary school age and older. Doors open from 1:30pm. Questions? Contact matthew.meade@staned.org.uk

Valentine's Retreat

This mini-retreat is an ideal way for couples to spend time together in quiet reflection and prayer, in thanksgiving to God for each other and all the positive things that spring from your relationship.

Register here.

We’ll provide some inspiring stories and practical advice from our own background and what we’ve learned over the years through delivering catechesis about and for the family and from working with families.

We hope it will help you look afresh in appreciation of each other ahead of Valentine’s Day in the relaxed and friendly environment of St Kentigern’s Parish in Edinburgh. We look forward to welcoming you.

- Stephen & Martha Milne

*Please note, there will be a crèche available for children of primary school age and older.

About Stephen and Martha Milne

Stephen and Martha were married in 1989 in Baltimore, USA. They have six grown up children, four grandchildren and another on the way. They currently reside in Dalmally, Argyll and Bute, recently joining the Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community.

Stephen is a retired English teacher and taught in schools in Kent, London and Lincolnshire. He taught at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham for several years as an Associate Lecturer on the MA for Catholic Pastoral Studies programme, running a course on Marriage and Family in the teaching of the Church. He has a BA (Hons) in Developmental Psychology University of Sussex, an MA in English Literature and Language from King’s College London, and a PhD from the University of Nottingham.

Martha spent nine years as a primary school teacher at The Lamb of God Community School in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the Director of the Machine Quilter Company Ltd and currently runs social media for the Juki Sewing Machine Corporation Europe.

The couple have been involved in helping organise and run family retreats at Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer Community in the last year.

She has a B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology M.Ed Literacy (Dyslexia), Catechesis Certificate from Maryvale Institute

The Valentine's Retreat is a free event organised by the Marriage & Families Commission of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. It takes place at St Kentigern's Church, 26-28 Parkgrove Ave, Edinburgh EH4 7QR.  The registration address is bit.ly/valretreat. The event includes talks, time for coples to talk, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Guided prayer with readings and prayers relevant to the vocation of marriage. Doors open from 1:30pm. Questions? Contact matthew.meade@staned.org.uk

The one thing Catholic couples can do this Valentine's

There’s something Fr Bart Parys SVD wants Catholic couples to do together this Valentine's: pray.

“Very few people pray as a married couple – or as an engaged couple,” he said. "Someone can have a rich spiritual life and is happy to pray to God on their own. But to express yourself before your spouse, even if they love to pray, can be difficult. But there is power in that kind of prayer.”

For Valentine’s, he’s bringing people together from across the Archdiocese to show how it can strengthen their unity and faith.

Fr Bart (above), a Divine Word Missionary (SVD) based in the west of Ireland, hosts an afternoon retreat titled Together Before the Lord for married couples and those preparing for marriage at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh on Saturday (15th).

He said: “I enjoy it and it gives me great joy to see lives transformed. The unity between the couples, the wounds healed, the growth in love – even their presence – speaks to you.

“It won’t just be the beautiful above-the-head explanation, all that fancy stuff that no-one gets (laughs). It will be the practical stuff as well, almost like a workshop. So I will explain and encourage couples how they can pray together in their daily life.”

He added: “It doesn’t have to be a long prayer – it can be something simple, like praying the Our Father together before bed. Their unity will be improved a lot.”

“It’s good to spend Valentine’s together, to renew your love to each other in the presence of the Lord. Let’s celebrate Valentine’s in a Catholic way.”

The event is brought to you by our commission on marriage and family life.

Fr Jeremy Milne, who leads the commission, said: "Valentine's Day is rightly associated with couples celebrating their love with romantic gestures. With this event, we wanted couples to reflect on the importance of praying together as a means of nurturing that love by connecting with the Divine love of God."

'Together Before the Lord' is a free afternoon retreat for married couples and those preparing for marriage. It takes place on Saturday 15 February at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh from 2-5pm. Spaces are limited so register now on Eventbrite. Each person attending needs to register, so two tickets per couple.