Marriage: A Journey You Don’t Have to Walk Alone

19 Feb Marriage: A Journey You Don’t Have to Walk Alone

We are deeply grateful for the gift that Teams of Our Lady has been in our lives, and we feel called to share our experience with any couple who might be searching for “something more” in their marriage.

We are Italian and have been married for almost 28 years. We were both raised Catholic, but for many years our faith was something personal — something each of us lived individually. We married in Assisi, our hometown, and began our life together in Milan, focused mostly on work and building a stable future. Faith was present, but often in the background.

When work brought us to London, where Catholicism is a minority, we realised we needed to understand our faith more deeply in order to pass it on to our children. Later, an unexpected move brought us to Dublin. Only now do we see that God was gently leading us here — to rediscover the beauty and depth of the sacrament we had embraced years earlier.

Nine years ago, while looking for catechism classes for our children, we were invited by a parish couple to dinner. That evening turned out to be a Teams meeting. We knew nothing about it — but we felt welcomed, embraced, and at peace. We went back the following month… and we have never left.

The monthly Team meeting has become a sacred and safe space for us. We arrive often tired, sometimes stressed, carrying the noise of daily life. But we begin with prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit. Then we share the ups and downs of our month — not to seek advice, but to listen deeply and recognise God’s presence in our lives. Reflecting together on the Gospel brings us to the heart of who we are. We encounter God — and one another — in a new way.

The “endeavours” have been transformative. Personal prayer, Scripture reading, and a simple rule of life keep us anchored. The annual retreat is a wonderful way to strengthen our marriage deepening our faith. But two endeavours have particularly shaped our marriage: conjugal prayer and the “sit-down.”

The sit-down — a monthly, face-to-face conversation as husband and wife under God’s gaze — was not easy at first. We discovered how much we spoke about children and logistics, and how little about “us.” Persevering gently, we learned to open our hearts. After each sit-down we feel more united, more aligned, more deeply connected. Our whole family benefits.

Recently, during a difficult period of anxiety for one beloved member of our family, prayer sustained us. Through personal and conjugal prayer, and supported by Teams members’ prayers, we surrendered the situation to God. We experienced a peace and strength beyond our own capacity. Conjugal prayer reunites our imperfect love to its source — God, who is perfect Love.

Teams of Our Lady has helped us rediscover that marriage is a path to holiness. It offers concrete tools and a supportive community, but above all it reminds us that our love is a vocation — a gift meant not only for us, but for the Church and the world.

If you feel a quiet longing to deepen your marriage spiritually, we warmly invite you to consider joining Teams. It may just be the gift you didn’t know you were looking for.

Paola & Paolo (dublin.tol.ie@gmail.com)