Originally published at National Catholic Register
When did Catherine Anderson know she was called to stand to give witness to the permanence of her marriage?
“At the altar,” she told fellow retreatants who gathered in Atlanta for a three-day retreat entitled “What God Has Joined.” The November conference, the first of its kind, was geared toward Catholic “standers” — men and women who seek to remain faithful to their marital vows despite separation or divorce.
The retreat was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Catholics for Marriage Restoration, a group of approximately three dozen people who have met by Zoom since 2021. Speakers included priests, tribunal officials and Catholic authors. Topics centered on helping retreatants grow in their relationship with Christ, better understand Church teachings about marriage, and appreciate that they’re not alone. Breaks provided opportunities for Mass, adoration, confession, fellowship and spiritual counseling.
For centuries, the Catholic Church has revered its martyrs for marriage, from St. John the Baptist, who was beheaded after condemning Herod for adultery, to St. Thomas More, who gave his life defending the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage when Henry VIII sought a divorce. For several decades, however, lay defenders of the sacramental bond have been reviled by
