Couples Take Time to Keep Christ
at Center of Marriage
By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
MOSS BLUFF — Ali and Matt Kethman signed up for Together in Holiness months in advance of the April 5 marriage enrichment day at Camp Karol. They have learned in their five years of marital bliss that marriage is an evolving commitment that requires communication, self-reflection, and most importantly, prayer.
Parishioners of Christ the King Catholic Church and parents to a 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, the Kethmans were seeking a way to grow deeper in their covenant as husband and wife.
the fifth annual Together in Holiness marriage conference
at Camp Karol in Moss Bluff on Saturday, April 5. Ali
encourages others to attend in 2026 to be renewed
spiritually and more connected with your spouse.
“We all have such busy lives and are always being pulled in a million directions,” said Ali. “It is easy to get clouded with what we prioritize in marriage, in our homes, and in life. The one-day conference was a good reminder that marriage is a sacrament with Jesus at the center. God first, spouse second, children third, and then community.”
Presented by the St. John Paul II Foundation and the Diocese of Lake Charles, the conference marked its fifth year at Camp Karol with 37 couples registered.
Focusing on this year’s theme, “Family, a School of Love,” guest speakers included Renzo and Monica Ortego, co-founders of Two Become Family; Very Rev. Keith Pellerin, VF, Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Jennings; and Roland Millare, STD, Vice President of Curriculum and Director of Clergy Initiatives, St. John Paul II Foundation.
The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, celebrated Mass with a special Marriage Blessing, and time was set aside for Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and one-on-one time for couples. His Excellency commended those in attendance for their commitment to marriage.
his homily at Camp Karol for the fifth annual
Together In Holiness marriage conference.
The event is an initiative of the St. John Paul II
Foundation that features presentations from
national, local, and Foundation speakers.
“I am encouraged by your presence that you would take time out of your busy schedules. To do this speaks volumes to me of your desire to live holy lives as husbands and wives,” said Bishop Provost. “You know and I know that the family is the backbone of everything that we hold or should hold dear to us — children, society, culture, civilization, morality, education, standards, and most importantly, and I think this is the point, faith.”
The bishop emphasized the importance of Jesus Christ being at the center of the marriage and the family.
“When I go to visit the homes of Catholic families, many of them have no crucifix prominently placed in their homes,” he remarked with concern. “Parents witnessing to their children what God has done for them is a way of speaking like no one else has before. The family rosary, blessing before meals, thanksgiving following the meal, family pilgrimages, Lenten and Christmas customs, these and so many more all point to Christ.”
This was the third year for Samuel and Meredith Fulkerson to attend Together in Holiness. Parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Mermentau and its Mission Church, St. Margaret of Scotland in Estherwood, the Fulkersons are parents of five children between the ages of 13 and 3 years old.
“We really like the format of a small day retreat,” said Meredith about why she and her husband make the 45-minute drive from the Diocese of Lafayette. “The speakers always offer good key points, things that you don’t always think of yourself."
Samuel encourages couples, no matter how long they have been married, to give the one-day retreat a try.
“Every marriage can benefit from days such as this. It is affordable. Camp Karol is a beautiful facility. The conference is well organized with great people. On top of all that, why not?” said Samuel.
First-time attendees Leo and Maria Ortiz of Sulphur said the marriage conference was the perfect fit for their plan to do things in proper order.
“We have been married 11 years and have three children, ages 12, 8, and 7 years old, but we are working on having our marriage sacramentally blessed,” Maria noted, whose husband is beginning his journey of Catholicism. “This conference is a great opportunity for Leo to have a better understanding of things that he might have questions about.”
Praying the rosary was a turning point for their family and helped bring Leo into the Catholic faith.
“My wife invited me to pray the rosary with her. This past December, I went to Mass with my family for the first time,” Leo recalled. “I want to be able to share the love that God has for us with my family. I really want to be a better person, more loving and patient with my wife and kids and raise my kids the way that God would want me to raise them.”
Days like Together in Holiness are what keep Ashley Lavine serving on the Hospitality Committee with her husband Michael. Parishioners of St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Lake Charles, they have been married for 16 years and have a toddler.
“Our involvement with Together in Holiness ties in with our ministry of marriage prep at St. Margaret. We also mentor engaged couples,” said Ashley, remarking that the marriage conference has encouraged her to be a better spouse to Michael by being around other Catholic families and couples.
“It is good to have like-minded Catholic couples share the faith to help us on our journey through marriage.”
Father Pellerin’s talk, “Growing in Love as Spouses,” was powerful as someone who used his brokenness from getting married for the wrong reasons at the “ripe old age of 18 and half” and how God used that brokenness to call him to the priesthood.
As he nears his 27th ordination, he told the couples, “I can tell you that I Iearned so much more about marriage and how to process what I went through while being in the seminary. I knew that what I had early on was not a covenant; it was an arrangement. It did not start with God. It started with my sense of rescue and to be a knight in shining armor.”
Father Pellerin told the couples not to be afraid to love sacrificially.
“When you learn to love selflessly, then you will love in a way that God loves,” he said. “I pray for you whether I know you or not, that you become what God has called you to be, a couple of his heart revealed to each other.”
CLICK HERE to learn more about the St. John Paul II Foundation and its initiative, Together in Holiness.
