A Remembrance of Father Ray Nyquist

By Terri Reavley

Father Ray would often come into my office (I am the Director of the Marriage Tribunal for the Diocese) and sit, rubbing his hands together, and ask me, “Who can we get to start Retrouvaille in Montana?” Retrouvaille is a peer ministry serving couples whose marriages are in difficulty. Since Father Ray was a strong proponent of families, he knew that there was a great need for this ministry, and he wanted to do something to bring this help to families in Montana. So, on December 10, 1996, he gathered together some folks, none of whom had made a Retrouvaille Weekend, but who he hoped would make it happen. They were couples who had experienced Marriage Encounter, who were involved in marriage preparation, or who Father Ray thought believed in healthy marriages. He brought in a Retrouvaille presenting team couple from Oregon to give a presentation on Retrouvaille. Father Ray never gave up and just gently nudged and prayed that the Holy Spirit would provide the right personalities to get us started. That is just what happened.

Our first weekend was held in Great Falls in August 1997, and this last month, February 2017, we held our 37th Weekend. We have served 547 couples in these past twenty years, and, of course, many, many children have benefitted from a happy home.

Both the Diocese of Helena and the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings support Retrouvaille of Montana. In 2000 we held a Weekend in Billings, and in 2013, our first Weekend in Kalispell. Currently, we hold our spring Weekend in Great Falls at the Ursuline Centre, and then alternate the fall Weekend between Billings and Kalispell. We have been blessed with dedicated presenters and two wonderful chaplains, Father Joseph Fleming of Deer Lodge and Father Doug Krings of Roundup.

All the couples and teams who have experienced the healing aspects of Retrouvaille and are now living in a joy-filled marriage are indebted to this holy man, Father Ray Nyquist, who saw the pain of troubled marriages and wanted to help them. His prayers were answered.