Diocese Of Arlington

Poverty: When one marries, one does not just give up a certain pursuit of material things; rather, in marriage, one’s very life is opened up, shared with, and indeed given to the other. A spirit of poverty in marriage takes the form of giving up one’s own desires for the sake of the common good. On Saturday, July 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Holy Trinity parish, in Gainesville, Fr. Paul Scalia, Episcopal Vicar for Clergy, hosted a Retreat Day for Married Couples. 220 couples attended the enriching and reflective day, which included talks, Adoration, confession, spiritual time spent with the spouse, and concluded with Mass. Fr. Scalia gave talks on poverty, chastity and obedience (the three evangelical counsels of the consecrated life), and how they exist analogously in marriage. These vows are, of course, typically made by religious in community, though they are present in an analogous way in marriage.