They saved their marriage from separation at the hand of Christ: Today they celebrate 50 years of marriage

Raúl and Tula, a Catholic couple who have dedicated their lives to strengthening marriages, celebrate 50 years of marriage in 2024. Their story is a clear testimony of the power of prayer, faith and how Christ can effectively intervene to save what seems lost.

“Our separation was already imminent. What’s more, I had already filed for divorce,” Tula Velesmoro confessed in an interview with ACI Prensa this week, remembering the dark days, 41 years ago, in which her marriage seemed destined to fail. However, Raúl Iparraguirre did not give up. “I asked him to sign, but he told me, no, we are going to look for help, I need to be sure of the step we are going to take,” she explained.

God’s action through a prayer group

Raúl recounted in detail the moment when everything changed: “God saved our marriage in the following way: one night, I came home a little earlier than usual, around eight-thirty. Normally, I used to arrive at one or two in the morning and leave home at six in the morning, leading a very hectic pace of life. My wife received me with a complaint, saying that we had come that far and that she had already consulted with a lawyer to start divorce proceedings. I responded that she did not agree, because I also come from separated parents and we had a six-year-old daughter at the time. “I told her that we had to find a way to fix our situation, because at no time did I want to separate from her.”

It was at that moment when destiny took them to a parish on October 18, 1983, at exactly 9 at night. They report that they arrived at the scene in a true “emergency” situation.

“We argued a lot, until I suggested finding a priest to advise us and tell us what we should do. That same night, we went to look for a church, although it was already closed. We headed to another parish and arrived at a large room where there was a group of couples gathered with a priest. We knocked on the door, they let us in and welcomed us,” Raúl explained.

There, in a small Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group, they found the hope they so desperately needed.

“The father told us that he would attend to us at the end of the meeting, which was a prayer group for couples from the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. We didn’t know anything about that movement, but they invited us to sit down and prayed for us, asking for a message from God. Through the Bible, we were given the message of Matthew 19: ‘What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.’ This phrase deeply marked my heart, because I saw in that group the hope of saving our marriage.”

From that meeting, his life changed completely. First Raúl began attending the prayer group and then his wife, which strengthened their faith and their relationship.

“They advised us to attend the prayer group every Tuesday, to let ourselves be helped by God and to follow the advice they were going to give us.”

“That’s how I started attending alone, since my wife at first didn’t want to accompany me. After a few months, she finally decided to go with me. We were invited to a meeting of couples from a community called ‘Bodas de Cana’. “God took control of our lives and we promised to fight to save, renew and strengthen our married life,” Raúl said.

They both recognized that it was not easy, that they came with “wounds, customs from our homes,” but they decided to let God act in their hearts.

“Love is a decision, let’s not get carried away only by feelings. Let’s decide to join in and live in the life of God,” Raúl emphasized, remembering how that choice led them not only to save their marriage, but also to become guides for other couples.

Since then, they have worked tirelessly in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and also leading the Network of Matrimonial Communities of Peru, advising and supporting marriages in crisis.

“What God gave us for free we also do for free,” he added.

Marriage “we cannot undo it”

“Marriage is a sacrament that God unites and we cannot undo it. And that is why we must always advise them. Do not get carried away by emotions, by fleeting things, problems, difficulties, because in the world there will always be that. But if we get closer to God, if we let God act in our lives, that can be overcome,” said Raúl.

The commitment of both has allowed them to organize massive events such as the Meeting of the Network of Matrimonial Communities, which has been held every year for more than a decade in Peru. “Great was our surprise when we did this for the first time. We did it at the Coliseum of the Claretiano School and 700 couples gathered there. It was something great,” Raúl shared proudly.

Today, with more years behind them, they remain dedicated to their mission, although they recognize that it is time for the new generations to take the lead.

“We have already accomplished our mission, it is time for them to take the lead, because we now have to step aside,” commented Tula, although he clarified that they will continue working “until the last day.”

During the interview, Raúl and Tula invited all couples not to miss the opportunity to save their marriage through the event. Light Love 2024which will take place on September 30 at the Concha Acústica del Campo de Marte in the city of Lima (Peru).

“There is much, much to save. It’s not just another talk. It is a meeting that will go directly to the heart of every person who listens,” said Raúl.

In this initiative “there are many testimonies. Not only ours, but many couples who are collaborating with us and who have gone through this and have come out ahead,” he concluded.