Married for 25 years? You’re a blessing to the church

Yes. On March 22 at St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue, we will honor all couples who have been married for 25 years – their silver wedding anniversaries. Every time I’ve presided at the 50th anniversary celebration, which is usually held in June, I’ve always thought about doing the same thing for those celebrating their silver anniversaries. There are many reasons I feel this way.

 

First, the 50th anniversary celebration is a such a special gift for the couples and for their families. It’s a beautiful experience, and couples have told me as they leave church how excited they are because they’ve received so much joy by focusing on their fidelity to their vocation of marriage. At the celebration, they also renew their marriage vows. I think it’s so important to hold up the sanctity of marriage for those celebrating 25 years of matrimony.

 

With the pressures that families and married couples face these days, making it to 25 years together is a tremendous blessing that should be celebrated and honored. Couples are still in the midst of raising children and working several jobs to support the family. Married life can be really challenging. I want to congratulate couples for their fidelity and perseverance. Their marriages are truly a gift from God to themselves, to their children, to their extended family and to the entire church.

 

The other obvious reason for celebrating this is that some couples, because of the death of one of the spouses, don’t make it to 50 years together. For some, 50 years of marriage might seem unattainable. I’m so happy to celebrate the silver wedding anniversaries this year for the first time. We’ll make this an annual celebration.
 

What’s been your experience in talking to the couples who have come for the golden wedding celebration?
 

Just a sense of deep gratitude. When they walk out of the church, they are spiritually renewed – and so are their children and relatives. This is a chance to dive deeply into the awesome beauty of the sacrament of matrimony and see an entire church of people celebrating with them.

 

Marriages do succeed! They are right before our eyes! We also get to recognize how much God has been a part of these relationships. There is a tangible feeling inside the church of God’s joy in how these couples have worked and sacrificed for each other to receive this joy.

 

One of the most meaningful parts of my recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land was visiting Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, and blessing the married couples who were on the trip as they renewed their wedding vows. Couples are a sign to the world of God’s call to faithful marriage lived in the spirit of discipleship. 

Can couples celebrating their 25th anniversary this year still sign up for the March 22 celebration?
 

Yes, they can call the Office of Marriage and Family Life at 861-6243 and sign up. I would love to meet as many couples as possible. I would ask everyone to pray for those who are married, that God will continue to bless their sacred union and help them in times of joy and sadness.

 

World Marriage Sunday is celebrated on Feb. 9. I also want to let married couples who might be struggling in their relationships know that help is available through an amazing Catholic Church ministry called Retrouvaille, which can work wonders for spouses who are distant or even estranged.

 

The Marriage and Family Life Office can provide more information on Retrouvaille. And, finally, we have marriage and family counseling available through the Catholic Counseling Service, which can be reached at 861-6245. May God shower his abundant blessings on all married couples as they bring the light of Christ to our church.
 

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].