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CV NEWS FEED // Nearly 150 couples this weekend celebrated their vocation at a special wedding anniversary Mass hosted by the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, The Dialog reported Feb. 10.
Bishop William Koenig of Wilmington, Delaware, concelebrated the Mass with Father Ed Ogden at St. Margaret of Scotland Church on Feb. 9, according to the article from the Dialog, which is the Diocese’s news outlet.
All married couples in the Diocese were invited to participate in the annual event, which was presented by the diocese’s Office for Marriage and Family. The diocese has hosted the wedding anniversary Mass for over 30 years.
At this year’s commemoration, 11 of the couples were celebrating more than 60 years of marriage, according to the Dialog. The husband and wife who were married the longest were observing their 68th anniversary.
The Dialog reported on Jan. 10 that couples attending the Mass whose marriage anniversary fell on a five-year-increment milestone would receive a special certificate recognizing their commitment. Those celebrating 50 or more years would also receive a certificate.
The Mass took place during National Marriage Week, which is an annual celebration encouraging healthy marriages. Bishop Robert Barron, chairman of US Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, commented on the beauty of fidelity in this vocation.
“National Marriage Week reminds couples that their commitment is a sign and source of hope for the future,” Bishop Barron said in a Feb. 6 USCCB news release, “and a spring of exemplary love that reverberates through generations.”
The vocation of marriage is a counter-cultural witness, he added.
“In today’s world, relationships are often viewed as disposable,” Bishop Barron said. “The commitment to fidelity and love that marriage entails is a source of hope for all generations. It is an antidote to the loneliness and discouragement of many young people today and deserves our prioritization as a Church and society.”
