PATERSON Every bride and groom is called to do two things on their wedding day — “love your spouse” and “let yourself be loved by your spouse.” That was the message heard by 119 couples, who celebrated milestone-wedding anniversaries this year at the annual Diocesan celebration marking Silver and Gold wedding anniversaries at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here Nov. 3.
Coordinated by the Diocesan Office of Family Life, Bishop Serratelli was main celebrant of the Silver and Gold Mass with several priests from around the Diocese concelebrating the Mass that marked the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Joined by generations of family to celebrate the joyous occasion, which included children and grandchildren filling the cathedral, 119 couples celebrating 25th, 50th, 60th, 63rd and 65th anniversaries renewed their wedding vows before the Bishop.
Bishop Serratelli welcomed the couples and their families to the celebration saying, “We gather today on the Lord’s Day with praise to worship God and in a special way gather in our Mother Church to celebrate the great gift of fidelity and perseverance for those who live the sacrament of marriage, 25, 50 and even more years than that. We are grateful for all the graces that God has given by your example.”
Father Jared Brogan, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena in Mountain Lakes, presented the homily for the Mass in both English and Spanish. He told the couples, “This vocation (marriage) has been entrusted to you and today, we acknowledge and thank you for that faithful witness, which you have offered for these past 25, 50 or more years. You have been called to be a living sacrament. In living out your vocation as husband and wife, you have made God present to one another, to your family, to your friends, to the entire world. Marriage is a sign of the love that Christ has for his bride, the Church.
“Today, we celebrate that each of you showed up each day and loved totally, freely and faithfully, making God’s love and grace visible to the world, visible to one another. Just a foretaste of what we will experience in heaven. Thank you for your witness. May God continue to fill you with his grace and to be the men and women that God has created you to be in this life and in the life to come,” Father Brogan said.
Just like on their wedding day, the 119 couples exchanged vows again holding each other’s hands. Before the Bishop, the couples renewed their love, fidelity and commitment to each other in Holy Matrimony. Each couple received a commemorative certificate signed by the Bishop honoring their significant anniversaries. Following the Mass, the couples were invited to take a photo with the Bishop.
Among the 78 golden anniversary couples at the Mass was Patrick and Diane Calello, parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, who were married by Bishop Serratelli on Aug. 23, 1969 at St. Thomas Church in Bloomfield. The Bishop, then Father Serratelli was newly ordained and they were the first couple the Bishop married. The couple has a son, a daughter, and six grandchildren.
They told The Beacon, “We feel grateful and blessed to be celebrating today and with Bishop Serratelli again.”
Celebrating their silver anniversary on Oct. 8 was Dr. Sheldon and Rinna Lin of Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township, who attended with their children. The couple traveled to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to mark their wedding anniversary and attended a general audience with Pope Francis. Rinna Lin said, “This is a beautiful event. We’re very happy to be here.”
At the close of Mass, the Bishop said to the couples, “We thank you for coming. The fact that you have come today to ask God’s blessing on your anniversaries is a sign of your great faith. It is only through faith that we can stay true to love. Through God’s grace, we can remain faithful to one another and to God himself. St. John Paul II would say the way civilization passes is through the family. Family is the heart of civilization and in our time of great crisis and great turmoil, a good part of this is being caused because families are broken. When there is love between husbands and wives, when there is love between parents and children, despite the difficulty we all encounter, it is then when the home becomes strong, civilization becomes strong. Your presence tonight is pledge and promise that you have done that and will continue to do that.”