“You show us a love ever ancient and ever new. God was present the day you met, the day you married, he’s with you today and he’ll be with you tomorrow,” Bishop Edward Malesic told the couples celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the annual diocesan golden wedding anniversary Mass.
The liturgy was celebrated June 14 in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
Father Tom Margevious from the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul in Minnesota was the concelebrant. His two brothers and their wives, who married in 1976, were among the couples celebrating their 50th anniversary at the Mass. They brought the offertory gifts to the bishop. Family members and friends of the anniversary couples also attended the celebration.
(See photo gallery above.)
“The cathedral is undergoing renovation, much like we do,” the bishop said, noting the project will take about six months. He pointed to the ceiling-high scaffolding in the north narthex, where work is underway. Additional scaffolding is being erected in the south narthex. Workers are touching up murals, painting the interior, improving lighting and more. The building’s cornerstone was laid in 1848 and it was completed in 1852. There have been renovations since then, including a major rebuilding/enlargement project in 1946.
Just as the cathedral has changed over the years, so have the anniversary couples. “You have shown us that love is more than an emotion. Love endures and it can deepen over time … You are walking sacraments … You have become witnesses to your children and to all of us,” he said.
The bishop invited the faithful to “Take a walk down memory lane to 1976. Gas was 36 cents per gallon. President Jimmy Carter was in the White House. The United States was 200 years old,” he said. Popular television shows included “Laverne and Shirley,” “Happy Days” and “M*A*S*H.” He also noted that disco music was popular and Barbra Streisand had a hit song, “Evergreen,” from the movie “A Star is Born.”
Quoting the song lyrics, Bishop Malesic said the couples’ love is “‘Ageless and evergreen.’ You promised at your wedding to love each other and to be true. And here you are, many years later, with dreams fulfilled, experiencing disappointments and times when staying together took courage … But you’re here after 50 years and you still choose each other. That’s a miracle,” he said, adding, “Jesus said, ‘Be my witnesses to this world.’ See what he can do when he takes two people and makes them one?”
After the homily, the anniversary couples were invited to stand and renew their commitment to each other. They also received a blessing from the bishop and after Mass, there was an opportunity to take photos with the bishop.
The liturgy was coordinated by the diocesan Office of Marriage and Family Ministry, headed by Terri Yohman.