More than 250 couples celebrate their 25th and 50th wedding anniversary

 

2016-10-14
 
A Pew Research study says nearly 50% of adults believe it's very important for two people to marry if they plan to spend the rest of their lives together.

ARLINGTON, Va.  - Approximately 259 couples will attend the annual Marriage Jubilee Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More this Sunday, October 16, 2016 with Bishop Paul S. Loverde. The couples attending are celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary, and were married in either 1966 or 1991.

Here's the breakdown:
150 couples celebrating their 25th anniversary
109 couples celebrating their 50th anniversary

That's more than 9,000 years combined.

The latest Pew Research study on marriage published September, 2014 says nearly 50% of adults believe it's very important for two people to marry if they plan to spend the rest of their lives together.*

"The church is very important to us, and having Bishop Loverde bless our marriage is a wonderful blessing," says 74-year-old Thelma Garry. She and her husband Peter have been married for 50 years, and are intent on attending the Mass. Garry believes  the secret to their marriage is faith. "We have hearing impaired children and there have been many challenges, but with God's grace we've been able to trust in Him to see us through," she says.

In a statement, the Most Reverend Bishop Paul S. Loverde says, "To put someone else first is not always easy, and yet when there is authentic love rooted in Christ, when there is this commitment to being faithful in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health until death, that is what makes the joy of marriage."

Guests are welcome to attend the Mass and reception in Burke Hall immediately following the Mass.

Details:

When            Sunday, October 16, 2016, at 2:30p.m.
Where:         The Cathedral of Saint Thomas More 
                       3901 N. Cathedral Lane Arlington, VA 22203

Contact
Angela Pellerano, Director of Media Relations (703) 841-2517 (o) (571) 215-8731
(c) a.pellerano@arlingtondiocese.org

 

*http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/09/24/chapter-1-public-views-on-marriage/