A celebration of love: couples mark significant anniversaries at St Patrick’s Cathedral

On Sunday 20 October, more than 140 married couples from across the Archdiocese came together with their families at St Patrick’s Cathedral for the annual celebration of significant marriage anniversaries.

The Mass, presided over by Bishop Tony Ireland, coincided this year with World Mission Sunday, a day for Catholics to unite in prayer, solidarity and support for the Church’s mission efforts.

In his homily, Bishop Ireland recognised the ‘happy coincidence’ of these two days being celebrated together, given that both mission and marriage are vocations founded on the same Christian virtues of love, sacrifice and commitment.

‘Both in the mission of the Church and in marriage, neither is about seeking the highest place or personal gain. Both are about service,’ he said.

‘The couples celebrating milestone anniversaries have lived this mission daily. Through your love for each other, you have become living witnesses to Christ’s self-giving love. Your marriages remind all of us that the mission of the Church is not only to distant lands; it is carried out in our homes, in our families and in our communities.’

During the Mass, couples had the chance to renew their vows, recommitting to the promises that had united them. The deep bond they shared was evident as they spoke the familiar words, some after many years, others decades after they had first done so.

The couples began by praying a prayer of thanks for their spouse: ‘I thank you for every moment of married life we have already shared. I acknowledge the talents and gifts with which I have been blessed and also my faults and shortcomings. I thank you for the graces in the joys and sorrows that have been a part of our life together.’

In turn, wives and husbands renewed their marriage vows, promising ‘to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer’ and to ‘love you and honour you all the days of my life’.

The couples then received a special prayer of blessing from Bishop Ireland.

With many couples surrounded by children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, it was a moment of joy for all present as the congregation honoured these enduring relationships.

The oldest anniversary being celebrated was of that of Heather and Joseph Desimer, who celebrated 71 years of married life. They had planned to attend the Mass last year to celebrate their 70th anniversary but due to ill health had to postpone attending to this year.

The platinum couple said their marriage’s success has been founded on a strong faith, which was handed down to them by their parents and grandparents.

‘It will have to be the values on which we were raised—love, trust, respect and tolerance—and a strong Catholic faith and values. We lived by the adage “A family that prays together stays together,”’ they said.

‘As a family of seven, we almost always went together for Sunday Mass, and then morning and night prayers, an annual family pilgrimage, novenas and the daily Rosary were very important in our family.’

The most fulfilling part of their 71 years together, they said, has been seeing their children grow and flourish.

‘It would be bringing up our five children strongly in the Catholic faith, seeing them through school and university and into their different careers and Catholic marriages, which have all lasted and grown stronger to this day with their own children and grandchildren,’ they said.

Another couple, Jerry and Rowena Gonzales, reflecting on their 25 years together, said that despite the challenges that couples often face, marriage is an incredibly fulfilling journey to share, particularly when a couple keeps faith at centre of their marriage.

‘It is so important to have God as the foundation of marriage, and we both believe that the sacrament of Matrimony is truly sacred,’ they said.

‘Our faith in God has made our marriage work. God’s presence has always helped and guided us during challenging times.’

Following the celebration of the Mass, couples were given certificates to mark the occasion, and many took the opportunity to have photos taken with their families and Bishop Ireland.

The extraordinary witness of these couples coming together to celebrate their fidelity and sacrifice, Bishop Ireland noted, was a poignant reminder of the responsibility that all Christians have to be channels of God’s love.

‘As we celebrate Mission Sunday and give thanks for the gift of marriage, remember that we are all called to a shared mission: to bring Christ’s love into the world. Whether specifically as married couples or as disciples of Christ, we are all called to serve, not to be served,’ he said.

‘In that service, we find the true glory—not the glory of power, but the glory of love. May the Eucharist strengthen us for mission. Let those celebrating anniversaries inspire us all to love more deeply and serve more faithfully.’