Bishop Lucia reflects on the vocation of Marriage
By Eileen Jevis, Staff Writer
Sun photos l Chuck Wainwright
On February 11, just days before Valentine’s Day, close to 100 married couples from across the diocese gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to commemorate their commitment to each other during the annual World Marriage Day Mass. Sponsored by the Office of Family/Respect Life Ministry, couples marking milestone anniversaries received a blessing from celebrant Bishop Douglas J. Lucia.
Phil and Anne Prell of Christ the King Church in Liverpool marked 73 years of married life at the Mass.
This year’s theme, “Love beyond Words,” is taken from John 15:12: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
The longest married couples present included Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Prell, parishioners of Christ the King in Liverpool celebrating 73 years of marriage, and Mr. and Mrs. William Noroski from St. Joseph the Worker Church in Liverpool marking 71 years.
During his homily, Bishop Lucia said that most would agree that every marriage has its moments of joy and anguish. Referring to Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine, the Bishop said their marriage at times was very difficult, especially just before World War II when Churchill’s warning about the German invasion isolated him from the members of the British Parliament and government. Bishop Lucia recited a few memorable lines between Churchill and his wife from the 2002 film, The Gathering Storm. “Thank you for being rash enough to marry me, foolish enough to stay with me, and loving me in a way I thought I would never be loved.” These words, said Bishop Lucia, are not only for those gathered to celebrate the sacrament of marriage, but for the church as well. “What I would like to suggest as we reflect on this sacrament, is to be a living presence, an outward sign of God’s presence and His love that colors the world in which we live,” he said.
Connie and Niels Van Hoesel, parishioners of St. Joesph’s Church in Lee Center, will be celebrating 25 years of marriage in March. Connie said that she was inspired by the Bishop’s message. “We know how important it is to trust God, even when the future is uncertain,” she said. The Van Hoesel’s, who met in the Netherlands when Connie was studying abroad, have learned its best to live one day at a time. “My husband moved halfway across the world to start our marriage,” she said. The couple emphasized to their four sons the importance of family. The children grew up learning to speak Dutch and have visited Holland annually to keep in touch with Niel’s family. “Teaching our four children to have mutual respect for each other and our families helped strengthen our own family and our marriage,” she said.
Mr. and Mrs. William Noroski – married 71 years – from St. Joseph the Worker in Liverpool.
Bishop Lucia shared a passage from the Old Testament book of Tobit (8:4b-8): “Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, “My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance…” He began with these words: “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.’ Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her and allow us to live together to a happy old age.”
It is faith and endurance that guides the Prells who will celebrate 73 years of marriage on Easter Sunday. “In order to endure, we remain faithful to the church,” they explained. “As life-long partners, we face our struggles and challenges together. We were both raised in homes where faith was the center of our family. We have passed that on to our children.”
Lisa Hall, director of the Family/Respect Life Office, said that there is much joy when couples recite their vows to God and to each other on their wedding day. “In the joy of the moment, we don’t realize that our vows are not given in just celebration. Our vows are given to strengthen us in the days and years ahead that can include difficulty, illness, or strife. But the beauty of sacramental marriage is that we are not in it alone,” she said. “Our Catholic marriages are meant to be a visible sign of love, life, and unity of the Trinity. We are grateful to the couples who attend World Marriage Day, and all married couples for being a living witness of the beauty of God’s steadfast love.”
