Couples will be honored at special Mass

Gerald and Leona Hill say their faith in God holds their marriage together. They will be celebrating 50 years of marriage at the 2020 Silver and Gold Anniversary Mass on Jan. 12. The Hills are from Sacred Heart Parish in Falfurrias.

Contributed Photo
 

Without hesitation, Gerald turned to Leona and quipped: “How about we take a leap of faith and get married?”

“Isn’t that something?” chuckled Leona. “Little did we know then that two of our four children would someday become engineers, working on the programming for the shuttle and space station.” 

On Sunday, Jan. 12, at 9:30 a.m., the Diocese of Corpus Christi will host a special Mass at the Corpus Christi Cathedral for couples celebrating 25 and 50 years of marriage. The 2020 Silver and Gold Anniversary Mass will include photos with Bishop Michael Mulvey, a certificate, and a reception after Mass. The Hills from Falfurrias and parishioners at Sacred Heart are one of the couples being recognized.

Both retired teachers, the Hills have known each other since they were 6-years-old. Their families knew each other for decades, but the two eventually lost contact as they grew older. He joined the military, and she started a teaching career.

“We reconnected in the summer of 1969 and were married on Easter Sunday, 1970,” she said. 

A convert to the Catholic faith, Gerald Hill said he was raised in many different denominations before meeting his wife, Leona. Now, he can’t imagine being anywhere else.

“Our faith in God holds our marriage together. We attend Mass and participate in parish activities. I’ll be a Catholic for the rest of my life,” he said.

As for the success of their 50 years of marriage, Leona Hill said it comes down to their strong faith.

Ricardo and Rachel Lopez from St. James Parish in Bishop are celebrating 25 years of marriage. Contributed photo

“I think the reason we have made it this long is because God has always been a part of our lives,” she said. “We both believed in the same things and attended church regularly. And we even survived the teenage years with the children! The church always was and still is a central part of our lives.”

Rachel Lopez was born in Kingsville and raised in Bishop. Her husband, Ricardo, was born in Orange Grove and also raised in Bishop. On Sept. 30, 2020, the couple will celebrate 25 years of marriage. They have two children: Daniel, 22, and Crystal, 19, who are both currently attending college. The family attends St. James in Bishop.

“We met at Bishop Café, where I worked as a waitress. At first, when he asked me out, I was kind of hesitant because I was very sheltered. But after he kept pursuing, I agreed, and we went out to the movies,” Rachel Lopez recalled.

She offered her viewpoint about why people struggle to make their marriages work.

“It is due to not communicating with each other. Couples must always be honest and communicate with each other, do things as a family, and always pray. Don’t listen to family or friends who are trying to be negative. People are stronger together than as individuals.”

Aaron and Raquel Garcia from St. Anthony Parish in Robstown are celebrating 25 years of marriage. Contributed Photo

When Aaron Garcia spotted his future bride Raquel in the summer of 1992, he knew it was love at first sight. The two were both attending a Search Retreat when they met and eventually started dating. They accidentally bumped into each other, and the rest is history. But he almost did not make it to the retreat.

“I kept saying I would go, but on the morning of the retreat, I had changed my mind and decided to go to San Antonio instead,” he recalled. “We had a strong youth ministry at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Kingsville at that time, so the youth coordinator drove to my house to convince me to attend. While we were talking, my brother loaded my luggage on the vehicle. I realized it was meant to be, and God had a plan.”

“Every time we pass by the retreat center on Lantana in Corpus Christi, we tell our kids: ‘Look, this is where we met.’ We drive by the different buildings and tell them the story of how we fell in love,” she said.

Actually getting married proved to be a bit of a challenge. “My brother wanted to get married before going into the military, so my parents asked if I could postpone my wedding since they had to save money for two weddings at the same time. And then my sister wanted to get married, so we waited for two years. It all worked for the best, though,” Raquel Garcia said.

 But the love they had for each other persevered. They were married on Apr. 8, 1995, and will be celebrating 25 years of marriage in 2020 and today have three children: Analisa, 23; Aaron Jr., 21 and Amber, 17.

For Raquel Garcia, the secret to a long-lasting marriage is to compromise.

“You need to be prepared to be the one who compromises in the relationship. It can go either way: sometimes, you are the one who compromises, and other times it will be your spouse. If nobody wants to compromise, that’s where people run into problems,” she said. 

She also believes her faith in God is the glue that holds their family together.

“We need God in our lives. In our household, God always comes first. We go to church regularly, go to confession, and volunteer at St. Mary’s Mission in Robstown,” Raquel said. “Our faith is the foundation of our marriage. We pray the rosary and attend adoration together. Sometimes things get in the way, and we don’t always make it. But persistence is the key,” she said.

Aaron Garcia added that patience is crucial.

“Be patient with one another and follow God,” he said. “My faith in God has made me a better father to my children, a better husband to my wife, and a better person to everyone else in my life. Raising our kids with the Catholic faith as our guide was the best thing we could have done for our marriage and our children. We will always follow that path.”   

To register as a participating couple in the 2020 Silver and Gold Anniversary Mass, visit diocesecc.org/anniversary-mass.