Married couples will be celebrating Silver and Gold Anniversaries, Feb. 10

"Silver and gold, silver and gold, everyone wishes for silver and gold. How do you measure its worth? Just by the pleasure, it gives here on Earth.”

This Christmas classic sung by Burl Ives discusses the material joy that these precious metals can bring, but to those who are celebrating their silver and gold anniversary, the meaning is entirely different. 

On Feb. 10, in conjunction with World Marriage Day, the Office of Laity, Family, and Life celebrates all couples with 25 or 50 years of marriage in an Anniversary Mass with Bishop Michael Mulvey at Corpus Christi Cathedral. 

“Marriage is the bedrock of our society, the place where our faith is nurtured. It’s vital to support marriages because the family is where the human person is formed and protected,” said Elizabeth Nguyen, Director of the Office of Laity, Family, and Life for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. “When we recognize marriages that have lasted 25 and 50 years, we celebrate the gift of sacramental marriage as the grace and mercy of God working in our lives.”

According to the American Psychological Association, about 90 percent of people under the age of 50 in Western cultures will get married. Statistics from the APA also show that about 40 to 50 percent of these marriages will end in divorce. With numbers like these so commonplace in today’s society, it is crucial to recognize marriages that have stood the test of time, Nguyen said. 

“In this Mass, we also celebrate the couple’s willingness to avail themselves of God’s graces each and every day of their lives,” she said. “This is a wonderful accomplishment in our modern age when society keeps telling us that married love is based upon feelings alone.”

Nguyen acknowledges that longevity in matrimony does not necessarily equate an uncomplicated relationship. 

“Couples who have stayed together for these many years will tell you that marriage has its peaks and valleys and that the grace of the sacrament keeps them fighting for their marriage when times get tough. Their witness to sacrificial love is something that we all need now,” she said. “It’s not about two perfect people coming together and having a perfect marriage. It’s about two imperfect people desiring to have God come into their lives and purify them through this vocation.”

By recognizing couples who have achieved this milestone, the diocese celebrates the example to others they give through the sacrament of marriage. 

“Through them, we see the virtues or good habits, it takes to build a healthy and holy family, and we see cooperation with God’s will as the foundation in their efforts,” Nguyen said. “Working together in God’s grace, these couples have so much wisdom to share with their families, parishes, and communities. Their celebration is an inspiration to all of us.”