September 18, 2009
Golden Jubilee Celebration
Honoring couples married 50 years and longer
Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger prepares to process into Good Shepherd Church, Evansville, for the annual Golden Jubilee Celebration. He is joined by emcee Scott Whitehouse. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
“It’s an annual celebration of family love.” Those are words from Toni Frick, who accompanied her parents, Harold and Frances Frick, to the annual Golden Jubilee Celebration at Good Shepherd Church in Evansville last Sunday.
Her parents, parishioners at St. Mary Church in Huntingburg, joined nearly 300 other couples at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger.
The celebration is “very important to my dad,” Toni said. “He’s very proud of being married 62 years.” She said that every year, “as many children in the family as can” come to the Mass and reception, which is sponsored by Catholic Charities.
Emily Snipes is the Family Life coordinator at Catholic Charities. She said, “Couples who attend the Golden Jubilee Celebration seem to appreciate that our diocese recognizes the hard work and sacrifice they’ve made over the years. Sometimes loving another person doesn’t come easily, it becomes a choice. It’s obvious they haven’t faced difficulties during those years alone, they’ve relied on God. Their faith has carried them through the good times and the bad.
“To see this many couples gather together is inspiring considering that the current culture does not honor things like commitment. These couples really believed in the vows ‘til death do us part’ when they married. They have demonstrated sacrificial love and perseverance by living their sacramental vocation to marriage.
“Couples attend the celebration because they have the opportunity to celebrate their marriage with friends and family. They enjoy seeing local priests and deacons join the bishop for Mass and being recognized by our Church community.”
Charles and Betty Simpson are parishioners at Good Shepherd Church. This year they are celebrating their sixty-first wedding anniversary. She said the celebration is an “important part of our lives. We really look forward to it.”
It reminds them “of what we’ve been through, and what we are going through. It makes us feel better in our religion.”
St. Theresa parishioners John and Marjorie Triplett, also married for 61 years, said they have been attending the special celebration since their golden jubilee year. “It’s nice to see people you haven’t seen for a while,” she said, adding, “I like the whole bit of it. I think the Mass is very impressive.”
When asked if she felt it was important for the Church to recognize these couples, she answered, “In this day and age? Yes!”
Each couple received a certificate signed by the bishop. It read in part “May God who sent His Son to live among us send the Spirit to be with you all the days of your life.”
He welcomed the couples at the beginning of the Mass, telling them, “Congratulations to all of you!” He said, “Let us pray for all our jubilarians, those who are here and those who could not be here today.”
During the homily, the bishop told the jubilarians “you are showing us the way. Rejoice in that and pray for the strength to go on.”
At the end of the Mass, the bishop introduced all of the golden jubilarians in attendance. He then introduced all the couples married 60 years and longer. He concluded the Mass with a special blessing for the couples.