Married couples honored at World Marriage Day Mass
Compromise. Know when to be quiet. Plain common sense. Patience. Faith.
These were some of the reasons married couple honored Feb. 5 at the World Marriage Day Mass at The Cathedral of St. Joseph gave for the longevity of their marriage.
“Plain common sense with each other,” was Albert Driver’s response when asked how he and his wife, Jean, have come to their 50th wedding anniversary. They are parishioners of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Morrisville.
Michael and Charlotte Frankiewicz of Our Lady of Good Help Parish in Brandon are celebrating 55 years of marriage. “Compromise” was his advice for a long marriage. “And don’t go to bed mad,” she added.
Russell Mitchell and his wife, Carolyn, parishioners of Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Randolph, have been married for 55 years, and he said the key is “knowing when to be quiet.”
Jean Trahan advised love, faith and patience. Her husband of 67 years, Jacques, added “understanding.” They are parishioners of The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Burlington.
Nearly 90 couples from throughout Vermont were honored this year for their milestone anniversaries with a certificate from Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne. Thirty-four couples registered to be recognized at the World Marriage Day Mass.
The celebrant of the Mass, Msgr. John McDermott, vicar general of the Diocese of Burlington, said the love married couples have for each other “makes known in a particular way the love of Jesus Christ.”
Their love, like that of Christ, is a selfless love, a sacrificial love: It is the kind of love that does “not look at what’s in it for me but what can I do for you.” It’s about “living selflessly not selfishly.”
Saying husbands and wives must help each other get to heaven he explained that is done by corporal works of mercy right within the family like providing food and shelter. “Couples fulfill these on a daily basis,” he said.
Jean Driver said it was an honor to participate in the World Marriage Day Mass, adding, “This is really nice.”
Russell Mitchell said it was nice to be recognized and “to be with so many like-minded people who value marriage.”