The celebration of World Marriage Day, part of National Marriage Week, is one of many opportunities to support and promote marriage and the family (the domestic Church). The focus on building a culture of life and love begins with supporting both.

The Diocese of Burlington will celebrate World Marriage Day 2024 with Msgr. John McDermott, diocesan administrator, on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the 10 a.m. Mass at The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Burlington.

In Vermont, those celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2024 (5, 10, 15, 20… 50, 51, or more) are invited to this special Mass with their families. A reception follows in the parish hall.

In addition, parishes are encouraged to honor and celebrate marriage anniversaries on the following Sunday, Feb. 11, with their parish priest.

We rejoice that so many couples are living in fidelity to their marital commitment. We thank them for proclaiming in their daily lives the beauty, goodness, and truth of marriage. In countless ways — both ordinary and heroic — through good times and bad, they bear witness to the gift and blessing they have received from the hand of their creator (USCCB pastoral letter, “Love and Life in the Divine Plan”).

To register for the World Marriage Day Mass, please contact Nicole Hamilton at 802-658-6110, ext. 1131 or nhamilton@vermontcatholic.org. Include the couple’s names (as they want them to be written on the certificate), anniversary date (month, day, year), and current parish. The deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 26.

All of us at the diocesan offices offer our congratulations to all married couples. Let their love bear witness to God’s faithful love and a little bit of heaven on Earth through their marriage covenant.

— Deacon Armand Auclair is diocesan coordinator of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Burlington.

— Originally published in the Jan. 6-12, 2024, edition of The Inland See.