By Ryan Blessing
Loving husbands and wives married for 25, 50 and even 63 years joined hands with their spouse and renewed their commitment to each other before the Lord at the special Anniversary Mass on Sunday, October 27.
John and Jane Sterry, married on June 30, 1956, stood with other couples in the Cathedral of St. Patrick and praised God for accompanying them during good times and bad.
The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D said that “faithful marriage is a re-creation in time and space of Jesus’ love for His people, the Church. We believe that selfless love, which is the core of the Gospel message, is truly the very heart of marriage. We believe that husbands and wives who work together for the benefit of their families give us an example of strength, courage and virtue.”
The homilist, Deacon Dan D’Amelio of St. Bridget parish in Moodus and St. Patrick in East Hampton, said the reading from Saint Luke (Luke 18:9-14) is a wonderful reminder of what it is to live our lives for another, not focusing on ourselves and exalting ourselves, but being humble and asking for mercy.
He also noted how many husbands quickly learned the two most important words of their married lives, “words that admit our guilt and seek mercy. The two words—"Yes, dear!’”
“Marriage,” Deacon D’Amelio said, "is not about seeking our own happiness. Marriage is about love. A sacrificing love, a serving love, a giving love, and a forgiving love.”
John and Jane Sterry are a true example of enduring union. The Portland couple have four children and nine grandchildren “scattered all over,” Jane said. John said the couple has no secret to a long and lasting marriage, except to say what Deacon D’Amelio advised: “Yes, dear!”
Celebrating 60 years of marriage on Halloween were Charles and Rosemary Hall. Charles was asked what it was like getting married on Halloween. “Scary,” is how he described it. “Who got the trick and who got the treat?” Rosemary filled in some of the detail. “Actually, he was in the Navy at the time, and that was the only weekend open, I don’t tell anybody, but he got the trick and I got the treat.”