Celebrating Marriage..

I saw this very nice article on the Archdiocese of Port of Spain website on how they celebrated a special day for married couples on the Feast of St. Anne and Joachim.  This article was taken from
http://www.catholicnews-tt.net/joomla/

Sunday, July 25 was a special day in St Joseph; over 100 couples from the parish of St Joseph and Mt D’or were celebrated for choosing a life of commitment to each other. The occasion of the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, the parents of our Blessed Lady, gave couples a chance to reflect on their own married lives. The parish gardens were transformed into a wedding banquet area beautifully decorated and inviting, promising an evening of romance and forging of new friendships. 

Saints Joachim and Anne, we are told were devoted to God, prayerful and family centered. As the parents of Mary they nurtured her to be a worthy Mother of God. They formed the foundation of faith that allowed her to willingly respond to God’s request and no doubt their parenting helped her to also be a good mother to Jesus.

Their faith provided the foundation for courage and strength to face the death of her son. It was the conduct of their lives that pleased God to bless them so abundantly.
As couples these are the attributes we all strive to live by and pass on to our children. Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana suggests that in His ministry there was great importance placed on marriage, community and celebration. The decision by the Parish’s Family Life Group to treat couples to a wedding party only because we chose a life of commitment, faithfulness and family made what is often taken for granted as being something indeed very special. Too many, this celebration reminded us of our own wedding day – the joy that we felt and in particular, despite how many years have passed, the ease with which the years and the challenges that we faced were made easy through faith and prayer.
As the evening begun to set, Richard and Celeste Kelly cut the wedding cake and opened the dancing. Fr Warner was a gracious host and this celebration reinforced even further his commitment to family life and community building; a theme he often dwells upon as the foundation of our Catholic experience. The evening’s celebrations were relaxing, enjoyable and memorable.

- Joanne Deoraj, St Joseph Parishioner