The Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington was filled with married couples and their families for the Mass for Marriage Jubilarians Oct. 20. More than 190 couples came together to celebrate their 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. He was joined by Father Patrick Posey, cathedral rector, and Father Nicholas Barnes, parochial vicar, and Father Jason Burchell, a U.S. Navy chaplain and diocesan priest whose parents were celebrating their 50th anniversary.
“We pray for you that the love you share will grow stronger with the passing of each new day,” said Bishop Burbidge during his homily. “It’s incredible to see faithful married love represented in such great numbers. In fact, I’m told today, that in this cathedral, right now, represented in faithful married love is 6,625 years so congratulations to all of you.”
Keith Pohlmeier, advertising account representative for the Catholic Herald, celebrated 25 years of marriage with his wife, Melissa.
“We believe the keys to a long marriage are a shared faith and marrying someone who truly believes the Gospel message that what God joins together no one can separate,” said Keith. “Young couples need to understand that ‘until death do us part’ is not just a catchy slogan, it is a lifelong commitment to live one’s life for the other.”
