Wedding anniversary Mass honors married couples for their Christian witness
CHARLOTTE — Married couples celebrating special anniversaries in 2018 were honored by Bishop Peter Jugis during the Diocese of Charlotte’s wedding anniversary Mass, held this year at St. John Neumann Church Nov. 4.
The annual Mass recognizes couples who have witnessed to the sanctity of the sacrament of marriage for 25 years or more. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, the event includes a reception with the bishop after Mass.
“We are honoring you anniversary couples for the witness of your love for each other and especially and including your love of the Lord,” Bishop Jugis said at the beginning of his homily.
He reflected on the readings selected for the anniversary Mass (Genesis 3:18-24, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a, and the Gospel of John 15:12-16), remarking that these readings are often selected for a wedding Mass.
“Marriage is a sacrament instituted by Christ to give grace” to couples and to provide a solid foundation for family life and the building up of the domestic Church, Bishop Jugis said.
Including Jesus Christ in one’s marriage is crucial for success, he continued. By inviting Christ into their marriage through the celebration of the sacrament of holy matrimony, he said, “you wanted to build your marriage on the solid foundation of Jesus so He would always be there to help you.”
He said he had no doubt that over the years they have relied often on Christ.
“It is incumbent upon you to continue to turn to Him because Jesus sets the standard on what marriage should be,” he said. “Jesus sets the standard of what it means to give your life to another. Without counting the cost, (He) gave His life always for the other – for us.”
In fact, Jesus sets the standard for self-sacrifice in whatever vocation in life the Lord calls us to – priesthood, consecrated life, single or married life, the bishop added.
“He sets the standard on how to love another because He is the supreme example of love. There is no greater. That is the love that inspires all Christian marriage.”
In attendance at the wedding anniversary Mass were Immaculate Heart of Mary parishioners Tom and Donna Yaudes, who were married more than 50 years ago in Madison, Wis. The couple raised three sons and now have seven grandchildren.
“We both went through Catholic schools, so that gave us a very good foundation,” Tom Yaudes said. “All through our lives together we have had ups and downs, some tragedies in our family and some real joys. We have always turned to God.”
Mike and Karen Lugo of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City have been married 25 years and have seven children ranging from 8 to 20 years old.
“Karen prayed me back into the Church,” Mike Lugo said. “Through those graces, it has drawn me closer to Him and made me more eager to learn more about the faith and the Church, so we’ve continued to grow as a couple and as a family.”
The Lugos pray the rosary as a family each day and advise other couples to remain active in their faith.
“Go to Mass, get in front of the Blessed Sacrament and pray in the Presence of the Holy Eucharist,” Mike Lugo said.
“And try to go to Mass more than once a week on Sundays,” Karen Lugo added.
Deacon James Witulski and his wife Mary, who belong to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, were also honored at the wedding anniversary Mass Nov. 4. Married for 25 years, they raised two grown children and now have five grandchildren.
Patience and a sense of humor are important in marriage, they agreed.
“We always forgive each other and we forgive quickly,” Mary Witulski also noted. Deacon Witulski’s ministry in the Church has also brought them closer together and closer to God, she said.
“Her faith strengthened my faith,” Deacon Witulski added. “When I proposed to her I wrote her a poem that stated, ‘I want to walk hand in hand.’”
In the closing remarks of his homily, Bishop Jugis told the couples that he joined with them in thanking God for all of the blessings bestowed on them throughout their married lives.
He prayed, “May you live in peace with all people and may all people bless you.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter