PROVIDENCE — The Diocesan Office for Marriage Preparation and Enrichment today announced 334 couples have registered for the Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration on October 14 in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul at 1:00 PM. This is the first such event to be held in the Diocese of Providence that recognizes milestone wedding anniversaries.
35 couples will celebrate their 25th anniversary; 48 their 40th; 88 their 50th and 148 will celebrate fifty or more years of marriage. Fourteen couples are celebrating other anniversaries. The couples’ names will be listed in an upcoming edition of the Rhode Island Catholic.
“I am pleased that so many of the faithful and their families have decided to participate in this special Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration,” said Bishop Tobin. “These couples and their families are wonderful examples of strong, successful and loving marriages.”
“The response has been tremendous and a humbling experience for those involved preparing this special Liturgy,” said Deacon Stephen R. Cote, Director of the Office for Marriage Preparation and Enrichment. “Our anniversary couples are true role models in fulfilling their sacramental vows that is emulating Christ’s love that is unconditional and selfless."
During the Mass, Bishop Tobin, the main celebrant and homilist, will bless the couples, who will renew their marriage vows. Following the Mass, a reception for the couples and their families will be held in the recently renovated lower level of the Cathedral. Couples will also receive a certificate in remembrance of this special occasion.
This ministry is part of the Secretariat for Catholic Education, Spiritual Formation & Evangelization. It provides training, support, and assistance to priests, deacons, religious, and lay persons in the development and establishment of parish-based marriage preparation programs and Natural Family Planning (NFP) resources within the diocese. This ministry also acts as liaison for Rhode Island Engaged Encounter.
