By Lizsandra Trastoy - Florida Catholic Newspaper
Lucille and Ralph Corso, parishioners of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, were marking their 60th wedding anniversary.
Meliton and Magdalena Auza, parents of Archbishop Bernardito Auza, papal nuncio to the United Nations, were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary.
Debra and Richard Clawson, parishioners from St. David Church in Davie, renew their vows during the Mass that was celebrated at St. Mary's Cathedral Church by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, honoring married love.
Archbishop Bernardito C. Auza, apostolic nuncio of the Holy See to the United Nations, left, assists Archbishop Thomas Wenski during the Mass at St. Mary Cathedral honoring married love.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski takes pictures with a group of attendees outside of St. Mary Cathedral after celebrating the annual Mass honoring the anniversaries of married couples on Valentine's Day.
A group of couples show their wedding anniversary certificates at the reception following the Mass that was celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at St. Mary Cathedral on Valentine's Day. The Mass honored couples and their lasting marriages.
Following the Mass, couples gathered for a reception at St. Mary's Parish Hall, where they were given their certificates, honoring their years of matrimony.
Photography: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
MIAMI | Hearts and flowers and chocolate � the trappings of love � might fade, wilt or get eaten, but true love lasts. And there was plenty of proof of that on Valentine’s Day at St. Mary Cathedral, when 240 couples, married from 70 to 25 years, were honored by the archdiocese at the conclusion of National Marriage Week.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrated the annual Mass, which honors not just the couples marking milestone anniversaries this year, but the sacrament of matrimony itself.
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Meliton and Magdalena Auza, parents of Archbishop Bernardito Auza, papal nuncio to the United Nations, were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary at the St. Valentine's Day Mass at St. Mary Cathedral.
The couples came early to take their picture with the archbishop. Among them were Meliton and Magdalena Auza, celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Their son was there, too, concelebrating the Mass: Archbishop Bernardito C. Auza, former apostolic nuncio to Haiti and current apostolic nuncio to the United Nations.
“You have to be very aware of what you are going into. You cannot commit yourself to a lifetime with someone if you are unsure, or if your decision is based on other things that are not love,” said Archbishop Auza, one of the couple’s 12 children.
He added that his parents were very much in love and certain of their commitment when they got married.
Lucille and Ralph Corso, parishioners of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Pembroke Pines, had attended the celebration before � it is open to everyone marking 25, 50 or more years of marriage. This year, they were marking their 60th anniversary.
“When I saw her for the first time, I said ‘that’s the girl for me,’” said Ralph Corso. “I chased her until she caught me.”
Photographer: LIZSANDRA TRASTOY | FC
Following the Mass, couples gathered for a reception at St. Mary's Parish Hall, where they were given their certificates, honoring their years of matrimony.
Lucille Corso confessed she did not like her husband the first time they met � but their love grew.
They met at a Catholic high school dance, where Ralph “filled in” for one of his friends who was unable to attend. After dating for two years, they got engaged the day of Lucille’s college graduation, married three months later, and have two children and three grandchildren.
Lucille Corso, who recently had open heart surgery, credits her faith for helping her move forward. When asked what advice they would give a young couple, Lucille said “follow through. You have to be friends first and get to know one another first � before anything.”
“The first thing I asked my husband was if he smoked, drank, and if he was Catholic,” said Gloria Schmidinger, who came to celebrate her 27th anniversary with her husband, Gene.
Both serve as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion at their parish, St. Bernadette in Hollywood. They described “obstacles” in their relationship, such as the death of Gloria’s husband and Gene’s divorce from his first wife.
Gloria was 47 and Gene was 46 when they married. She said that if it were not for these obstacles, she and her husband would not have met each other.
“They told me he was a good Catholic � that was definitely a plus for me,” said Gloria Schmidinger.
“This is a reminder of what marriage is � especially on Valentine’s Day,” said Stephen Colella, cabinet secretary Parish Life for the archdiocese.
“People are going out of their way to be here, coming in with walkers, wheel chairs, holding each other � coming before God to celebrate their marriage. It is a beautiful thing to witness,” Colella said.
Archbishop Wenski’s homily emphasized the themes of commitment, wisdom, and God’s love for everyone. He spoke to couples on the importance of sharing their wisdom with young people, who may be “cynical” when it comes to marriage.
Following the homily, couples renewed their vows. After Mass, they attended a reception in the cathedral hall, where they were given their anniversary certificates and photos.
“The quest for love is a quest for God,” said Marta Vargas, program manager for the archdiocese’s family life ministry.
Vargas said she motivates young couples to stay committed by telling them, “You are helping to save the world one kiss at a time.”
“We need more events like this,” she added. “Every year a couple is married, it is a mirror of God’s love, and it is a testimony that proves love is real.”
Photographer: Lizsandra Trastoy
Archbishop Thomas Wenski takes pictures with group of attendees outside of St. Mary Cathedral after celebrating the annual Mass honoring married couples on Valentine's Day.
