At Wedding Anniversary Mass, couples share faith and enduring love

By Emily Chaffins -

Photography: EMILY CHAFFINS | FC

 MIAMI | John Paul Jebian was in a dilemma. He had a crush on a girl from Venezuela, but she spoke Spanish, whereas he communicated in American Sign Language (ASL).

John Paul is still in awe of the “connection” that led him and his wife, Maribel, to the altar over two decades ago. They made the discovery on their first date, a one-day cruise in April 2001 when Maribel was overcome with seasickness.

“We had a Spanish dictionary and an ASL dictionary, and we were looking back and forth between them in order to talk,” recalled John Paul, who is deaf and teaches ASL at the high school and university levels. “We eventually got rid of the dictionaries and just started using natural gestures to communicate, and in our hearts, we felt something special.”

Married in the Catholic Church seven months later, on December 16, 2001, the couple has strengthened their communication with the help of technology and decades of love. “Something was just perfect between us,” he said. “Somehow we were able to communicate, and here we are more than 20 years later in a successful marriage.”

The couple and their three children took part in the Archdiocese of Miami’s Wedding Anniversary Mass, which took place Feb. 21 at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Miami. Approximately 125 couples attended this year’s Mass, which is held each year around Valentine’s Day. The Mass — celebrated in English, Spanish, Creole and Latin — was translated into American Sign Language.

The Wedding Anniversary Mass celebration in Miami likewise led couples, with anniversaries ranging from one to 62 years of marriage, to reminisce about the meaning of their journey together. As Archbishop Thomas Wenski said during the homily, “[At your wedding,] you didn’t know what was before you then, but nevertheless you made a gift of yourself to your spouse. You took each other for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death. As you celebrate your anniversaries, you can look back and see how God's grace was with you, helping you along the way.”

 

Love lessons, life lessons

Archbishop Wenski highlighted that there is much to learn from the beauty of real-life love stories. Luckily, there is no shortage of such stories across South Florida: in 2025 alone, nearly 1,290 couples completed archdiocesan marriage preparation.

According to Gallup, “data from 2009 to 2023 find that married people are much more likely to be thriving in their well-being than adults who have never married, are divorced or are living with a domestic partner.” The Institute for Family Studies noted in a 2024 article that “Americans who regularly attend church are between about 30 and 50 percent less likely to divorce. They are also about 15 percentage points more likely to say they are happily married, compared to secular couples.”

Archbishop Wenski shared with The Florida Catholic that his own parents were married in 1947, once World War II had ended. The greatest lesson his parents taught him about love was that “love is about showing up.” As bishop, he likewise “tries to show up every day.”

This theme is a huge part of Alexis and Ester Gartener’s journey. They have weathered many storms throughout their 25 years of marriage. Like the Jebians, their love story also involves a cruise — albeit inadvertently.

Ester was about to embark on an Alaska cruise when her aunt encouraged her to reach out to Alexis, a family friend’s son. Alexis was serving in the U.S. military in Alaska and could offer sightseeing recommendations. Ester was “shy” back then, but her aunt basically left her no choice but to call.

“I didn’t want to,” she smiled, “but my aunt said he was already expecting my call.”

Alexis helped her over the phone with the trip planning, so Ester’s parents pushed her to give him a thank-you call upon her return from the cruise.

Ester compromised by sending him an email.

“For me, that was the end of it,” she remembered thinking. “But not for him: he replied!”

Ester and Alexis immediately clicked when they came face-to-face in Miami on December 8, 2000. However, one of their first major challenges came right before their wedding: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“It went from six months to prepare the wedding to six weeks,” said Ester, explaining that Alexis had to report for military service. They were married on Oct. 27, 2001.

While Alexis was overseas in Iraq in 2003, Ester gave birth. Alexis couldn’t return until their baby was seven months old, which was “a challenging adaptation, returning to now a whole family,” as Ester explained.

In addition, Alexis was struggling with his faith. “I had fallen away for a bit during deployment,” said the father of two. “Letting God into my life made a difference. In his love for me, I was able to reflect love to my family.”

 

From seasickness to 62 years: couples celebrate marriage

The Garteners have been serving the archdiocesan Transformed in Love marriage preparation ministry for three years. The ministry gives engaged couples a deep dive into the significance of the sacrament of marriage, as well as advice on areas such as communication and finances. Not only is the ministry good for Alexis and Ester’s relationship, but their presence is also a witness to others.

“We tell them parts of our story, and the fact that we’re here, doing this, shows that it’s possible to have a marriage that lasts,” said Alexis.

Ester called him “the most tender soul I have ever met,” and Alexis said she is “the love of my life.”

He highlighted that they are “sustained” by Eucharistic Adoration.

“Going to Adoration is the first thing we do. Whether the decision is big or small, that’s where we go to discern,” agreed Ester. “We would not be here now without the grace of God.”

Vahe Gary Kokorian and Viviane Sfeir Kokorian, celebrating 52 years of marriage, are also a testament to enduring ties. Originally from Lebanon, they were neighbors and have known each other for 57 years. They began dating when Viviane was 16 and Vahe was 19, bonding over Viviane’s “math problems,” as Vahe joked.

“I was in my first year of engineering, so she used to bring her math problems to me, and I helped her solve them,” he said, chuckling.

They married Feb. 16, 1974, arriving in the U.S. in 1978. They have two children. Their son Patrick is the abbot of Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Petersham, Massachusetts, where the Maronite Monks of Adoration reside. To commemorate his parents’ 50th anniversary, he celebrated a special Mass for them at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, his alma mater.

“Keep Jesus at the center of your marriage,” emphasized Viviane, noting that spiritual practices such as attending daily Mass and saying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet every day have been very helpful.

As Archbishop Wenski reminded couples during the Mass, the path of marriage ultimately comes down to one choice.“There are many ways to go wrong,” he said, “but one way to go right: the way of love.”

For John Paul and Maribel Jebian, that love first appeared in the most unexpected way — through gestures and improvised signs on a seasick cruise more than two decades ago.

“We didn’t share a language,” John Paul said, smiling. “But somehow we understood each other.”

And, 20 years later, they still do.