Married couples told: World needs your witness

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | Martin and Ozema De Jesus, 91 and 84 respectively, marking 68 years of marriage, were among the couples celebrating wedding anniversaries at St. Mary Cathedral Feb. 16. They have 14 children, 30 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren and their youngest son, Julio, is the administrator of St. Benedict Church in Hialeah.

“Martin was the first and only boy my mother ever kissed,” said Father Julio De Jesus. “My parents lived in Hig�ey, Dominican Republic. My father worked in a pharmacy there. He would see my mother walk past the store every day and one day he decided to introduce himself to her. He wound up chasing her.”

Ozema’s mother told her she was too young at 16 to have a boyfriend, Father De Jesus said. So she sent Ozema to her grandmother’s home in La Cruz Del Isleño, northeast of Hig�ey.

When her grandmother found out about Martin, “she told my mother, you should marry him, he’s a nice young man,” Father De Jesus said. “But you must marry him in church. They married with her parents’ permission and blessing.”

Martin worked for the Dominican government as a tax collector before retiring in 1984 and coming to Miami. Through every difficulty, the couple kept their love for each other on fire. They are devout Catholics who attend Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church in Miami Shores.

“They learned to respect each other and listen to each other,” said Father De Jesus. “They supported me in my choice to become a priest.”

Of those at the anniversary Mass, Nestor and Nora Perez, 94 and 89 respectively, had been together the longest, 70 years. They met in their native Colombia. Civilly married in 1948, they married at St. Brendan Church in 1986.

“They have always loved each other like Romeo and Juliet,” said their daughter, Elisa Perez-Walsh.

During the Mass, Archbishop Thomas Wenski led the married couples in renewing their marriage vows. Afterwards, he asked those married 70 years, 65 years, 50 years, 25 years and 10 years to stand. And in a new tradition, he asked couples married one year to stand.

AJ and Melissa Tablada, 26 and 25 respectively and sitting in the first row, were one of the two “newlywed” couples that stood up to be recognized. Melissa said that she and her husband look up to the example set by the older couples.

“It was beautiful to see the couples married for so many years,” she said. “I can only hope that we will be together for so long.”

“We thank you for your witness, a witness that is so much needed in our world today,” Archbishop Wenski said, noting the purpose of the annual Mass. Organized by the Office of Marriage and Family Life, the celebration is timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day and the U.S. bishops-designated National Marriage Week USA, Feb. 7-14.

The archbishop cited statistics reporting that less than half of United States households are made up of married couples.

“For the first time in history, there are more people not married,” he said. “We put in this category those never married, not yet married and not married anymore. This is a serious problem that begets a litany of woes, and I know that it touches you as you look with concern on your children and your grandchildren.”

The anniversary couples have lived through many difficulties, the archbishop said.

“In overcoming the moments of crisis, new dimensions of love developed and opened the door to new dimensions of life,” he said. “We need your witness. We need to learn that it is beautiful to mature through sacrifices and thus to work for the salvation of others, your spouse, your children, your wider family and the entire community.”