Couples honored at Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass

Father George Plaster, the pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, congratulates two of his longtime parishioners, Donald and Ruth Allen, on their 70 years of married life following the archdiocesan Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass on Oct. 17 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Seven decades of marital love.

When St. Mark the Evangelist parishioners Donald and Ruth Allen of Indianapolis celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Oct. 26, they will have been married for 25,550 days.

“We’re not quite there yet,” he said, smiling at his wife after they were honored during the annual archdiocesan Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass on Oct. 17 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

As the Allens were introduced, they received enthusiastic applause during a standing ovation from Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, as well as other priests concelebrating the Mass, golden jubilarian couples married for 50 years or longer, and many of the couples’ family members.

The 117 longtime married couples who renewed their vows during the anniversary liturgy are members of many parishes throughout central and southern Indiana, said David Bethuram, director of the archdiocesan Office of Family Ministries.

“All together, they represent 6,321 years of marriage,” Bethuram told the assembly at the conclusion of the Mass. “They have 506 children, 1,068 grandchildren, 272 great-grandchildren … and counting.”

Twenty-two couples present at the Mass have been married for 60 years or longer.

“Marriage is sacred,” Msgr. Schaedel reminded the gathering during his homily. “We Catholics hold it at the level of a sacrament. The Church teaches us that in marriage man and woman encounter Christ. It is a mutual submission or sacrifice rooted in God’s love. … And you know, better than anyone else, that the joy that comes from loving one another as Christ loves us comes at a price—

self-sacrifice.”

Marriage reflects the union of Christ and his Church, the vicar general said. “For Christians, marriage is holy. … In marriage, two lives become one. We no longer think of one without thinking of the other. … Yet two is not enough. Christian marriage takes more than two. If a marriage is truly a sacrament, there is a third party—Christ. He is the invisible third partner.”

Keeping Christ at the center of marriage requires that couples pray together, he said, attend Mass together every week, measure their decisions against the ideal of the Gospel, and teach their children the Catholic faith.

“It is the presence of God in a marriage that can make it work,” Msgr. Schaedel said. “… Christ has everything to do with it. Thank you for living that out. God be with you in the years to come as he has been with you all of these years.”

After the Mass, the Allens reflected on their wedding in the fall of 1940 at the former St. Catherine of Siena Church in Indianapolis and their many happy years together as well as the joy of having three children, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

“We’re grateful to God for having good health and being able to be here today,” Ruth Allen said. “We have lots of things to be thankful for. We live in the United States. We have been very blessed.”

Donald Allen said his family has a tradition of longevity in marriage.

“My mother and dad were married for 50 years and my grandparents were married for 50 years or more,” he said. “It seems like it runs in the family. I recommend it. It was so easy. We’ve got a wonderful family.”

While he served two years in the U.S. Navy, Donald Allen said, his new wife took care of their infant son and all the household chores.

“She did everything,” he said. “She even drove a car, which was hard to do back in those days.”

Asked for their advice on how to have a happy marriage, Donald Allen said, “If there are any disputes between the two of them, talk it out. Don’t fight it out.”

Ruth Allen smiled at her husband.

“Definitely, love one another,” she said. “Certainly, love one another.” †