by Deacon Tony Zimmerman
Each year, the archdiocese offers a Mass and reception celebrated by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann to honor all couples married 50 years.
Imagine witnessing over 100 couples standing in the presence of their children and grandchildren as they hold hands and face one another, reaffirming the promises they made to one another on their wedding day! Examples of committed, lifelong married love give a powerful witness to the joy that marriage offers.
Our next 50th anniversary Mass and reception will be held on June 12 at Church of the Nativity, Leawood, at 2:30 p.m. A reception will follow. Contact your parish for an invitation to this celebration for yourselves or your parents. Family members are welcome to attend the Mass and reception. For more information or to request an invitation, call Kristin Lacy with the archdiocesan office of marriage and family life at (913) 647-0345.
Fifty years of joyful marriage does not just “happen.” It requires an investment of couple time to learn and sharpen good relationship skills, and to recall the dreams that first fueled your love and lights the way for your future.
We invite you to experience the Evermore in Love Weekend Immersion Retreat, Aug. 20-21 at Christ the King Church in Topeka. Couples have shared that it left them feeling like newlyweds.
Spending a day-and-a-half away from your normal schedule can transform the rest of your life. Over the retreat weekend, you will:
• reconnect with your personal love history
• clear away obstacles that prevent you from loving your spouse well
• discover your spouse’s preferred means to achieve intimacy
• experience profound affirmation
• understand the importance of your sacrament
• leave with strategies to grow ever more in love
The retreat begins Saturday morning and includes a romantic dinner on Saturday evening. You return home on Saturday evening.
The retreat continues with Mass on Sunday morning and concludes Sunday afternoon. For more information and to register, go to the website at: www.archkck.org/livinginlove. You may also call Brad DuPont at (913) 647-0301 for more information.
Also this summer, you have a chance to attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, July 15-17, an overnight retreat at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The weekend is a skill-building, enrichment program where together — you as husband and wife — learn how to be the best couple you can be.
The weekend is a private time, between husband and wife, where you are given the tools for good communication. You will be able to reignite that spark that you had as newlyweds, and recapture the love you felt back then. This will carry over to being the loving parents that your children need to see so they feel secure as a family.
As you become empty-nesters, you can use the same tools to continue growing and thriving in your relationship, living a lifetime of love. For more information or to apply, go online to: www.wwme4youandme.org.
This is the time of year we all want to get away and be refreshed. Be sure that time away includes time for each other and your relationship. These two opportunities will put you on track to have a 50th anniversary celebration yourselves.
