By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
When Deacon Denis and Ramona Corbin mark their 50th wedding anniversary at the Diocese of Dallas Golden Anniversary Mass on Aug. 29, they will celebrate a friendship that has anchored their marriage since their teenage years.
The Corbins, who married Feb. 14, 1976, at St. Finbar’s Roman Catholic Church in Trinidad and Tobago, first met through their parish youth group and choir, quickly becoming best friends.
“That’s really where our first connection began,” Deacon Denis recalled. “I lived less than a block from the church, while Ramona lived a little farther away. Before long, I found myself timing my walk to church, so I’d be outside when she passed by.”
That friendship eventually led to marriage and then decades of ministry together.
“Our friendship is what I am truly most grateful for throughout our marriage,” Ramona said. “I like that friendship — that feeling of companionship — that always seemed to have been there, even when we were best friends.”
Deacon Denis agreed.
“Friendship with each other, trust, companionship — all those things were really important,” he said. “We truly enjoy being with each other.”
The Corbins moved to the United States in 1985 and have spent much of their married life serving the Church. Deacon Denis was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Dallas in 1997 and now serves as pastoral administrator of St. Anthony Catholic Parish in Dallas. Together, the couple has served in marriage ministry for decades.
“I think we developed the idea early in our marriage about serving together in the Church,” Deacon Denis said. “That was a real blessing for us … being able to work in the Church. To not just minster in the Church but to minister together and tell the story of how we were struggling but also how we were succeeding in marriage.”
“For me, faith was a must,” Ramona said. “Not just a passive kind of, ‘Yeah, we go to church.’ No, we have to be present at church.”
The couple has four children — a son and three daughters — as well as 13 grandchildren. Family is an important aspect of their lives, according to Ramona.
“I come from a large family, so I like the noise,” she explained, adding with a smile, “Denis has grown to like the noise as well.”
Built on faith
Like the Corbins, Jesús Antonio and Antonia Estrada’s marriage began in friendship. The couple met as teenagers in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.
“The first time I saw her, she had just moved to the corner where I lived, and we basically started a friendship and then began to get to know each other much better,” Jesús recalled.
That friendship developed into courtship, and the couple married Oct. 26, 1974. They moved to Dallas three years later and are parishioners at St. James Catholic Parish. This year, they are celebrating 52 years of marriage.
“I think the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired us to keep moving forward and who continues to give us the strength to remain in our faith,” Antonia said.
The Estradas have three daughters, all married, and double-digit grandchildren.
“I believe the greatest joy has been sharing our lives with our daughters and now with our grandchildren,” Jesús said.
The Estradas also have ministered to engaged couples through parish marriage preparation.
“When I gave marriage preparation talks, I would ask young couples who were about to be married to always try to stay as united as possible, to share everything that is necessary together, and, above all, to keep God in each of their lives,” Jesús said.
For Antonia, a lasting marriage is built upon love and respect.
“I think it is love and respect for the other person and making sure they feel loved every day,” she said.
Both couples praised the Dallas diocese for the opportunity to mark their milestone anniversaries during the Golden Anniversary Mass. The Estradas celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Mass in 2024, where Jesús said couples had the chance to thank God for their marriages alongside others reaching the same milestone.
For Deacon Denis, this year’s celebration carries special meaning, because he has assisted at previous Golden Anniversary Masses and watched other couples reach the milestone.
“I could remember just being amazed at the couples who were attending, and saying, ‘Wow, what an achievement!’” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘Well, in six years we’ll get there, five years we’ll get there,’ and next thing you know, we are there.”
For Ramona, 50 years of marriage comes down to friendship.
“Fifty years of never lacking what it took — what it takes — to continue being friends with someone, loving that I have him with me in my heart,” she said, “and knowing that it’s God’s gift to me.”
Bishop Edward J. Burns will celebrate the 2026 Diocese of Dallas Golden Anniversary Mass at 10 a.m. Aug. 29 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Cutline for featured image: Antonia Estrada and Jesús Antonio Estrada pose at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Aug. 17, 2024, during the Diocese of Dallas’ Golden Anniversary Mass honoring couples married 50 years. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
