By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
Couples marking five decades of marriage gathered at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Aug. 23, where Bishop Edward J. Burns celebrated the annual Diocese of Dallas Golden Anniversary Mass.
“From the day you were married, you asked God to bless your marriage in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health,” Bishop Burns said, acknowledging the enduring commitment of the couples. “As your shepherd, I rejoice that you have been strong through those moments. I rejoice that, even though there have been difficult moments, you know very well God has accompanied you through those moments.”
The Golden Anniversary Mass celebrates couples who marked their 50th wedding anniversary during the calendar year. In his homily, Bishop Burns told the couples that the Church was blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate their marriages.
“You come before us as witnesses of love, faithfulness, and perseverance. You come before us as witnesses of the sacrament of marriage,” Bishop Burns said. “It is a gift for us as a Church to honor you, to pray with you, and to thank God for the wonderful gift of life you have celebrated in your marriage.”
The bishop highlighted the role those couples’ faith had in sustaining marriage through trials.
“In those moments, you’ve turned to God… asking for blessing and asking for strength,” Bishop Burns said, calling the couples much-needed examples in a world where relationships can be fleeting. “My friends, we need you, and we need you to continue to be an example of marriage for our community, for our parishes, for your families, because we need to look to you.”
Drawing from Scripture, Bishop Burns in his homily reflected on the divine origin of marriage.
“From the very beginning, marriage was God’s plan for human love to reflect his own,” he said, likening the love shared between spouses to the sacrificial love of God. “When we locate God’s love for us, it is his sacrificial love — the same kind of sacrificial love that you have shown others, especially with the sacrificial love that you show each other and the sacrificial love that you show your family members.”
Referencing St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Bishop Burns reminded the faithful of the enduring nature of love.
“Love, he says, is patient and kind,” Bishop Burns said. “It’s not jealous or boastful, and it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things… and love never fails.”
It is the love that the jubilarian couples have for each other that the Church celebrates with the Golden Anniversary Mass, the bishop said, connecting the couples’ witness to the Gospel message.
“Jesus comes with the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves,” Bishop Burns said. “For 50 years, you have shown us this is what love looks like — not only in your devotion for each other, but also your fidelity to God and the witness that you have given to your family members, our Church, and our society.”
The bishop praised the couples for their example to younger generations, which shows that “true love is not simply a feeling, but a decision, a daily act of self-giving, a choice to love” even when life is difficult.
“Your witness strengthens our Church. It inspires our families. It strengthens our communities,” Bishop Burns said, “and your clear love gives glory to God.”
A special bond
For Sharon and Edward Gusa, parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Richardson, the special Mass not only celebrated their 50 years of marriage but also their special bond with another couple: Nike and Harold Wood.
“He proposed to me at their wedding,” Sharon explained, adding that both she and Nike were from New Orleans but did not know each other until they moved to Texas. “We became fast friends and have been friends ever since.”
The Woods missed their opportunity to celebrate their golden anniversary with the bishop in 2024, as Nike was recovering from a foot injury. This year, the Gusas made sure their friends joined them for the celebration.
“I told them, ‘We’re doing this, so we want y’all to come with us,” Sharon said.
“We really just came to suport them,” Nike added, “but this has been really special.”
“The Golden Anniversary Mass is a joyous occasion of thanksgiving for whole families who come together to honor the couples, their parents and grandparents, and to recognize their witness to the enduring grace of the sacrament of marriage,” said Juan Carlos Moreno, director of the diocesan office of Evangelization, Catechesis, and Family Life, adding that combined with the reception that followed at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center the Mass created “a beautiful setting for a celebration that honored the couples’ love, family, and God’s blessing across the years.”
Cutline for featured image: Lisa and Roy Rabenaldt, parishioners of Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Farmers Branch, pose in front of the 50th anniversary decorations during the Diocese of Dallas Golden Anniversary Mass reception at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center Aug. 23. (SANTOS MARTINEZ/Diocese of Dallas)
