Above: Michael and Virginia Byrne, who will celebrate their 59th anniversary this September, with Bishop Zarama after the diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass.
The diocesan 2025 Wedding Anniversary Mass was celebrated by Bishop Luis Zarama on Saturday, February 8, at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh. In previous years, this Mass honoring married couples was celebrated in October. This year, it shifted to February to align with National Catholic Marriage Week.
Attending the Mass were 180 couples from dozens of parishes throughout the Diocese of Raleigh. Some celebrated two or three years of marriage, and in a testament to married love, some celebrated 67 (John and Margaret Gracie), 68 (Bob and Teri Bowerman), and two celebrated 69 years (Lloyd and Carol Petersohn, Robert and Dorothy Kivel).
Reflecting on nearly seven decades together, Carol Petersohn offered marital wisdom, sharing that “you have to be willing to compromise, to readjust.” She emphasized persistence, sharing, caring, and readapting, all centered in the Lord. Carol also delighted in talking about her family, especially her great-grandchildren.
Virginia Byrne, celebrating 59 years with her husband Michael, beautifully shared a moment following the Mass:
“Waiting in line to have our pictures with Bishop Zarama, we spoke with a couple who drove from Goldsboro. The man enjoyed chatting and was soon translating my English to Spanish for some guests the couple had with them. When our turn came to be photographed, I told the bishop that we were from St. Luke’s and that we were to have our 59th anniversary this September. Bishop Zarama replied, 'I will be here with you to celebrate your 70th!'”
Commemorative certificates and roses were given as gifts to couples marking their 25th, 50th, and 60th wedding anniversaries. Couples also volunteered as ushers, lecturers, and Eucharistic Ministers. Following Bishop Zarama’s homily, Director of Marriage and Family Life Gabriel Hernandez and Deacon Joshua Klickman guided couples bilingually through the Rite of the Blessing of Married Couples. Concluding the Rite, Bishop Zarama, in a heartfelt moment, invited couples to turn towards one another, embrace, and then kiss. The applause from the accompanying families filled the cathedral.
Our diocese is blessed by the love of these married couples, which symbolize God’s love for us and the world.