Over 1,000 Years of Marriage to Be Honored at Silver & Gold Anniversary Mass in Old Town on Saturday

OLD TOWN---Maine couples from Presque Isle to Old Orchard Beach will participate in the 2023 Silver & Gold Anniversary Mass, a celebration of the goodness of Christian marriage set for Holy Family Church in Old Town on Saturday, June 17.

All are welcome at the Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley at 4 p.m., to join in congratulating the couples, all commemorating milestone anniversaries from 10 to 65, and thanking them for the way in which they live marriage faithfully, a source of grace for the couple and a gift to the Church and the world.

“It is, as such, the place where family is born, where life is nourished, where love is taught. It is, in addition, the place where God becomes known. In the experience of love, we come to know there is a source of all love, and that is God. All of that we find in Christian marriage: the foundation of our Church, of our society, our nation, and, indeed, of our culture,” said Bishop Deeley.

During the Mass, the couples will join hands and, facing each other, receive a blessing from the bishop. A reception will follow the Mass. A commemorative program and online slideshow celebrating the couples are also being produced.

In recent years, nearly 500 couples have taken part in the annual celebration at an average of over 30 years of marriage per couple.