The importance of your marriage

In November, the Paterson Diocese celebrated the wedding anniversaries of couples married for 25, 50, or 60 or more years, including one for 70 years.

This event typically needs little advertising due to the excitement and realization of the milestone achieved. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson is packed with family and friends who have been beneficiaries of the blessing of their vocation to marriage.

These couples serve as witnesses and hope for the younger generations —models to which they too can aspire. Given the national and local statistics on marriage and divorce, we need hope! Not only are the number of marriages trending downwards, but also the divorce numbers are staying steady at 50 percent regardless of religious affiliation. For statistics on how marriage and family decline drives Church decline, visit https://communio.org/facts.

It is no secret that marriage is hard.

After working to provide for and to give care to our families, we often have barely enough time and energy to get ready to do it all again the next day. It is easy to lose touch with the spiritual significance that was so obvious on our wedding day. Perhaps we haven’t grown in Christ as much as we’d like to as a couple. Or perhaps we are unaware of just how much our marriages and our witness to Christ’s love still mean to those around us.

What if you had the opportunity to take a break, connect more deeply, and consider what your marriage means to your family, friends, and parish community? As the world gets ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day next month, the Church observes National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, Feb. 12). These observances are opportunities to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family.

In the Paterson Diocese, the Office of Family Life will offer such an opportunity with the “Marriage Conference: Joyful Ever After, Getting the Marriage You Want from the Marriage You Have” on Feb. 10. This retreat-like day is a chance to gain practical tools for living life daily, growing in friendship, and looking ahead at the marriage God has designed for you.

Whether or not you have made Valentine’s Day plans, please consider attending this conference. Not only will it be a gift to your relationship but also a gift that keeps on giving to future generations who will see, and benefit from, its many fruits.

To learn more and to register visit www.insidethewalls.org/marriage-conference.

Eniola Honsberger is the director of the Office of Family Life of the Paterson Diocese