14 August 2015
Your news from across the Archdiocese of Perth
Edition #44
Marriage at the heart of God’s creation By Jamie O’Brien AT A TIME when the whole meaning of marriage seems to be under question, it is important for us to remind ourselves that marriage is a deeply religious, deeply spiritual and profoundly sacramental reality, said Archbishop Costelloe this week at the celebration of the 2015 Annual Marriage Day Mass. The Archbishop celebrated the occasion on Tuesday, 11 August at St Mary’s Cathedral with some 500 people, many of whom were in attendance to also celebrate a milestone anniversary with their families and friends. The annual celebration, which this year took place the day before National Marriage Day, has been held for 11 years and is now coordinated by the Archdiocesan Catholic Marriage and Fertility Services (CMFS), with the support of the Australian Family Association (AFA) and the Knights of the S outhern Cross WA (KSCWA). In thanking all those who participated and contributed to organising the occasion, the CMFS Director echoed the words of Archbishop Costelloe, who spoke about the importance of marriage as a celebration at the conclusion of the Mass. Couples celebrating a milestone anniversary were then invited to stand and receive a blessing from Archbishop Costelloe, who noted that 1 | EDITION #44 | 14 AUGUST 2015
Six couples, pictured above, from Armadale Parish, who celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this month, were part of the 2015 Annual Marriage Day Mass on August 11 at St Mary’s Cathedral, presided by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe. PHOTO: JAMIE O’BRIEN
between those couples, there was a combined amount of (more than) 5,000 years of marriage experience. More than 100 couples who attended also registered their anniversary with the Catholic Marriage and
Genesis, we find God, after having created the first human being, saying ‘it is not good that the man should be alone... I will make him a helpmate’.” The Archbishop went on to say that marriage,
“..marriage then is about a man and a woman committing themselves to each other in total self-giving...” Fertility Services to receive a signed certificate from the Archbishop commemorating the occasion. In his homily for the occasion, the Archbishop said that marriage is, in fact, according to the Book of Genesis, at the very heart of God’s creative intention for humanity. “In Chapter two of
then, is about a man and a woman committing themselves to each other in total self-giving, “in fidelity, in courageous trust and hope, and in openness to being co-creators with God in the bringing of new life into the world”. In concluding his homily, the Archbishop also spoke
about the challenges of marriage. “We do not always find it easy to bear with one another,” the Archbishop said. “Husbands and wives must be ready to die to self-preoccupation, to self-centredness, to a ‘what about me’ mentality and instead model themselves on the Lord Jesus who ‘loved the Church and sacrificed Himself for her’. “For this reason I want to say to all the married couples here this evening, and to those who are contemplating marriage in the future, that the mother of Jesus, together with Jesus and His disciples, were not or will not only be present on your wedding day. Full Text available at
www.therecord.com.au