The pews of St. Michael Church in Jeffersontown were filled Sept. 13 with 156 married couples celebrating sacramental marriage.
The special wedding Anniversary Mass acknowledged all couples celebrating sacramental marriage, from those with 70-plus years to those marking their first year of marriage. They represented 41 parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Addressing the congregation of couples, many of whom were accompanied by their children and grandchildren, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre said, “Every anniversary is significant, no matter its number.”
“Your ongoing commitment to your vows as the channels of God’s grace into each other’s lives, for as long as you both shall live, is something truly worth celebrating,” he told them.
During the Mass, the couples were invited to renew their commitment to one another and, at its conclusion, couples celebrating milestone anniversaries received anniversary certificates.
During his homily, Archbishop Fabre encouraged the couples to reflect upon their wedding day regularly.
“That day — the wedding day — was filled with grace that was meant to last a lifetime,” he said. “And as you journey through life together and come to various anniversaries of that day, the memories of that day can strengthen you in difficult times and make the joyful times all the more sweet.”
“To those of you in the sacrament of marriage, the church thanks you for persevering in your sacramental love, mirroring Christ’s steadfast love of his church, and shining forth as a beacon of the grace and gifts that are available through the sacrament of marriage.”
— Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre
The archbishop thanked the couples for their example as married men and women, saying, “To those of you in the sacrament of marriage, the church thanks you for persevering in your sacramental love, mirroring Christ’s steadfast love of his church, and shining forth as a beacon of the grace and gifts that are available through the sacrament of marriage.”
Among those who attended the Mass were Leo and Leslie Orthober, parishioners of St. Michael Church. The couple are celebrating 63 years of marriage this year.
They met when he was 16 and she was 14, and they married at age 20 and 18, respectively, they said in an interview following the Mass.
But the path to the altar had its challenges, Leslie Orthober noted. “God knew what he was doing. We did not,” she said.
Leo Orthober asked her to marry him 10 times, and each time, she said no, as she struggled to discern religious life, she said. Then, Leo received military orders and was assigned to Alaska.
After he moved, her discernment in prayer became clear, she said. She wanted to marry Leo and move to Alaska to be with him. But by that time, Leo needed convincing, she said.
“I had to ask him three times. Of course, he’d asked me 10!” she said with a laugh. “It was the best thing I could have ever done.”
Their marriage has been filled with “ups and downs,” especially as they’ve faced the challenges of medical diagnoses and living in seven states during 21 years in the Air Force, Leslie said.
But “God has been with us,” she said, noting that the Holy Spirit was present as their oldest daughter — who they affectionately call their “saint in heaven” — was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died at age six.
“Jesus has been with us through it all,” she said.
Their greatest joy has been “the gift of each other” and “having our children,” she added.
