On the evening of Saturday, February 9, 2019, all married couples are invited to celebrate World Marriage Day at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral. During this special bilingual mass, celebrated by Archbishop Christian Lépine at 5 p.m., couples are invited to recall the day of their marriage and to renew their wedding vows!

Held annually on the second Sunday of February, close to Valentine’s Day, in dioceses around the world, Pope Saint John Paul II gave his apostolic blessing to the World Marriage Day in 1993.

Len and Mary are a local couple who never miss a World Marriage Day celebration. They have been married for 31 years and have three adult children. “We look forward to World Marriage Day every year, as it reminds us of the faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in our marriage,” says Mary. “We meet couples that live their sacrament as we do. These people have become our friends!”

We asked Len and Mary to tell us more about the evening to entice other couples to join in. Here is what they had to say:

“It begins with a wonderful mass which celebrates our marriage. During the mass we renew our vows and this rejuvenates our love. This reminds us of that day 30 years ago when we stood in front of God and promised to give ourselves to each other and to accept the gift of the other.

For us it is also a romantic date night! It is fun to get dressed up in beautiful clothes to go out with other couples. It is also great fellowship, we meet old and new friends. In addition to wonderful food and drink, the dancing and music bring us a lot of joy. Since the event falls around Valentine’s Day, this is our gift to each other every year. Gifts do not have to be material things.”

According to its organisers, World Marriage Day seeks to “honor husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unity of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life.” From Mary and Len’s witness, it is clear that it is achieving its purpose!

An initiative of the local community of World Wide Marriage Encounter (WWME), the celebrations will continue after the mass with a festive banquet including a four course meal, music and entertainment, a cash bar and free parking at the Plaza PMG (777 Robert-Bourassa Blvd, Montreal, H3H 3Z7) for $150/couple.

For more information regarding World Marriage Day and to make reservations for the banquet, please contact Daisy and Tino (514) 327-9962 or Mary and Len (514) 809-7556, or by email at marriageencounter@hotmail.com . 

Happy World Marriage Day!

Go further :

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend Experience
Learn more about Catholic Marriage