50th and 25th Wedding Anniversary Masses to be celebrated
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August 30, 2022
Advice from married couples celebrating 50 years or more together is “Patience, patience and more patience topped with love for each other and, above all, remembering to put God first in their lives.”
That sage wisdom came from Rosalina and her husband Loreto Abellera, who met when they were college students in different cities miles apart. Now they will be celebrating their golden anniversary along with hundreds of others at the Archdiocese’s 50th Wedding Anniversary Mass Sept. 25, Sunday at 3 p.m.
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be celebrating Mass with the couples at the downtown Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
“It was a little embarrassing, but I was a college student living in a dormitory in southern Philippines and wanting to shoo away loneliness by receiving lots of letters,” she said.
She decided to list her name in a national magazine for a pen pal column. Mr. Abellera, an engineering student in Manila at the time, happened to pick up a neighbor’s copy of the magazine and saw her name in the middle of the page among hundreds and decided to write to her.
“So that started our communication – by snail mail! I received dozens of letters from pen pal seekers, but I responded to only a few,” Rosalina said. “Loreto’s letter was short, but impressive so that started our years of communication.”
He wrote to her about going to chapel daily and praying before studies and work.
“We finally met, in person, at the Manila airport, while on my way to pursue graduate studies in Hawaii,” Rosalina said. “The rest is history!”
They are currently back in the Philippines on vacation, but are scheduled to return to Houston to celebrate their anniversary.
Another joyful couple is celebrating their 60th anniversary! Harvey and Ann Oyler met in their mid-teens while at a Catholic high school dance in Seguin.
“But the problem was that he was with my best friend and I was dating his best friend,” Ann said and chuckled.
The Oylers soon broke off those relationships so they could date each other.
Mr. Oyler, now 80, said, “We’ve been together since our junior year in high school. We’ve been best buddies ever since.”
They married June 30,1962 in a Catholic church in Seguin right after high school graduation. Then they moved to Houston where he worked in the oil and gas industry while she focused on their three children.
“We basically grew up with our kids. For such a long marriage, you need love, being faithful, honest with each other and working out disagreements,” Mr. Oyler said. “I learned to say ‘yes” a lot.”
The Archdiocese’s Family Life Ministry organizes the 50th wedding anniversary Sept. 25 as well as the 25th wedding anniversary set for Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. Sunday also at the Co-Cathedral.
Couples, after registering for $25, will be provided with an Archdiocesan certificate of their anniversary, a special issue worship aid with vows, and a commemorative pin. Registration increases to $40 if registering less than 30 days before the event.
Virtual participation is also available for those who are unable to participate in person per health concerns. Once registered, please provide the Family Life Ministry with a copy of the wedding certificate issued by the parish of your marriage.