SAN ANTONIO • In a society with a divorce rate hovering around 50 percent, this was as counter-cultural a sign as there could be. On a frigid Friday night, More than 150 couple representing not just thousands, but tens of thousands of years of marriage were honored at an archdiocesan anniversary Mass held at, fittingly enough, Blessed Sacrament Church.
Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú was the principal celebrant at the Feb. 12 liturgy, sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life. Father Jack O’Donoghue, pastor of Blessed Sacrament; and Father Art Flores, OMI, pastor of the Shrine of San Juan de los Lagos, served as concelebrants. Father Flores was an interested spectator for another reason too. His parents and one of his siblings were also renewing their vows at the Mass that evening.
In his homily, Bishop Cantú explained that, in celebrating the Year for Priests, he has been asked many times which priests influenced my vocation.
“While I’ve seen many examples of generosity, joy, and energy among the clergy, it was no one priest in particular,” he said. “If I had to decide on someone who influenced me to become a priest, it was my parents. From my parents I learned about love – sacrificial love. Love was not an emotion, but a deep decision made for the good of the other, and many times that implies sacrifice.”
The auxiliary bishop then told a story about his deceased father, which had many in the sanctuary dabbing away tears. He began, “In high school I remember studying at the dining room table one night for a big exam. My dad asked me what I was worried about. I told him about the test and asked him to pray for me. My father then pulled out his wallet and showed me eight pictures – old, tattered, and worn school photos – that he kept with him at all times, and he said he would pull these out and pray for all his children several times a day.”
Bishop Cantú also said he learned hospitality from my mother, which he has made an important characteristic in his priesthood. “It is important to forgive. We are not perfect,” he said. “We make mistakes, but how much greater is God’s love when we celebrate forgiveness.”
In coming to the conclusion of his remarks, the bishop told the couples that 25 or 50 years ago they were transformed. “Things are transformed at this altar,” he said, pointing to the Lord’s Table behind him in the sanctuary. “We are continually transformed into the body of Christ.”
Following the homily, there was a group renewal of vows. Andrew and Elizabeth Vargyas, who celebrated 70 years of marriage last fall as they marked their Nov. 25, 1939 nuptials, then presented the gifts of bread and wine to Bishop Cantú prior to the liturgy of the Eucharist.
After Communion, the auxiliary bishop prayed a nuptial blessing over the attendees before they headed over to a reception in the parish hall, which was hosted by team members from Marriage Encounter.