On Saturday 6th September, Northampton Cathedral was filled with couples and families from across the Diocese for the annual Marriage and Family Life Mass, celebrated by Bishop David Oakley.
At the beginning of Mass, Bishop David thanked Samantha Canning and the Marriage and Family Life team for their hard work and commitment throughout the year. In his homily, Bishop David drew on his recent pilgrimage to Lisieux and Alençon, the home of Sts Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux and the first married couple to be canonised together.
Reflecting on the beauty and challenge of married life, he described a sculpture he had seen in Alençon:
“The first is a block of wood. In the second piece, a couple are emerging from the wood but still quite indistinct. The third piece shows the fully-carved images of Louis and Zélie holding hands. This image of a sculptor at work reminded me of the grace at work in our lives – shaping us, sometimes slowly and imperceptibly, but always bringing two individuals into a unity of life in the Lord.”
He went on to encourage couples to see their marriage as a true vocation:
“Authentic sacramental marriage is no movie romcom. And yet there is something fundamentally romantic about the idea of vocation… Through the sacrament of marriage, a married couple are invited to step into this grace. Laying down your lives for each other in the daily demands of your married life, is the way you deepen your friendship with the Lord, a friendship which endures into eternal life.”
At the end of Mass, couples celebrating significant anniversaries this year were invited forward to receive a certificate from the Bishop. Among those honoured were Rita and Anthony Bonner, celebrating 60 years of marriage, and Frances and Edmund Corbett, marking an extraordinary 66 years together.
The Mass was a moving celebration of the faithfulness, witness, and love of couples across the Diocese, highlighting the way in which marriage and family life continue to build up the Church and society.
Pictures from the day can be viewed here
Bishop David’s full homily can be read here
You can listen to the audio of Bishop David reading his homily here
