Bishop Solis celebrates Mass in honor of marriage

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Couples attending the Feb. 9 Diocesan Marriage Celebration and Enrichment at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church kiss at the renewal of vows. Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided at the Mass that began the evening. Father Samuel Dinsdale, pastor, concelebrated; Deacon Jeff Allen assisted.

HOLLADAY — In a Feb. 9 Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church celebrating the gift of married life, Bishop Oscar A. Solis thanked the couples present for being witnesses to God’s love and asked the Lord “for his grace so you continue to become the sacrament of God’s love in our world today through your love for one another. During this time the world needs one very important thing: love. And you have been given that mission as married couples, in order to express and manifest the presence of God and his love in your love for one another, for your family and for the world.”

Father Samuel Dinsdale, the parish pastor, concelebrated the Mass. Deacon Jeff Allen assisted. Deacon Lynn Johnson was the master of ceremonies.

In his homily, the bishop said that God’s love is not only a gift that is a great blessing to the married couples who receive it, but also a great responsibility, because they are given the mission “to manifest and express not only the presence of God but the love that can transform an ailing world devoid of love, of compassion, of kindness. ...”

Marriage brings a beautiful message to the world, he said, adding that “the unity and sanctity of marriage is an antidote to the polarization and division that our society and world experience these days.”

During the Mass, the couples also renewed their wedding vows.

The Diocesan Marriage Celebration and Enrichment event is organized each year during National Marriage Week, Feb. 7-14; this year, World Marriage Day was Feb. 11.

During the Mass, Bishop Solis prayed for more marriage vocations, that the marriage covenant of those present would always remain strong, and that God would bless couples who are facing difficulties.

Following the Mass was a dinner and an online presentation by Jim and Maureen Otremba, who created the program The Banquet of Love, The Eucharist as Weekly Marriage Enrichment. The couple have been married for 29 years and have three young adult children. Each has an advanced degree in theology.

More than 50 couples attended the event. One couple had been married only two months; another couple had been married for 66 years.

The Banquet of Love program focuses on eight foundational intimacies that are present in every Eucharist and can be used to reinforce marriages. At the Feb. 9 event, the Otrembas gave a brief overview of these intimacies, which occur both during Mass and in a marriage. For example, spiritual intimacy occurs “every time we gather together as God’s children,” Jim Otremba said, while in a marriage, couples can build spiritual intimacy by going to church or doing other devotional acts together, according to the handout at the event. Couples were asked to take the handouts home and rate the importance of each intimacy and discuss whether there were any negative forms of the intimacy in their marriage, among other questions.

The Banquet of Love online classes are available free to couples in the diocese through the end of this year. For information, visit https://www.dioslc.org/offices/marriage-and-family/banquet-of-love