DIOCESAN NEWS
02/16/07
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Couples renew vows during
annual World Marriage Day

           
      JACKSON — Anna and Paul Tran credited their faith with keeping them together for 60 years.
      “We are Catholics,” said Anna Tran. “It is because of the vows we took, promises we made when we were married in the church,” she said.
      A successful marriage for June Trahan meant understanding it as a give-and-take relationship. “Marriage is not a 50-50 thing,” she said. “In some situations you have to back off, wait and see. And the give-and-take percentage changes with every situation.”
      Celebrating 50 years of togetherness, she and husband Gene, along with the Trans and 36 other couples, repeated the covenant renewal of Christian commitment they made at baptism and then renewed their marriage vows during a special anniversary Mass on World       Marriage Day, Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
      The annual Mass and reception is sponsored by the Office of Family Ministry at Catholic Charities Jackson. Father Elvin Sunds, vicar general, was celebrant of the Mass. Bishop       Joseph Latino was unable to attend due to a recent surgery.
Gene Trahan said a person’s faith can play an important role in having a successful marriage. “My faith gave me insights I needed and helped me to move on,” he said.
      When it came time for each of their three children to marry, June Trahan emphasized communication. “I told them to keep the lines of communicatin open at all times. If a situation arises, don’t let anger take over. You have to be able to talk, to each other.”
      A good marriage takes hard work, said Gene Trahan. “You work at it and for our children I think we led by our example.”
      Married 25 years to Ernie, Olivia Lee advised her daughter to go beyond outward appearance in choosing a spouse.
      “I told her to not just look at the material side of things – his job, how much money he makes — but to look at the person. What’s important is how he interacts with his family, especially how he treats his mother, because that is how he will treat you.”
      Ernie Lee said being able to compromise was important. Having learned that lesson, he sees successful retirement as the biggest challenge the couple, members of Christ the King Parish, is facing.
      “Our main concern is being financially fit when we retire and I plan on retiring in a few years,” he said. “I am working on getting us financially fit so we can retire in financial dignity. That’s my biggest concern right now.”

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