PORTLAND, Maine — Like so many other traditional gatherings, this year’s annual Silver & Gold Anniversary Mass will go virtual later this month.
The Mass, which serves as a celebration of milestone anniversaries and the goodness and blessings of Christian marriage, will be held at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 28.
Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate the Mass, which will be live-streamed from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on www.portlanddiocese.org/online-Mass and www.facebook.com/PortlandCathedral.
Due to the restrictions on the size of large group gatherings due to the COVID-19 situation, the annual Mass will not be an in-person event but is being offered for livestream participation only.
Couples who are celebrating major milestone anniversaries of 25 years, 40 years, and 50 or more years in 2020 may register, but all are encouraged to participate. Registration is open at www.portlanddiocese.org/olff/silver-gold-mass.
The live-streamed Mass does provide the opportunity to explore new ways to honor those celebrating anniversaries as each couple may register to be included in the downloadable commemorative program and submit a picture of themselves from their wedding day or present day for inclusion in a special slideshow.
“Marriage is about beginning and new life,” said Bishop Deeley. “The Mass celebrates marriage, not only in its beginning but in its permanence. We will mark these milestone anniversaries which speak to us of the enduring power and strength of married love. What a worthy celebration.”
Last year’s Mass was held at St. Joseph Church in Biddeford, with over 60 couples participating, representing nearly 2,400 years of marriage.