A testament of vocation: second Anniversary Mass in Brockway
By Allison Mosier08/25/2025
On Sunday, August 24, the Diocese of Erie gathered at Saint Tobias Church for its second Milestone Anniversary Celebration Mass of the year. Sixty-three couples, representing anniversaries from 25 to 70 years, filled the church with joy, gratitude and a quiet but powerful testimony to the vocation of marriage.
Presided over by Bishop Lawrence Persico, the liturgy celebrated more than wedding anniversaries. It highlighted marriage as a call from God, a sacrament rooted in Christ that sustains families, strengthens parishes and serves as a witness to the wider community.
In his homily, Bishop Persico reflected on the meaning of the couples’ commitment. “What we celebrate today in your marriages of 25, 50 or more years is not merely endurance and determination,” he said, “but the mystery of God’s love for us and how that love is revealed and lived out in your lives.”
The anniversary couples were then invited to renew their vows and receive a blessing of rings, standing as visible witnesses that marriage is more than a contract between two people, it is a covenant with Christ. Their fidelity, built through years of joy and hardship, becomes a form of evangelization, proclaiming the Gospel through daily living.
Couples shared their gratitude and reflected on their journeys of faith. Joseph and Joan Harclerode, celebrating 60 years of marriage, expressed simply: “Thank the good Lord for all the great blessings over the 60 years!” Their words echoed the joy of many present who saw their marriage as both a gift and a calling.
David and Nancy Plows, marking 50 years together, recalled how faith carried them through life’s challenges: “We uprooted our little family and moved for a better chance at our dreams. Here we are, 50 years later… still in love, still faithful to each other, to our faith and to our family. God has been so good to us.”
Their stories, and many others, highlighted that marriage is not simply about enduring years, but about daily recommitment to love, sacrifice and discipleship. Each anniversary is a sign of God’s presence, a witness to their children and grandchildren, and an example of evangelization in action.
Because the Diocese of Erie spans 13 counties, offering multiple anniversary Masses each year ensures that couples from every region can participate. This gathering in Brockway gave families in the southern part of the diocese the opportunity to join in thanksgiving, a reminder that the church walks with them wherever they are.
Kate Wilson, director for marriage and family life of the Office of Faith Formation, noted how deeply inspiring this annual celebration has become: “Each couple’s vocation to marriage is a living witness to Christ’s love. By God’s own grace, they make the invisible, faithful, enduring love of God visible to each other, their families, and their communities.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, each couple was invited to have an official portrait taken with the bishop as a keepsake of their special day. These portraits were made possible through the support of the Catholic Foundation. The celebration concluded with a reception, where couples and families shared stories, laughter and gratitude. Their anniversaries stood as a testament that marriage is not only a union of two people, but a covenant with Christ, a lifelong vocation that strengthens the church and inspires generations.
This special occasion was made possible through the collaborative work of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation and the generous support of the Catholic Services Appeal. Together, they sustain this vital ministry, ensuring that those living the vocation of marriage are honored, strengthened and lifted up as witnesses of Christ’s enduring love, a form of evangelization that continues to inspire across the Diocese of Erie.
To view photos from the celebration, visit our online album here.
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