. . . Describes Contentment, Understanding as Key to Happy Home
By Chioma Ndife
he Catechist of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Ajalli, Orumba North LGA, Anambra State, Sir Peter Nworie, and his wife, Lady Bernadette Nworie, has celebrated the golden jubilee of a blissful marital union.
The Golden Jubilee of Marital bliss between Sir Peter and Lady Bernadette Nworie, which commenced with a Eucharistic Celebration led by the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, was held at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Ajalli, on Sunday, November 17.
Fides gathered that the union between Sir Peter and Lady Bernadette Nworie started in November 1st, 1969, through the reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony conferred on them by Rev. Fr. Raphael Nweke. It was also gathered that the first wedding scheduled between the couple was cancelled due to the opposition of the marriage by a family member.
In his homily during the Eucharistic Celebration, Bishop Ezeokafor noted that the happenings in the world could be linked to the end time as contained in some chapters of the Holy Bible and disclosed the need for Christians to be constantly ready in order not to be found wanting on the last day.
He said the couple’s golden Jubilee called for a great feast as the couple had endured themselves for the past 50 years of their marriage. He regretted that some people in recent time did not last long again in marriage and explained that the golden jubilee of the couple was another example to show it was possible for people to live together as husband and wife.
He kicked against gay marriages and lesbianism and wondered why some people preferred to be against nature. He disclosed the consequences of same sex marriage and called on those nursing such an idea in their minds to always remember that it went against nature and God’s plan of procreation.
In a remark, the Parish Priest of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Ajalli, Rev. Fr. Matthew Agbai, stated that the anniversary was a thing to thank God for and created an opportunity for the celebrants to appreciate themselves for bearing each other’s weakness for the success of the marriage. He stressed that contentment, good understanding and happiness were necessary for people to succeed in their marriages.
Speaking to Fides, the Golden Jubilee celebrants, Sir Peter and Lady Bernadette Nworie, attributed the milestone which they attained in the marriage to God’s making, saying that peace of mind and the joy of being together were what had been propelling them higher in their marriage.
They disclosed that marriages at one point or the other would be faced with threatening situations and advised that people should not allow such situations to end their union but should rather confront the situation with maturity, understanding and prayer.
They revealed that it was God who brought them together and showered them with his blessings, evident in the way they had accepted themselves and shared everything together, irrespective of the size.
They exhorted newly married couples to have patience in their marriages in order to enjoy its sweet and bitter moments, saying that such would-be couples will attain the golden milestone in marriage.
In an interview, the celebrants’ Kindred Chairman, Sir. Stephen Enekwe, described the couple as ideal and expressed the conviction that young couples, through observation of the celebrants, had a lot to learn for marriages to stand the test of time.
For their part, the celebrants’ Age grade member, Dr. Patrick Eze Uko-abasi, and Grand Knight of Akpu Sub Council, Sir William Maduchie, while congratulating the celebrants, called on young couples to develop the virtue of patience and applied it in their marriages for them to attain the golden marriage age.
