Hundreds of local couples renew wedding vows

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a little more than a third of married couples have made it to their 25th wedding anniversary. Even fewer -- just six percent -- have made it to their 50th anniversary.

That's all the more reason for a special ceremony held in Houston on Sunday for hundreds of couples who have reached one of those milestones.

About 500 couples came together to celebrate a 25th or 50th wedding anniversary at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston's annual wedding anniversary mass.

"You can overcome a lot of things with love and patience," Joshara Edwards said. "But for 50 years, you need all of it."

An anniversary milestone like the ones these couples have reached is a big deal, especially in a time when close to half of couples divorce, and in a place like Texas with a divorce rate above the national average.

For these reasons, an anniversary mass like the one held Sunday at the George R. Brown Convention Center is worthy of notice.

"It reminds you that you've made a commitment to something," Joshara Edwards' wife, Shirley, said..

The Edwards are celebrating 50 years with love and humor.

"It makes me feel good. I don't know about her, but it makes me feel good," Joshara Edwards said, laughing.

The Edwards, along with hundreds of other couples, renewed the vows they made back in 1962.

Kathleen Maroney and her husband were celebrating vows made in 1987.

"It's been a ton of fun and we've been blessed with a beautiful family," Maroney said.

For the Maroneys, this year's wedding anniversary mass was a family affair.

"We're fortunate enough to be here with my parents, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary," Maroney said.

At this celebration of marriages still going strong, there were hundreds of people who know the secret to making it last.

"You got to believe in each other, trust each other and don't hold back anything," Joshara Edwards said.

We'd like to offer congratulations to the couples who were at the ceremony, and to those who were not. About 400 couples who couldn't make it to the event will be receiving certificates from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

This was also the 50th year the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has held the wedding anniversary mass.

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