Love was in the air at St. Mary in Huntley where 242 couples participated in the annual Silver and Gold Mass, at which people from around the Rockford Diocese honor couples celebrating special anniversaries.

Bishop David Malloy celebrated the Mass and blessed the couples celebrating a milestone in their marriages.

As they were greeted in the narthex, couples received certificates with their names and anniversaries, signed by Bishop Malloy and by Jennifer Collins, diocesan director of Life and Family Evangelization.

While the Diocesan Chorale sang “Hear Us Now, Our God And Father,” the Knights of Columbus started the procession with Bishop Malloy and concelebrating priests through the center of the aisle of a packed church.  

In his homily, the bishop compared celebrating silver or gold anniversaries with being in the Olympics.
“The Olympics give a hint of some of the bases, even some of the secrets to success in marriage,” he said.

“The silver and gold we celebrate here has a value that can’t be measured,” he added. “It has a value that will never fade because you are participating, you are living out, you are witnessing for the rest of us God’s plan. And that is something that is deep and it is even beyond ourselves and yet you carry it out. Each of you has been entrusted with the gift of faith.”

This year the couple celebrating the longest marriage was Nick and Nancy Serrani with 66 years.

“I met her in my first job,” Nick said. “I went to her hometown to go to work when I first started with JC Penney in 1949 and we got married in 1950. I met her at the Penney Store, so I got a job and a wife at that time.”

“We have a good match,” Nancy added.

They have three daughters, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

“My parents actually were the foundation for their three daughter’s strong marriages because they were role models for us,” said their daughter Jean Spohn, who is also the principal in St. Mary School in Dixon.

A cake and punch reception followed the Mass.