HAPPILY married couples of all ages gathered at St Brigid’s Church in the inner Brisbane suburb of Red Hill on February 8 to join worldwide celebrations of the importance of marriage in society.
It has become an annual event for people from around Brisbane to gather at St Brigid’s for a World Marriage Day Mass.
More than 200 people attended this year, when Auxiliary Bishop Brian Finnigan was the principal celebrant.
Bishop Finnigan, in his homily, spoke of the relevance of marriage and family in the life of the Church and for society.
He noted that marriage was under threat, and there was pressure for legal recognition of same-sex relationships that would give them the status of marriage.
The Mass was sponsored by the Teams Movement, Marriage Encounter, Engaged Encounter and Passionist Family Groups.
Fr Brian Taylor, Fr Coley McKenzie and Fr Jim Smith concelebrated.
The celebration also served as the Brisbane launch of the promotional booklet for the second National Catholic Family Gathering which will be held in Sydney from April 16-18.
A spokesman for the Mass organisers said they hoped World Marriage Day next year would be celebrated in parishes around Brisbane archdiocese and throughout Australia.
For information and material to help in preparing a celebration, phone (07) 5442 1790 or (07) 3205 4614.
