Sharing in the journeys of the families we encounter is one of the most joyful and rewarding gifts that the priesthood offers us, Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton said recently.
Delivering the homily at the 2026 Marriage Day Mass held at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday 29 August, Bishop Don said the Mass was a “wonderful occasion where we share in the joy of you realising and giving thanks for the growth that has occurred within you individually and together in your marriages.”
Joining Bishop Don in concelebrating the Mass was fellow Auxiliary Bishop Nelson Po, Rev Fr Emil Ciecierega SDS from Greenmount Parish, Rev Fr Joel Villanueva OSJ from Bunbury Diocese and Fr Robert O’Bryan from Geraldton Diocese.
Each year, the Archdiocese of Perth celebrates the sacred vocation of marriage with the annual Marriage Day Mass that brings together couples to give thanks for the blessings of married life and to renew their commitment to one another before God.
This year’s Mass, facilitated by Catholic Family & Justice Support Services, included a special blessing for families and the presentation of commemorative certificates to those couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries.
The celebration also marked the 50th Anniversary of Worldwide Marriage Encounter in Western Australia, acknowledging its long-standing ministry in supporting and enriching married life.
Bishop Don said the annual Marriage Day Mass was a powerful reminder that marriage is far more than a legal contract or social institution; it is a sacred covenant.
“Your experience of marriage is one that I hope has shown that it is a very holy thing, a very sacred thing. We call it a sacrament, and it stands beside the sacrament of Holy Orders as a sacrament of ministry and of service,” he explained.
“On the day when you made vows to one another that sacrament took shape, was created, because it was something that you did before the Lord; trusting that the Lord, who is present with you at that moment, would continue to be present with you right through your marriage.”
In a society where lifelong commitment can often be challenged, married couples who remain faithful through both good and difficult times offer a compelling witness to the Gospel.
“Every day of marriage has its challenges. Every day of marriage has its blessings, and it is through each of those that a couple come to understand what their sacrament really means and what the sacrament is meant to be,” Bishop Don said.
Over the years, the Marriage Day Mass has become an important occasion to honour married couples – from newlyweds to those marking milestone years of married life.
The celebration is also an opportunity for the wider Church to acknowledge the invaluable contribution married couples make to parish life and society.
Echoing this sentiment, Bishop Don said marriage was very important, not just for the good of the couple, but also for the good of the world.
“Today is a very important, a very precious moment in that journey of your marriage,” he continued.
“Helped by one another, you have grown more and more in the image of Christ. You will become more and more what God hopes that you can be.”
For younger couples preparing for marriage, or those in the early years of married life, the witness of long-married couples provides encouragement and hope.
“(Through) your belief in the love and mercy of God, you continue to give witness to your children, to your grandchildren, of what is possible in marriage; what is possible, and what can be achieved. That a marriage can be permanent. That it is something that the Lord enables to be permanent, taking into account the ups and downs, the challenges, the blessings, the joys, the happiness; all of these are the ways in which your marriage has become so very important for your families,” Bishop Don concluded.
