By Fr. Kenneth Borowiak
for the Register
Faith, family and hard work are key ingredients of a good life and a faith-filled marriage.
This is the belief of Chris and Ignacia “Nisha” Hernandez, who celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary Feb. 11.
Members of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln, the Hernandezes still live in their own home, entertain family nearly every weekend and attend Mass every Sunday.
“We have had so many good times,” Nisha said. “When you have your family and your faith, you have it all.”
Chris and Nisha were married Feb. 11, 1949, in St. Anthony Church in Julesburg, Colo. Their faith and work ethic came from their large families: Chris is one of 13, and Nisha has 17 siblings. They also have a large family of their own, with a daughter and three sons, 13 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great grandchildren. Almost all the family members were at Chris and Nisha’s home for their 75th wedding anniversary.
The Hernandezes celebrated the milestone by attending Mass. Father Eric Clark, pastor of St. Peter, blessed them during the Sunday Mass for their anniversary.
“Chris and Nisha are inspiring because I see the working of the Holy Spirit in them that has led to a life-long commitment,” Father Clark said.
He said they are witnesses to the parish because they are, as St. John Paul II said in “The Role of the Family in the Modern World,” a “witness to the past and a source of wisdom for the young and for the future.”
After Mass, the family gathered at Chris and Nisha’s home, where they shared stories over a meal. A tireless worker, Nisha prepared and served most of the food herself.
The pair married young – Chris was 20 and Nisha was 15.
“My sister had to sign for me because I was not of legal age,” Nisha said.
With faith as the foundation of their lives and dependent on hard work, there was little doubt in their minds that their marriage would last. They dated only three months, but everything seemed right, so they went to the parish priest in Julesburg and asked to be married.
“We farmed most of our lives and lived a long way from town and the church,” Chris said, but they “went to Mass every chance we could.”
After establishing their home, they worked for the next 65 years.
“I only went to the fifth grade,” Nisha said. “I have been working since I was 10 years old because my family needed the money.”
In addition to working in the fields in Colorado and Nebraska, she helped her mother raise her siblings.
Chris, too, farmed most of his adult life.
“I started farming with my dad,” he said, pointing out that he grew up farming with horses. In addition to corn, they raised beets, sugarcane, potatoes and onions.
“In those years, we could get by on 60 acres,” Chris said. “We made the transition to tractors in the early 1950s – first an International H and then an M for plowing.”
Much of the work in their married life was hard manual labor.
“The hardest part of our work was during the winter when it was so cold,” Nisha said. “All of the work was done by hand.
“There were many years when money was tight,” she added. “However, we were used to it, as we grew up during the Depression, and also when staples like butter, sugar, coffee and meat were rationed during World War II.”
The Hernandezes’ commitment to each other and their Catholic faith was and remains the foundation of their marriage. Their dedication to hard work has paid off.
They taught their faith to their children through catechesis and by example.
“As parents, we made sure our children went to Mass,” Nisha said. From time to time, they got pushback from their children. “I told them if you don’t go to church on Sunday, ‘you are not going to go anywhere else.’
“I also told them if you party the night before, you’d better be ready to go to Mass on Sunday,” she added.
Chris and Nisha took their responsibility of teaching their children the faith seriously.
“To be a good mother, it is my responsibility to my children to do what is right,” Nisha said.
Chris and Nisha also lived in Ogallala, where they worked in many capacities for Saint Luke Parish. They cleaned the church, made repairs and took care of the lawn.
Today, life is good. At age 95 and 90, they live in their own home with one of their sons who helps them.
“If Chris didn’t need my help I would still be working outside the home,” Nisha said. She still cooks for her family. “I am so happy; I love being around people.”
She said 75 years of marriage “have been marked by joys and challenges, but mostly joy.”
“There were times when we did not agree and would argue,” Chris agreed, “but we worked it out.”
Still active, Nisha mows their lawn with a push mower and drives their car when needed. Longevity runs in their family: Nisha recently had two first cousins who died at the ages of 108 and 109.
When asked what they would tell married couples just starting out, they said cooperation and working together is key to a successful marriage.
“Get along as best you can,” Nisha said. “Stay together and don’t let it fail because of arguments.”
