Southern Nebraska Register
Nebraska Worldwide Marriage Encounter joins with WWME efforts across the United States to honor husbands and wives as the foundation of the family – the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life.
World Marriage Day (WMD) is celebrated every year on the second Sunday in February, sometimes coinciding with St. Valentine’s Day. This year, it takes place Feb. 9.
World Marriage Day highlights the promise of a marital union and the beauty of being a lawfully wedded couple under the eyes of Christ. It was brought into order by the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, an initiative that aims to improve the married life of struggling couples. World Marriage Day propagates the ethos of marriage and honors the sacrifices and faithfulness of husbands and wives.
The idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge in 1981, when couples encouraged the mayor, the governor, and the bishop to proclaim St. Valentines Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day.” The event was so successful, the idea was presented to and adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s National Leadership. In 1982, 43 governors officially proclaimed the day, and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries.
In 1993, his Holiness, Pope John Paul II, imparted his Apostolic Blessings on World Marriage Day. The theme for WMD has been permanently adopted as “Love One Another,” the commandment given us by Jesus in John 15:12. It speaks in a simple but challenging way of how the Father wishes all to live. Loving one another is a daily decision, simple but challenging.
