October 3, 2018

On Sunday, Sept. 23, religious and married couples from around the diocese gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg for the annual Jubilee Mass for Married Couples and Consecrated Religious.
Celebrating Jubilees were:
• Sister Cindy Sullivan, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 40 years
• Sister Elizabeth Washburn, Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood - 40 years
• Sister Jennifer Votraw, Sisters of St. Joseph - 50 years
• Sister Mary Louise Fiedler, Sisters of St. Joseph - 60 years
• Sister Marilyn McGillan, Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood - 60 years
• Sister Mary Patrick Murphy, Sisters of St. Joseph - 60 years
• Sister Elizabeth Menard, Dominican Sisters of Hope - 60 years
• Sister Claire Michel Fortier, Sisters of Charity of St. Louis - 60 years
• Sister Mary Teresa Magdalen Nicholas, Sisters of St. Joseph - 70 years
• Sister Mary Monica Flaherty, Sisters of St. Joseph - 70 years

Celebrating their vocation to marriage were:

Brasher Falls - St. Patrick’s
• Stanley and Carol Crump - 50 years
• Hector and Joanne Foisy - 60 years

Carthage - St. James
• Kevin and Kathy Homan - 41 years
• Donald and Barbara Kohler - 41 years

Champlain - St. Mary’s
• John and Janice Dawson - 50 years
Clayton - St. Mary’s
• John and Candie Pecor - 35 years

Heuvelton - St. Raphael’s
• Rick and Shelly Reed - 40 years
• Larry and Theresa Crowe - 42 years

Hogansburg - St. Regis Mission
• Robert and Lisa Roundpoint - 17 years
• Matthew and Sandra Rourke - 19 years
• Jerry and Connie Thompson - 41 years
• Joseph and Esther Jock - 42 years
• Robert and Julia Cook - 42 years
• Wayne and Deborah Thomas - 49 years
• Donald and Sharon Thompson - 50 years
• Richard and Vicky Phillips - 51 years
• Irving and Rebecca Papineau - 52 years
• Norman and Elizabeth Tarbell - 55 years
• Thomas and Antonia Herne - 57 years
• James and Beatrice Bero - 58 years
• Richard and Marita Francis - 62 years
• Leonard and Isabel Garrow - 64 years
• Hubert and Felicia Jock - 69 years

Lowville - St. Peter’s
• Robert and Melissa Uttendorfsky - 29 years
• Donald and Linda Pugh - 50 years

Madrid - St. John the Baptist
• Thomas and Barbara Sherry - 45 years

Mooers - St. Joseph’s
• Gary and Connie Menard - 37 years

Mooers Forks - St. Ann’s
• Jeff and Joanne Menard

Morrisonville - the RCC of St. Alexander & St. Joseph
• Thomas and Michelle Hamilton - 30 years
• Gary and Sandra Brown - 50 years

Norwood - St. Andrew’s
• Deacon Philip and Linda Regan - 50 years

Ogdensburg - St. Mary’s Cathedral and Notre Dame
• Chris and Renee Grizzuto - 16 years
• Michael and Karen Denoncourt - 21 years
• Deacon James and Rita Crowley - 27 years
• Deacon Mark and Vicky Lalonde - 30 years
• Robert and Amy Schirmer - 30 years
• Kurt and Barbara Gould - 35 years
• David and Bonnie Franz - 45 years

Plattsburgh - The RCC of St. John the Baptist
• Chuck and Peggy McDonald Sholette - 50 years

Plattsburgh - St. Peter’s
• William and Carol Holzer - 30 years

Potsdam - The RCC of St. Mary
• Stephen and Christina Tartaglia - 16 years

Rouses Point - St. Patrick’s
• Donald and Barbara LaBombard - 54 years

Saranac Lake - St. Bernard’s
• Steve and Cherie Racette - 31 years

Tupper Lake - St. Alphonsus & Holy Name of Jesus
• Bob and Betty Woods - 60 years

Watertown - St .Anthony’s Church
• Randy and Pat Belina (40 years)

Watertown - St .Patrick’s
• Deacon Kevin and Kathy Mastellon - 48 years

At a Mass celebrated by Bishop Terry R. LaValley, the jubilarians gathered to celebrate renewed their commitment to the vocations to which God called them.

“We desire to give public witness of our gratitude to God, to our families, our parishes and our communities,” they said, as a group. “We wish to reaffirm our desire to follow Christ in our chosen vocation, begun at Baptism. We hope through His grace to come to a never-ending Jubilee in the kingdom of God.”

Then, separately, the religious celebrating jubilees renewed their commitment to their vows.

“In a spirit of gratitude, for the glory of God, and in the name of the Trinity, I renew today my vows of poverty, chastity and obedience according to the rules and Constitutions of my Community,” the sisters said. “In renewing my vowed life in Community, I wish to realize more profoundly my Baptismal commitment to live according to the Gospel and to follow Christ generously. I desire to continue to live a life of prayer and service to God and to the Church, by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the prayer of Mary, Mother of God.”

Those celebrating their vocations to marriage also renewed their vows.

“Blessed are you, Lord, for in the good and bad times of our life you have stood lovingly by our side,” they said.

“Help us, we pray, to remain faithful in our love for one another, so that we may be true witnesses to the covenant you have made with humankind.”