Mass celebrates couples' marriage milestones
Jun. 4—SCRANTON — When Paula Nenish gazed into her husband Dave's eyes Sunday afternoon, tears formed in hers.
As nearly 150 couples from the Diocese of Scranton converged for Mass inside St. Peter's Cathedral to celebrate marital milestones, Nenish's mind raced back to her wedding day.
"It was an emotional moment," she said. "It brought us back to 25 years ago, coming into church, being on the altar and not knowing what's ahead. ... I can't believe how time flies."
The Nenishes, of Jessup, met at Penn State Scranton and were together for eight years before they tied the knot. The couple has helped each other through trying times.
"Both my parents passed within the last 10 years," Dave Nenish said. "She really helped me through that ... that was tough. I couldn't ask for a better woman. She's very honest, and driven and passionate about what she does."
While Dave Nenish already has his eyes set on the next milestone, he's focused on cherishing each experience along the way.
"We're looking forward to our 50th, but hopefully it doesn't get here too quick," he said.
John and Cindy Korus of Larksville met as juniors at Plymouth Area High School, now Wyoming Valley West, and their love quickly blossomed. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next month.
"We started dating, went to the prom together and that was it," John Korus said.
However, theirs wasn't exactly the fairytale wedding most brides envision.
In the aftermath of the Agnes flood, St. Stephen's in Plymouth was still being cleaned up.
"It wasn't beautiful like you think of a church for your marriage," Cindy Korus said. "There was no carpet, but it was just as special because it was my church."
Cindy Korus shared tips for navigating a long marriage following Sunday's service.
"You need to have a lot of patience," she said. "It's a lot of give and take."
For Janice Fedorchak of Carbondale that includes sharing her husband Donald's interest in hockey and football. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in October.
"I never went to a sports game until we were married," Janice Fedorchak said.
Tony Caputo of Roaring Brook Twp. knew he wanted to share his life with his wife, Donna, ever since meeting her at a Dunkin Donuts shop in Scranton.
"I told her from the first day I met her that I was going to marry her," he said.
Donna Caputo was a bit skeptical at first.
Fifty years later, she credits "the man upstairs" for helping to sustain their long marriage.
"I'm just grateful for everything we have," she said.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, bishop of Scranton, who served as the principal celebrant, expressed the importance of loving, faith-filled connections during his homily.
"Regardless of how life unfolds, to be whole and fulfilled, people need relationships," Bambera said. "We know we can endure just about anything provided we have someone in our lives who journeys with us and with whom we're able to share our deepest fears as well as our hopes and dreams."
Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.
