ALTHOUGH he and his wife have been married before the court for almost 30 years now, 68-year-old Godofredo Pansit had always wanted to have a church wedding.
He and his wife, 57-year-old Corazon, have planned several church weddings only to have them all set aside to prioritize the needs of their growing children. They have five.
“A church wedding was really important to us because we believe that this will help us be blessed with a more beautiful marriage,” Corazon told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano.
The couple had their wish finally come true yesterday as they joined 59 other couples in a mass wedding ceremony sponsored by the Daughters of St. Teresa (DST) in Valladolid, Carcar City.
Donning a lace gown, Corazon choked back tears as she and Godofredo walked down the church aisle for the first time in 36 years. They are the oldest couple to tie the knot, while the youngest were in their early 20s.
The holy mass, which started at half past 10 a.m., was celebrated by Archbishop Jose Palma.
In his homily, Palma congratulated the newlyweds for giving importance to the sacrament of marriage and “walking down the path God has intended for them.”
“There are many vocations in this world and yours is the life of marriage. If not for the grace of the Lord, we will be unable to carry out all our responsibilities,” he said.
Palma called the mass wedding a celebration of the 103rd birth anniversary of Bishop Teofilo Camomot.
In a separate interview, Rev. Mother Maria Louella Grace Buscato, superior of the DST Mother House, said they organized the event as a means of continuing Camomot’s work, especially in helping the poor.
She said that from initially allocating 50 slots, she was happy to receive 62 applications from couples, both young and old, wanting to exchange vows before the Lord.
However, two couples were disqualified as they failed to comply with the requirements.
Buscato pointed out that she was happy to have helped 60 couples, hailing from the cities of Carcar, Talisay and as far as Aloguinsan town.
As for Godofredo and Corazon, the “newlyweds” said they both hope to inspire their children, and other people that it is never too late to tie the knot before the Lord.