On 7 and 8 June - Pentecost - Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, delivered a Pastoral Letter that was read out in all parishes in the Diocese.
In the pastoral letter Cardinal Vincent spoke about the Sacrament of Marriage being the work of the Holy Spirit:
"Today I invite you to see Pentecost as a feast of the family. In the eyes of faith, marriage and family life are essentially the work of the Holy Spirit. They are a vocation, a call from God, through which God brings stability and new life into His world."
"Family life does not find its fulfilment by being shut in on itself. The love of every family is strengthened when it is open and generous. That is the story of strong families and of the Church too. It is the work of the Holy Spirit."
Cardinal Vincent also spoke about the Mass for Matrimony that he had celebrated on 7 June, and the joy of married life that those attending shared with him:
The mood in the Cathedral on this occasion is always one of joy and thanksgiving. Afterwards, I meet couple after couple who speak of their continuing delight in each other, of how the years have flown by and of how their happiness outweighs all the difficulties they have encountered. There is strong realism in their stories. They acknowledge the cost of such faithful love. Yet they are filled with a deep appreciation of the priceless treasure of family life built on the Sacrament of Marriage."
The story and photographs for the Mass for Marriages can be found here.
