Bishop George J. Lucas invites couples married 50 years or more to attend a wedding anniversary celebration on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield.

The event is sponsored by the diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life.

Catholic or interfaith couples who are interested in receiving an invitation - or their friends and family members - may send names (including first names of husband and wife), address and date of marriage to the Diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life, P.O. Box 3187, Springfield, Illinois 62708-3187. By telephone, call (217) 698-8500, ext. 132 or e-mail .

The afternoon will begin at 1 p.m. with a musical program. A special Mass with Bishop Lucas will be held at 2 p.m. during which the couples will re-affirm their marriage vows and receive a blessing. After Mass, a reception will be held in the Cathedral basement.

"Couples whose love has sustained them for half a century or more deserve the respect of the church," says Marriage and Family Life director Patrick O'Toole. "They provide a witness to the Christian vocation of marriage that is stronger than any sermon on the subject. They are living witnesses to the value of committed love."