Gregory and Monica Ferreira, parishioners of St Benedict’s, La Romaine, married February 7, 1947, recently celebrated by God’s grace, 60 years of married life with a Mass at Royal Hotel, San Fernando, followed by a family lunch. Their son, Andrew, who works in Brunei could not attend and sent the following letter. 

Happy 60th anniversary!

Wow what an achievement, congratulations for a job well done. Bringing up nine children in today’s world can’t have been easy.

As I look back on my childhood years I am filled with fond memories of a very close family, together for meals, playing games around the dinning table, sitting at the kitchen table and smelling all the wonderful aromas that both of you conjured up from the kitchen.

I am amazed that you managed to bring up nine, well-rounded, functional, God-fearing adults who can only hope to follow in the examples you set in your married life.

We appreciate and understand you all the more, as we struggle with day-to-day life and bring up our own children in this fast paced world that has little time for good morals. I hope that the wonderful example of your life together will be filtered down in our families and our children will benefit with all this life wisdom.

Gregory and Monica Ferreira

I am so thankful for my family, my brother and wonderful sisters, for you Mum and Dad, all the relationships I have with each of you.

I think we are so lucky to have each other and all the amazing memories from Pointe-à-Pierre; they have moulded me and taught me how to live, taught me the meaning of life!

Yes it’s “FAMILY LIFE”, for after all we are just one small part of a big family, God’s family and when you break everything down we all have families within families. I am part of many families and I am grounded in this knowledge, it gives meaning to life.

I have spent many hours thinking about this offshore and it has changed my life and relationships offshore by embracing them as part of my family.

I have thought long and hard about how to express my love and admiration for you both, and have come to the conclusion that no words are necessary as the bond we share is heart-felt and transcends words, it is something felt and lived, and has been passed on from parent to child from one generation to the next.

I truly believe it’s what God planned for us being part of his body and his family, living and growing in our smaller families, passing on his teachings and wisdom from generation to generation.

For me to come to these conclusions in my own life, is a reflection of the great job you guys have done in bringing us up.

I look around and see so many unhappy people, so many people struggling to belong to something or someone, to make sense of life by giving it purpose.

I wish they could have been brought up in a family like ours, they would then know how blessed we feel to be part of our family, to know what it is to be loved and be able in return to love.

Thank you both,
I hope God blesses you with many more years together and good health.
All my love
Andrew