SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Individual recognitions of the national and state winners of the Longest Married Couple Project sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith based marriage enrichment program in this country, were held throughout the U.S. over the Valentine's Weekend and will continue through today and the rest of the week.
"The achievement by each of these couples truly shows their commitment to marriage," explained Scott and Karen Seaborn, the United States Leadership Team for WWME. The Seaborns serve with Fr. Tom Griffith, SVD, as the U.S. Ecclesial Team.
The longest married couple in the United States, based on the nominations submitted, is Marshall and Winnie Kuykendall of Lordsburg, NM. They are celebrating their 82 anniversary today, Feb. 14, 2011. The Seaborns traveled to the Kuykendalls hometown on Feb. 12th to honor them at a special ceremony.
Over 45 family members and friends attended the presentation, which was broadcast live by a large number of radio stations across the U.S.
The Seaborns presented the Kuykendalls several very special memento gifts along with a certificate of achievement and a plague of recognition of the longest married project on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. There was also recognition from the governor, state legislative officials, the Lordsburg mayor and the Hidalgo County executive.
"It is truly an honor to have shared time with Marshall and Winnie and their family. It is a moment that we will never forget," the Seaborns said.
Recognition of state winners has already been held in several states and depending on the schedules of the winners will continue over the next several weeks. Numerous governors have acknowledged the couples' from their individual states for their achievement.
There were 312 nominations received from every state with winners selected at the beginning of this month.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 42 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities. The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at the parish where the couples return to their homes in the evenings. WWME has a presence in over 90 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages.
