Humor, prayer, trust and respect all played a part in the 60-year marriages of two couples planning to attend the upcoming archdiocesan celebration of World Marriage Day at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Feb. 12.

"We have a lot of fun in our marriage," said Lupe Silva, 87, married to her husband, Henry, 86, for 60 years this November. When asked by a priest recently the secret to their marital bliss, Henry laughingly replied: "At my home I wear the pants…the pair she tells me to put on."

Adolfo Sanchez, 84, said his six-decades-long marriage to Carmen, 76, was successful because "she gave me my way and I gave her her way." Both couples are deeply grateful to God for the gift of marriage, which has sustained them through good times and bad.

Positive attitude
"There was a respect between my dad and mom," said Rosa Sanchez, oldest of three children born to Adolfo and Carmen in their native Mexico City. After her parents immigrated to the U.S. in the late '50s seeking better opportunities for the family, they worked hard to learn the language and keep their children in Catholic school.

"They never made much money, but, to them, our Catholic education was important," said Rosa, who attended San Antonio de Padua School in East L.A. with her two brothers, Adolfo and Hector. She remembers her parents delivering newspapers in the early morning hours, Adolfo driving and Carmen pitching papers, during a period of daytime unemployment. Adolfo opened his own cleaning service company, Baldwin Park Building Maintenance, in the '70s and ran it until he retired in 1995.

"My parents had a positive attitude," said Rosa. "They encouraged us to do the same. We knew we had a moral home."

Her parents made sure the entire family attended Sunday Mass until the children left home for college and careers. Hector continues the family Mass tradition by traveling from his home in Temecula each Sunday to drive his parents to church at St. John the Baptist in Baldwin Park.

Supportive spouse
When Henry met Lupe while walking with friends on Olvera Street in 1945, he was in the Navy and had just signed on for two more years. "Henry was very friendly, a happy-go-lucky guy and a gentleman," said Lupe, who worked as a seamstress.

Though Henry didn't have much education --- he had to drop out of school in seventh grade to help support his family by picking fruit in fields up and down the state --- Lupe encouraged her boyfriend to think about leaving the Navy for civilian employment after his stint was up.

They were married at St. John the Evangelist Church in Los Angeles in 1946 and Henry got out of the Navy a year later. After working a few jobs, including fabric cutter, he bought a taco and hamburger stand near the Los Angeles Coliseum called Bill's Taco House and built it into a popular and profitable business. Though he never saw the need to remove the former owner's name from his restaurant, his last name was later memorialized on a Head Start children's facility across the street, known as "Silva Center."

The Silvas credit their marital success to their compatibility, their mutual trust, and the practice of forgiveness and faith. "We do believe in the power of prayer," said Henry. He turns off the TV nightly to pray in the family room before retiring. Both Henry and Lupe pray every morning and night. Lupe is a Eucharistic Minister and Henry serves as an usher at their beloved parish, Holy Trinity in San Pedro.

They are grateful for their children, Olivia and Karl, and grandchildren. Olivia will drive them to the Cathedral's World Marriage Day celebration, which the couple was encouraged to attend by their parish priest. "God's been very good to us. We're very fortunate to have our family," said Lupe.

For more information on local World Marriage Day Feb. 12 celebrations, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and 2 p.m. at San Roque Church in Santa Barbara, call the archdiocesan Department of Family Life, (213) 637-7228 (Los Angeles) and (805) 682-0442 (Santa Barbara).