A Baltimore County couple planning to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary this year will be honored Sunday by Cardinal William H. Keeler during the annual World Marriage Day Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
Germanus and Marie Knoerlein, parishioners of Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in the Dundalk area, will be this year's "longest married couple" at the Mass, according to the committee that conducted a search for the 1995 recipients of this honor in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Mr. and Mrs. Knoerlein, residents of the North Point area near Back River, were married Aug. 29, 1925.
Also to be recognized at the 3 p.m. Mass at the cathedral, 5300 N. Charles St., are hundreds of other couples who have been married 25, 50 and more than 50 years.
"Love one another" is the theme of the celebration co-sponsored by the Baltimore archdiocese and Worldwide Marriage Encounter Inc.
"Cordial congratulations as you come together on World Marriage Day to renew your commitment in the Sacrament of Matrimony to mutual love, encouragement and fidelity," Cardinal Keeler said he plans to tell the assembled couples.
He also intends to say during his address, "God has given married love a great dignity, making it a sacramental sign of Christ's loving union with the church."
This will be the 14th annual Mass recognizing the institution of marriage in the archdiocese under the auspices of the marriage encounter organization.
The Mass is always scheduled on or near St. Valentine's Day.
Last year, a Catonsville couple with 71 years of marriage behind them received the top honor.
Information: 374-1470.
Black experience studied:
In recognition of Black History Month, the Beth Tfiloh Community School in Pikesville has scheduled a two-day symposium on "The African American Experience," to begin Tuesday at 8 a.m.
The organizers plan to make this an annual event.
"I am very pleased with the excitement and enthusiasm that this project has evoked in our students," said Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, the Jewish school's principal.
The rabbi added, "I am equally gratified by the positive response I've gotten from the black community's leaders who are eager to share information, impressions and feelings about their roots and heritage with our students."
Among the speakers Tuesday are Donna Stanley of Associated Black Charities and the Rev. Frank Madison Reid III, pastor of Bethel AME Church. Among Wednesday's speakers are Bea Gaddy, advocate for the hungry and homeless in Baltimore, and Rabbi Murray Saltzman of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.
The students will help prepare lunches for distribution by Ms. Gaddy's Patterson Park Soup Kitchen, Rabbi Lehmann said.
A performance by the bands of Northwestern High School, a visit to Baltimore's Great Blacks in Wax Museum and a music and dance recital by the Coppin State Choir are also scheduled during the two days of the symposium.
Information: 653-7284.
Brashler appointed:
James A. Brashler, who resigned last year as dean of the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, has been named dean of the faculty at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va.
Dr. Brashler, who will take up his new duties July 1, holds a Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School in California. He is an ordained elder of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Black heritage:
The Christian Women's Alliance Ministry of St. Timothy's Christian Baptist Church will present a "Christian and Black Heritage Program," featuring drama, music and food, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at its Northwest Baltimore location, 4005 Groveland Ave.
Information: 578-1584.
Dr. Siegel speaks:
Bernie S. Siegel, surgeon and author of numerous books and articles, including the best-selling "Love, Medicine and Miracles," will speak at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Dr. Siegel's lecture, "Out of My Mind and Yours," is the fourth in the college's series titled "Life: The Spiritual Journey Toward Wholeness." Admission is $25.
Information: 532-5371.