21st Anniversary of the 60 Clergy Couples Blessing

Happy 21st anniversary to the 60 clergy couples who received the Marriage Blessing on May 27, 2001!  True Parents officiated the ceremony in the Cotillion Room of the Hilton Hotel in New York City. Religious leaders — ministers, imams and clerics, Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutherans, Muslims, Sufis, and other spiritual leaders — all participated in this historic Marriage Blessing. Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, Jr., founder of the Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation, participated with other pioneers such as Pastor and Mrs. T. L. Barrett of the Life Center Church of God in Christ in Chicago, and Rev. and Mrs. Jesse Edwards of the Pentecostals of Philadelphia, who reaffirmed their vows.

The Blessing ceremony was the culmination of True Parents’ “We Will Stand” tour, which began Feb. 25, 2001 in the Bronx and continued to 52 cities across America. True Parents shared the message that family and fidelity are essential to restoring America and the world. True Father challenged America's faith leaders to take up the mission of restoring the sanctity of marriage, and rebuilding their families and churches as examples to society.

Congratulations to all the clergy couples celebrating their anniversary!