Couples Share Anniversary Joy at Belvedere Celebration

Contributed by John Doroski

February 8, 1975, was the date of the 1,800 Couples Blessing, and every year, on the weekend closest to February 8, a number of 1,800 Couples in the Northeastern United States get together to celebrate.  This year, we invited a number of the 74 Couples to celebrate with us, since on February 21, 2017, they will celebrate their 40^th anniversary.  True Father said since the 74 Couples are smaller in number, they could celebrate their anniversary with us.

Our current celebration mode consists of renting the main dining room of Belvedere and hiring the East Garden kitchen staff to cater a Korean meal.  National Headquarters, in support of this year’s celebration, provided a beautiful celebratory cake, special flowers and a 40^th-anniversary banner for the 74 Couples.

The event on Sunday, February 5, began with the couples attending Sunday service at Belvedere, causing an overflow crowd. Many of the elder members experienced tearful emotions, remembering their first years in the movement when True Parents mentored us. At noon the anniversary celebration started with a photo of the 74 couples holding the banner and a cake-cutting ceremony.

During the meal George Glass gave a testimony about his recent studies at the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS), now that he has retired, and his goals for contributing to our movement’s future.

Nanette Doroski spoke on the recent Seonghwa of Linda Perry, of how Linda wanted lots of flowers, upbeat music and dancing for her ascension. Nanette suggested that we all should have a celebration when we ascend.

Nanette then spoke about the hometown providence and of how, through holding family reunions, giving out Holy Wine, writing family newsletters, distributing hundreds of copies of True Father’s autobiography, and creating a floor-to-ceiling family tree, she and her husband, John, built a foundation on which to begin aggressively teaching the Divine Principle.

Out of concern for our aging blessed couples, Nanette spoke of how she had been cured by seven spiritual healers.  Rev. Hyo Won Eu, the first president of our church in Korea, from the spirit world cured Nanette of two illnesses while she was living in the Philippines. The last curing was done by a Polish healer, who cured her of her heart arrhythmia, which had been brought her frequently to emergency rooms over the past 12 years.

Nanette’s husband, John Doroski, revealed how God had started matching him to Nanette a year before the Blessing.

Elizabeth Seidel announced that the book on the family that her husband, Dietrich, had written just before he ascended was available.  Kevin Brabazon as master of ceremonies and many others then got up and gave short messages.

Intense conversations were enjoyed as the blessed couples related memories and discussed current events.  The event lasted for five hours with lots of conversations as we all networked with each other.