There will always be a time for the grand gesture, but Robert Francis Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — wants the world to know that it’s the small moments with family that carry society.

The 55 couples attending Holy Angels Cathedral’s 42nd annual Wedding Anniversary Celebration in Gary on Sunday weren’t expecting to have such a weighty proposition dropped on their shoulders. But with many of the couples having decades of matrimony under their belts, it’ll be an easy task.

Gary Diocese Bishop Robert McClory wishes he could still revel in the small moments of his own parents, he told the packed church Sunday morning in a service that coincided with the pontiff’s inaugural Mass. After having his own Mass, he would go to his parents’ house to “take a little nap,” he said.But while he was napping, he got a bird’s-eye view of them in action.

“I would listen for the pitter-patter of their daily life — talking about what came in the mail,” McClory said. “It was a beautiful, loving, normal, healthy, holy family, and seeing how my family loved each other is the greatest gift.”

When Pope Leo was still a Cardinal, he talked about conversations with his own dad about “practical things,” McClory said. He would talk to his dad about his own doubts about his trajectory.

“His dad would speak to him from his experience of (intimate moments) between him and his mother,” McClory said. “And Pope Leo said that even though their experiences were different, hearing and seeing how important that intimacy was between his parents helps us reflect on how the church came together to share life.”

Couples should absolutely have themselves a “monthly sit-down” to talk about what’s going on in their hearts, McClory said. When people invest in their families, small but genuine changes occur, leading to peace and joy.

Amy and Paul Wilk, of Lowell, have seen the power of communication over their 35 years of marriage. Friends of their children have often remarked that their relationship is “goals.”

“My kids had asked me once, ‘How do you know you’re in love?’ I told them, ‘You don’t fall in love — you stay in love,'” Amy Wilk said.

“And marriage isn’t 50-50 — it’s 100-100. You have to give your everything each and every day,” Paul Wilk added.

Janine and Bob Walla, of Hobart, are celebrating 50 years this year. For them, familial love is a lot of just showing up.

“You have to just be there for your kids and your grandkids,” Janine Walla said.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.