Posted on 01/23/2006 7:12:44 AM PST by NYer
SAFETY HARBOR - Michael Schiavo and Jodi Centonze were married in a private ceremony at Espiritu Santo Catholic Church on Saturday.
"It was very emotional," said John Centonze, brother of the bride, just after the noon ceremony. "It's been a long time coming. A lot of things happened in between."
The wedding came a day after the couple applied for a Pinellas County marriage license and 10 months after the death of Schiavo's first wife, Terri.
Terri Schiavo died March 31, two weeks after her feeding tube was removed, and 15 years after a cardiac arrest that left her in what most doctors called a persistent vegetative state. Her death was a most public process, with the Florida Legislature, Congress, the courts, pundits and interest groups weighing in.
The wedding, in contrast, was private. Mindful of the media circus that had whirled about Terri Schiavo's hospice for weeks, along with throngs of protesters, the families kept the time and location of Saturday's ceremony a secret. Three St. Petersburg Times journalists arrived at the church, but were asked not to go in.
Schiavo wore a black tuxedo and Centonze wore a long, flowing, white wedding gown. Their two children attended. The bride and groom did not make any public comment.
"Except for the fact that the world knows their name, it was like any wedding you've ever been to," said Michael Hirsh, who attended, and who is helping Schiavo write a book titled Terri: The Truth.
Hirsh estimated about 80 people attended. The priest offered no homily. Afterward the wedding party went to a reception at East Lake Country Club.
"It was just a beautiful ceremony," Hirsh said. "Everyone there was just extremely happy for them."
Hirsh said, "There weren't a lot of dry eyes in the place."
Centonze agreed. "I had a couple tears," he said.
Schiavo and Jodi Centonze met in a dentist's office and began dating a few years later. Terri Schiavo already had suffered her accident, and already was living in a nursing home.
Schiavo referred to Jodi Centonze as his fiancee for more than five years, as the Terri Schiavo case worked its way through the court system, and the halls of the Florida Legislature and Congress.
Some of Schiavo's friends compared him during this time to a man whose wife had Alzheimer's disease; he still loved his wife but also wanted companionship. But in the superheated rhetoric of Terri Schiavo's last months, critics called him an adulterer because he had taken up with another woman while still married.
In 1990, cardiac arrest deprived Terri Schiavo of oxygen for five minutes. Doctors eventually diagnosed her as being in a persistent vegetative state, meaning she was not conscious of her surroundings.
However, Terri Schiavo's family sharply disagreed and consulted doctors who disputed or doubted the diagnosis of a persistent vegetative state. They hoped to keep her alive and give her extensive therapy.
An autopsy concluded that Terri Schiavo never would have recovered from the brain damage she suffered during her 1990 collapse. Doctors have never competely understood what brought on her initial cardiac arrest.
Jodi knew what was going on and obviously was not turned off by it and supported Michael. Why else did she refuse to give a deposition - and the judge let her get away with it? And why so camera shy? Afraid of being recognized or saving a plug for Michael's book?
That has to wait till they return to Pennsylvania.
Out of court is the most common way personal injury lawsuits are settled. It is a small minority that goes to verdict.
Contrariwise, I wish them justice.
And God gave Judge Greer the courtesy of scheduling it. Suuuuuure.
"This should be an affront and embarrassment to Catholics everywhere. It is frankly obscene."
Its an embarassment to Christians of all denominations.
Thanks for reposting that. I work off a different computer than last year, and most of my files are still with the old hard drive. Some things I backed up, but not all, and I'm pretty sure that most of the video files I had before weren't backed up. Terri was so beautiful. How anyone can dare to watch those and ignore the obvious, well, to me it's sinful, but I guess God will be the final Judge. I know I'm not perfect, and He is my final Judge, too. Again, many thanks for a sweet memory of a beautiful woman with her dear old Dad. My heart smiled and frowned at the same time.
Terri's grave is not in Pennsylvania after all. It's in the St. Pete/Clearwater area.
There's a picture somewhere on the net with Michael sitting on a bench by her graveside looking very solemn. It came out at the time he was announcing his PAC. Very much rubbish!
IMHO, Michael and Jodi started dancing on Terri's grave before she even died.
Jody who is a Catholic and who lived with Michael in open adultery having his children while Michael was married to Terri and who also helped Michael to pursue the murder of Terri by death and dehydration against the expressed teachings of the Catholic church, deserves to be excommunicated.
Your consideration of this issue from the beginning has been a**backwards. You and others like you advocated for the death of an innocent woman by starvation and dehydration. Make NO mistake, you along with Michael and Jody and many others will pay a high price when you stand before almighty God for your public stand on this issue and for the extraordinary suffering you caused Terri and her dear parents and siblings, unless you wake up and beg for HIS forgivenenss. It is frightening and appalling that people like yourself, who are the antithesis of LIBERTY and FREEDOM live in this country, let alone consider yourself part of the conservative movement.
"It is frightening and appalling that people like yourself, who are the antithesis of LIBERTY and FREEDOM live in this country, let alone consider yourself part of the conservative movement."
What a bunch of overblown drivel. Sorry, Charlie, but the vast majority of the people in this country agree with MY point of view, not yours. Your hyperbole just shows everyone what a taliban-like attitude some alleged Christians as yourself have. Terri is dead, and the show is over. Hang it up. Your time has come and gone. And it's you who should beg forgiveness from Michael Schiavo for all the pain and suffering you have put him and his family through.
I hear every word you say. She indeed was beautiful, and she had the will to live despite her difficulties. If only they would of gave her the chance.
"Contrariwise, I wish them justice."
They already got that through the courts.
My friend, you are the one who insults your intelligence.
Here it is again. Try opening your heart.
What is your point of view again? I forgot. Btw, wasn't the Shindler pro life and anti-abortion rally great on c-span today.
The problem is that apparently neither of those contentions can be proven in this case ... suspected, but not proven.
Jimmy Akin posted this on his blog:
Ed Peters, the canon lawyer asks some interesting questions. 1) Did the pastor verify that there was no impediment? And if there was, 2) Did they seek to have the impediment dispensed? Apparently, only the Pope can grant it. Can you imagine Benedict giving the dispensation?Can. 1090 §1. Anyone who with a view to entering marriage with a certain person has brought about the death of that person’s spouse or of one’s own spouse invalidly attempts this marriage.
§2. Those who have brought about the death of a spouse by mutual physical or moral cooperation also invalidly attempt a marriage together.
So I guess the pastor must've concluded that there was no impediment, even though the canons speak against moral cooperation in bringing about a spouse's death.
Sorry, pal but I almost never engage in hyperbolic expressions. An innocent woman who did not ask for it, was starved and dehydrated to death. As Bill Crystal said it wasn't even a close call. NO DECENT person would advocate for starvation and dehydration of any human being (and notice NOT a single conservative leader did so) which means YOU my dear, are NOT decent.
MIGHT doe NOT make RIGHT. The American people were fed a pack of lies, which is why they polled the way they did. But the Zogby poll which included the TRUE facts, showed a completely different picture. IN THAT poll the American people did NOT approve of Terri's dehydration and starvation.
But YOU, flag lady, unlike the American people were aware of the true facts which you chose to ignore. There is no excuse for you.
God Bless the Schindlers and God Bless and lead the Pro-Life cause!
They got abortion through the courts also. I am still waiting for the the answer to my question on what your views are in post 135 to your post 131.
You could tell they went through hell and back TA.
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