TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH : CELEBRATING LASTING MARRIAGES 200 COUPLES FETED AT MASS.

Byline: Stacy Finz Daily News Staff Writer

They may be thanking St. Valentine for their love connections, but Sunday they were bringing their matters of the heart to St. Mel.

Five days before Valentine's Day, 200 couples who have been married for more than 25 years were honored in Woodland Hills at St. Mel Catholic Church, named after an obscure Irish saint.

Clarence and Alma Young, an Ocean Park couple in their 90s, said they owed their 68 years of matrimony to some hoofing and strong convictions.

``When we first started, I danced like a horse,'' remembered Clarence Young, who met his bride at a paint store. ``But Alma was a good dancer, and I learned from her.''

``We made up our mind that if we ever got married we'd stick it out,'' added Alma Young. ``None of this divorce stuff for us. We've had our ups and downs, and even made it through the wicked Depression. But we never came close to splitting up.''

The Youngs were among six couples on hand to celebrate more than 60 years together.

It was World Marriage Day, and Cardinal Roger Mahony was there as the Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated silver (25-year) and golden (50-year) wedding anniversaries.

For Pat and Rick Andre, a Woodland Hills pair hitched for 25 years, the secret of a successful marriage was simple.

``A lot of patience and a lot of golf,'' Pat Andre said.

The Andres came to mass with Pat's parents, who were celebrating their 50th anniversary.

``It's a double deal for us,'' said Pat's mother, Lee Corn.

Corn met her husband, Fred, in 1945 on a December day. The two were Christmas shopping in Seattle. She caught his eye, and his shiny Marine Corps uniform caught hers.

``All women love men in uniforms,'' Lee Corn said.

They were married 18 months later. They now live in Thousand Oaks, but plan to return to Seattle to renew their vows.

Karl Rydgren spent most of his youth chasing his junior high sweetheart.

``She didn't like me at first,'' Rydgren said about his wife, Alice. ``But I grew on her. And she caught me.''

And has held him for 62 years, 60 of those years in the same Santa Monica house.

How do they make it work?

``By never agreeing, but always working it out,'' Karl Rydgren said. ``Making up is half the battle.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) George and Vicki Ashkar of Tarzana, who have been married for 54 years, renew their vows.

(2) West Hills residents Thomas and June Masterson, wedded for 62 years, join other couples for the Mass at St. Mel Catholic Church.

Evan Yee/Daily News