Marriage in a Catholic Church is one of the seven sacred sacraments, and generally adheres to a basic set of rituals and traditions.
Marriage in a Catholic Church is one of the seven sacred sacraments, and generally adheres to a basic set of rituals and traditions.
The Ceremony
Procession
Seating of the Mothers
“Canon in D”, Pachelbel
Procession of the Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids
“Canon in D”, Pachelbel
Procession of the Bride
“Hornpipe” from Water Music, Handel
Welcome and Opening Prayer
First Reading
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, read by Holly Guzman
Responsorial Psalm 145:8-9 and 15, 15-18
Second Reading
Hebrews 13:1-4a, 5-6b, read by Jennifer Post
Gospel Acclamation
1 John 4:16
Gospel
John 15:9-12
Exchange of Wedding Vows
Blessing and Exchange of the Rings
Sand Ceremony
“And on this Day”
Prayer of the Faithful
Presentation of the Gifts
“Ave Maria”, Presented by Matthew & Judy Machniak and Gary & Karin Eckert
The Lord’s Prayer
Nuptial Blessing
Sign of Peace
Communion
Final Blessing
Recessional
“Ode to Joy”, Beethoven
Order of Service
Processional
Introductory Rite
Lighting of Wedding Candles
Gloria
Opening Prayer
First Reading
Genesis 2:18-24, “The two of them become one body”
read by Kristopher Matts
Responsorial Psalm
Second Reading
Corinthians 12:31-13:8, “If I am without love, it will do me no good whatever”
read by ThuyVi Dang
Gospel
John 15:9-12, “Remain in my love”
read by Father Duff
Homily
Father Duff
Exchange of Vows
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Lighting of Unity Candle
Theresa & Michael
Prayer of the Faithful
Presentation of the Gifts
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Lord’s Prayer
Nuptial Blessing
Eucharistic Prayer
Communion
Presentation of Flower to the Mothers
Final Blessing
Recessional
Introductory Rite
Prelude and Gathering
“Wedding Hymn” by George Frideric Handel
Seating of Parents
“Ecossaise” by Jeremiah Clarke
Bridesmaid Processional
“Trumpet Tune” by Jeremiah Clarke
Bridal Processional
“Canon in D” by Johan Pachelbel
Greeting and Opening Prayer
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
Genesis 1:26-28, 31a, read by Tonya Scaramuzza, niece of the groom
Responsorial Psalm: #128
Refrain: “May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.”
Second Reading
Romans 15:1b-3a,5-7,13, read by Samantha Scaramuzza, goddaughter and niece of the groom
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel
John 15:9-16, read by Pastor Joe Chamblain
Homily
The Rite of Marriage
Introduction and Questions of Intent
Consent / Marriage Vows
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Lighting of the Unity Candle
General Intercessions / Prayer of the Faithful
Offerings
presented by the mothers of the bride and groom
Preface
“Matrimony as a Sign of Divine Love”
Nuptial Blessing
The Sign of Peace
Communion
“Panis Angelicus” by César Franck
Meditation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Ave Maria” by Franz Schubert
Prayer After Communion
Concluding Rite
Solemn Blessing
Presentation of the Bride & Groom
Recessional
“Trumpet Voluntary” by Jeremiah Clarke
Introductory Rite
Prelude
Handel’s “Suite” in D
Seating of the Mothers
Telemann’s “Andante”
Processional of the Bride
Pachelbel’s “Canon” in D
Welcome and Opening Prayer
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
Jeremiah 31:31-32a, 33-34a read by Gail Esper Collette
Psalm 24: I Have Loved You by Michael Joncas
Refrain: “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have called you and you are mine.”
Second Reading
Corinthians 13:11 read by Ronald Collette
Gospel Acclamation: “Alleluia”
Gospel Reading
St. John 2:1-11
Homily
Sacrament of Marriage
Statement of Intentions
Exchange of Wedding Vows
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Unity Candle Ceremony
Prayer of the Faithful
read by Margaret Sieh Chu
Please respond after each petition: “Hear us, O Lord.”
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation of the Gifts
Godmothers: Theresa Chen and Suzanne De La Rosa
Offertory Song: Hosea
Refrain: “Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply in our new life.”
Sanctus: Holy, Holy
Eucharistic Acclamation
“When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.”
Great Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Nuptial Blessing
Lamb of God
Communion Song
“Panis Angelicus”
Concluding Rite
Final Blessing
Response: “Amen”
Recessional
Handel’s “La Rejouissance”
The Ceremony
Prelude
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, Bach
Attendant’s Processional
“Air” on the G String, Bach
Bride Processional
“Canon in D”, Pachelbel
Opening Prayer
Old Testament Reading
Book of Genesis (2:18-24)
New Testament Reading
First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (13:1-13)
Gospel Reading
John (15:9-12)
Homily
Exchange of Vows
Blessings & Exchange of Rings
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Intercessions
Lord’s Prayer
Communion
“Ave Maria”, Schubert
Closing Prayer
Final Blessing
Recessional
“La Rejouissance” from the Royal Fireworks Music, Handel
The Wedding Ceremony
Prelude
Processional
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bach
Moonlight, McDonald
The Bridal Prayer, Copeland
Entrance Rite
Seating of the Parents and Grandparents
Procession of the Bridal Party
Canon in D Major, Pachelbel
Procession of the Bride
Trumpet Voluntary, Clarke
Greeting
Reverend Walter Jagela
Opening Prayer
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading from the Old Testament
Genesis 1:26-28, 31a, read by Theresa Jane Halbritter
Responsorial Psalm 103
The Lord is Kind and Merciful, Haugen
Second Reading from the New Testament
Philippians 4:4-9, read by Daniel Blatt
Gospel Acclamation
Celtic Alleluia
Gospel Reading
Matthew 5:1-12a
Homily
Reverend Walter Jagela
Rite of Marriage
Statement of Intentions
Consent and Exchange of Vows
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Lighting of the Unity Candle
O Perfect Love, Barnby
The Prayer of the Faithful
read by Kyle Kane
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation of the Gifts
Gabriels Oboe, Morricone
presented by Trevor Cobb and Robert Halbritter
Eucharistic Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Nuptial Blessing
Sign of Peace
Holy Communion
Here I Am Lord, Schutte
Flowers to the Blessed Mother
As I Kneel Before You, Parkinson
Concluding Rite
Final Blessing
Presentation of Mr. and Mrs. Kent Worthington
Recessional
Trumpet Tune, Clarke
Postlude
Allegretto from Vivaldi’s “Spring”
The Wedding Ceremony
Prelude
“Ave Verum”, Mozart
“Minuet in G”, Mozart
“Fifth Symphony”, Beethoven
“Andante Con Molto”, Beethoven
Seating of the Parents
“Air” on the G String, Bach
Bridal Party
“Water Music (Air)”, Handel
Bride’s Entrance
“Canon in D”, Pachelbel
Opening Hymn - “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer”
Shanna Andrawis and Congregation
Guide me, O thou great redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
Hold me with thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven
Feed me til I want no more
Feed me til I want no more
Open now the crystal fountain
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through;
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer;
Be thou still my strength and shield;
Be thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s destruction
Land me safe on Canaan’s side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee;
I will ever give to thee.
Greetings and Opening Prayer
Celebrant: Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people. The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.
Into this holy union Arlene and Brent now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else forever hold your peace.
The Declaration of Consent
Celebrant: Arlene, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as we both shall live?
Arlene: I will.
Celebrant: Brent, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Brent: I will.
Celebrant: Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?
People: We Will.
Celebrant: Who gives this woman to be married to this man
Father Giver: I Do.
Solo
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You”, Shanna Andrawis
Celebrant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Let us pray. O gracious and ever living God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading - Genesis 2: 18-24 - Dana Taitt, Cousin of the Groom
A reading from the book of Genesis.
18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” 19So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” 24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
The Word of the Lord.
Psalm 127: 1-5
1Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. 2It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.” 3Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. 5Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 - Beikisha Theodore, Cousin of the Groom
A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
1If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Reading - John 4: 7-16
Celebrant: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People: Glory To You, Lord Christ
Celebrant: 7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.”
Celebrant: The Gospel of the Lord
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ
Homily - The Rev. Cn. Dr. Howard K. Williams
The Rites of Marriage
Exchange of Vows
Blessings and Exchange of Rings
Groom: In the Name of God, I, Brent, take you Arlene to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
Bride: In the Name of God, I, Arlene take you, Brent, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
Celebrant: Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Groom: Arlene, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Bride: Brent, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Celebrant: Now that Arlene and Brent have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are now husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
Lighting of the Unity Candle
“Ave Marie”, Shanna Andrawis
The parents of Arlene and Brent are now invited to light their respective candles, after which both Arlene and Brent will light the Unity Candle together.
Sand Ceremony
“Before each of you is a container of sand. Each represents the separate journey that you Arlene, Brent, Delano and AJ once were on, as well as your friends and families who once were apart. Arlene, Brent and Delano will be asked to blend their individual containers of sand together...representing the coming together of their friends and family, through their marriage as one. And as the sand is blended into one container, your solitary journeys will now be one of companionship, as you walk a single path together into your future.”
Proclamation of Faith
Prayers of the People - Cherilynn Griffiths, Sister of the Bride
For Arlene and Brent that The Lord who brought them to this happy day, will keep them forever in fidelity and love. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For the parents of Arlene and Brent, for their friends and all who have helped them to become husband and wife. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For the world and all its peoples that The Lord may bless them with his peace and the protection of his love. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For our communities and families who welcome Christ into their lives that they may learn to receive him in the poor and suffering of this world. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For God’s church, the bride of Christ, that it may be united in faith and love. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For all who are victims of injustice and for those deprived of love and affection. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For Arlene and Brent and for married couples everywhere that their lives will be an example to the world of unity, fidelity and love. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For Arlene and Brent that their life together would be a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that Unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt and joy conquer despair. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For Arlene and Brent, Lord, give them grace that when they hurt each other, that they can recognize and acknowledge their fault, and seek your forgiveness and each other’s. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For those who mourn while we are rejoicing that in their suffering and loneliness, they may experience the strength of God’s support. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
For the faithful departed relatives of Arlene and Brent, we pray that God will one day unite us again in the joys of our eternal home. Lord Hear Our Prayer.
Gracious God, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, poured fourth blessings on the Wedding of Cana, look with kindness on Arlene and Brent as they begin their lives as one in the presence of your Church. May they cherish one another and be heartened by your love. Through them, may your church be blessed. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
The Blessing of the Marriage
O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessings upon these your servants, that they may so love, honor and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true Godliness, that their home may be a haven of blessings and peace, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, who lives and reigns with and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you: The Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.
The Peace
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presentation of the Gifts
“Panis Anglicus”, Franck
Presented by Sally George and Ingrid Mc Millan
Eucharist Prayer
Communion Rite
The Lord’s Prayer
Communion
The Lasso, joining of two Wedding Rosaries placed over the hands of Arlene and Brent as they kneel for Holy Communion
Communion Hymn
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, Bach
Concluding Rite
Blessing
Post Communion Prayer
O God, the giver of all that is true and lovely and gracious: We give you thanks for binding us together in these holy mysteries of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, Arlene and Brent, now joined in Holy Matrimony may become one in heart and soul, love in fidelity and peace and obtain those eternal joys prepared for all who love you; for the sake of Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Nuptial Blessings and Introduction of the Newly Wedded Couple
Dismissal
Recessional
“The Rejoicing”, Handel
Postlude
“Mouret”, Rondeau
Order of Service
Prelude
“Arioso”
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”
Processional
“Air on G String”
Presider: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Welcoming Salutation
Presider: Let us pray:Father, you have made the bond of marriage a holy mystery, a symbol of Christ’s love for His Church. Hear our prayers for Mark and Laura. With faith in you and in each other, they pledge their love today. May their lives always bear witness to the reality of that love. We ask you this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading
Genesis 1:26-28, 31
Reader: A reading from the Book of Genesis.
Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.” God created man in His image; In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.” Go looked at everything He had made, and He found it very good.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 145:8-9, 10, 15, 7-18
Reader: The Responsorial Psalm:
The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.
All: The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.
Reader: The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all His works.
All: The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.
Reader: Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord and let your faithful ones bless You. The eyes of all look hopefully to You and You give them their food in due season.
All: The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.
Reader: The Lord is just in all His ways and holy in all His words. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
All: The Lord is compassionate toward all His works.
Second Reading - Phillippians 4:4-9
Reader: A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Phillippians.
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Proclamation of the Gospel
Presider: Alleluia, Alleluia!
All: Alleluia, Alleluia!
Presider: God is love. If God loved us, we must also love one another.
All: Alleluia, Alleluia!
Presider: A reading from the he Holy Gospel according to Matthew.
All: Glory to you, Lord.
Gospel - Matthew 22:35-40
Presider: One of the Pharisees, a scholar of the law, tested Jesus by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, With all your heart, With all your soul, and With all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Presider: The Gospel of the Lord
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Homily
Rite of Marriage
Introductory Address
Presider: My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church’s minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now He enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions.
Statement of Intentions
Presider: Mark and Laura, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?
Mark: I have.
Laura: I have.
Presider: Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?
Mark: I will.
Laura: I will.
Presider: Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church?
Mark: I will.
Laura: I will.
Consent
Mark: I, Mark, take you, Laura, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Laura: I, Laura, take you, Mark, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Reception of Consent
Presider: You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide.
All: Amen.
Blessing and Exchange of Rings
Presider: Lord, bless these rings which we bless + in Your Name. Grant that those who wear them may always have a deep faith in each other. May they do Your Will and always live together in peace, good will and love. We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Mark: Laura, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Laura: Mark, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer of the Couple
Mark and Laura: All powerful, ever-living God, we now kneel before You very happy, but somewhat nervous. We feel you brought us together in the beginning, helped our love grow and at this moment are with us. We ask that You stay by our side in the days ahead. Protect us from anything which might harm this marriage, give us courage when burdens come our way, teach us to forgive one another when we fail.
Mark: I ask from You the assistance I need to be a good husband and father. Never let me take my wife for granted or forget she needs to be loved. If You bless us with children, I promise to love and care for them, to give them the best possible example.
Laura: I ask from You the assistance I need to be a good wife and mother. May I never fail to give my husband encouragement. If You again bless me with motherhood, I promise to devote myself to the children, even to the point of stepping aside when they must walk alone.
Mark and Laura: We ask, finally, that in our old age we may love one another as deeply and cherish each other as much as we do at this very moment. May You grant these wishes which we offer through You Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer of the Faithful
Presider: Now that we have heard God’s Word in the Bible and experienced the Lord’s presence in the exchange of vows, let us present these prayerful petitions for the people in the world today.
(After each petition is read, the response is as follows.)
Reader: Let us pray to the Lord
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Presider: O ever-living and caring God, Jesus taught us to ask, to seek and to knock. We have done so, confident that You will now look upon our many needs, considering our trusting faith, and in Your great love grant these requests which we present to you through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Nuptial Blessing
Presider: My dear friends, let us turn to the Lord and pray that He will bless Laura, now married in Christ to Mark, and that He will unite in the love the couple he has joined in this holy bond. Father, by Your power You have made everything out of nothing. In the beginning, You created the universe and made mankind in Your own likeness. You gave man the constant help of woman so that man and woman should no longer be two, but one flesh and You teach us that what You have united may never be divided.
Father, You have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and His Church.
Father, by Your plan man and woman are united, and married life has been established as the one blessing that was not forfeited by original sin or washed away in the flood.
Look with love upon this woman, your daughter, now joined to her husband in marriage. She asks your blessing. Give her the grace of love and peace. May she always follow the example of the holy women whose praises are sung in the scripture. May her husband put his trust in her and recognize that she is his equal and the heir with him to the life of grace. May he always honor her and love her as Christ loves his bride, the Church.
Father, keep them always faithful to Your commandments. Keep them faithful in marriage and let them be living examples of Christian life.
Give them the strength which comes from the gospel so that they may be witnesses of Christ to others. Bless them with children and help them to be good parents. May they live to see their children’s children. And after a happy old age, grant them fullness of life with the saints in the kingdom of heaven.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
“The Prayer of St. Francis”
Words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Music by: Sebastian Temple 1967, Sung by Sinead O’Connor
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love
Where there is injury, Your pardon, Lord
And where’s doubt, true faith in You.
Make me a channel of Your peace,
Where’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where’s sadness, ever joy!
O Master, grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul!
Make me a channel of your peace
It is pardoning that we are pardoned
It is giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life
Concluding Rite
Final Blessing
Presider: God the eternal Father keep you in love with each other, so that that the peace of Christ may stay with you and be always in your home.
All: Amen.
Presider: May your children bless you and your friends console you and all men live in peace with you.
All: Amen.
Presider: May you always bear witness to the love of God in this world so that the afflicted and the needy will find in you generous friends, and welcome you into the joys of heaven.
All: Amen.
Presider: And may almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son +, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.