THE CELEBRATION AND BLESSING OF A MARRIAGE

The Liturgy

The Processional March of the Bridal Entourage

Celebrant: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
People : Amen.

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 the wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the
union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scriptures commends to be honored among all
people.

The union between man and woman 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 Gods
will, for the pro-creation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.
Therefore, marriage is not to be entered into lightly and unadvisedly but reverently, deliberately
and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

In this holy Union, Leo and Racquel come now 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.

Then the Celebrant says to the persons to be married.

Celebrant: I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that either of you know any reason why
you may not be united in marriage lawfully and in accordance with Gods word, you do now
confess it.

Declaration of Consent

Celebrant: Leo, will you have Racquel to be your wedded wife, to love together after Gods ordinance in the
holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in
health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, so long as you both shall live?
Groom : YES I DO.
Celebrant: Racquel, will you have Leo to be your wedded husband, to live together after Gods ordinance in
the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health,
and forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall love?
Bride : YES I DO.
Celebrant : Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to support and uphold these two
persons in their marriage?

Sponsors and People: WE WILL.

Celebrant: Who gives Racquel to be married to Leo?
Parents : We give Racquel to be married to Leo with hopeful blessings from God.

The Collect
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People : And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
Eternal God, when you created mankind, you willed that man and wife should be one. Look
favorably upon Leo and Racquel that they may grow in love and peace together; through Jesus
 Christ your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

The First Reading is taken from the Book of Genesis Chapter 2 verses 18 to 24.

18The LORD God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. 19
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He
brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature,
that was its name. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the
field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;
and while he was sleeping, he took one of the mans ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the
man.
23 The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was
taken out of man.

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one
flesh.

Responsorial Psalm:
May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

Happy is the one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands
You shall be happy and it shall go well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house

Your children will be like olive shoots
Around your table

Thus shall you blessed who fears the Lord

May the Lord bless you from Zion .
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life

The Second Reading is taken from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians Chapter 13 verses 1 to 13.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging
cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith
that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the 5poor and surrender
my body to the flames,b but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it
does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record
of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres.
 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be
stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappear.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a
child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am
fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The Holy Gospel

The nuptial candles are lighted.

Celebrant: The lighting of the candles symbolizes the beginning of a new life together for Leo and Racquel.
May your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People : And also with you.

Celebrant: The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark, Chapter 10 beginning at verse 2 to 12.
People : Glory to you O Lord, Christ.

2Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? 3What
did Moses command you? he replied. 4They said, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and
send her away.
5It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, Jesus replied. 6But at the beginning
of creation God made them male and female.a 7For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, 8 and

7
the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together
let man not separate.

10When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11He answered, Anyone who
divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12And if she divorces her husband
and marries another man, she commits adultery.

After the reading of the Gospel,

Celebrant: The Gospel of the Lord.

People : Praise to you O Lord Christ.

The Homily

Here, the priest may render now his sermon.

The Marriage
Celebrant: Leo and Racquel, in the presence of God and his people, you have come together so that the Lord
may seal and strengthen your love. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already
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 hold your partners right
hand and sincerely express your vows to each other before God and his church.

The exchange of Vows

Groom : In the name of God, I Leo take you Racquel to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day
forward, for better for worse, 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 Racquel take you Leo to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day
forward, for better for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted
by death, This is my solemn vow.

The Blessing of the Ring, Coins and Flowers.

Celebrant: Bless O Lord, these rings, coins and flowers that they who give and receive them may faithfully
keep their solemn vows and abounding evermore in love and holiness, may enjoy the fruition of
your protection; through Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Amen.

Groom : 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. Amen.
Bride : I accept it, for wherever you go, I go; and wherever you lodge, I lodge; your people will be my
people and your God, my God; where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so
as to you, and me also; if ought but death part you and me.

Groom : Accept this coins as pledge that all my worldly goods I share with you. Think not that this is to
purchase you; for a womans heart can only be won by another heart. Accept them as a token of my solemn
pledge to dedicate myself to honest labor for the prosperity and happiness of our family; and to ever seek the
blessings of God upon our love and home.

Bride : I take them most willingly, my beloved husband with your noble pledges, and in return I gave you
this ring and flowers as token that from this moment on, I give you my heart promising to be with
you, a loving wife, obedient and faithful.

Celebrant: Receive this Holy Bible, the Living Words of God, which shall reign in your ways. Read it
continuously so that each may be able to do the good works, which God prepared in spirit and in
truth.

Groom and Bride: We receive this Holy Bible, fully submitting ourselves to the will of God, dwelling in his love
and committing ourselves to him, to each other and to our children in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Celebrant: Now that Leo and Racquel have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining
of hands and giving and receiving of rings, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Celebrant: Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.

The Veil and Cord Ceremony

Celebrant: May we now request the veil and cord sponsors to place on the couple said symbols of marriage.

The original meaning of veil when worn by married woman is that of submission. In this act of
veiling, the veil which shall be placed over the shoulder of the Groom and the head of the Bride,
 symbolizes their desire to submit themselves to the will of God. In this act, Groom and Bride wish
to acknowledge the Lordship of God in their lives

May your love for each other be pure, humble, enduring and ever open to Gods designs in your
life.

The Cord Ceremony

Celebrant: The Cord ties. It symbolizes the union of Leo and Racquel not only with each other but also with
the community of Gods people.

May you always be one and may you and your children strive to be one with the Lord and his
people.

The Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray. Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, the author of salvation, and giver of all
grace: look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and
especially upon this man and woman whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony.
People: Amen.
Leader: Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each maybe to the other a
strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy.
People: Amen.
Leader: Grant that their will may be knit together in your will and the spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in
love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life.
People: Amen.
Leader: Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and seek each
others forgiveness and yours.
People: Amen.
Leader: make their life together a sign of Christs love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may
overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.
People: Amen.
Leader: Bestow on them, if it is your will, the gift and heritage of children, and the grace to bring them up to
know you, to love you, and to serve you.
People: Amen.
Leader: Give them such fulfillment in their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for
others.
People: Amen.
Leader: Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows may find their union strengthened and
their loyalties confirmed.
People: Amen.
Leader: Grant that the bonds of our common humanity, by which all your children are united one to another,
and the living to the dead, may be so transformed by your grace, that your will bay be done on earth as it is in
heaven.
People: Amen.
Celebrant: Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come
among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We
thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his name. By the power of your Holy
Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessings upon this man and this woman. Defend them from
every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a
mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their
companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and sorrows; in their death. Finally,
in your mercy, bring them to the table where your saints feast forever in your heavenly home; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever.
People: Amen.
Celebrant: 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.

Here the cord and veil are removed.

THE NUPTIAL MASS

Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we are the Body of Christ: by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body

People : Let us keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you
People : And also with you.
Everybody exchange the greetings of peace.

The Offertory

Celebrant: I shall offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the name of the Lord.
Then shall follow the collection of all offerings and bring them to the altar.

Offertory Song

All : Eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we bring you these gifts because we know that our life
and all human life rightfully belongs to you, and that everything we have, we hold trust from you. Lord our God,
heavenly Father, accept and bless this bread and wine and our monetary gifts, and us, that we may celebrate
this Eucharist with joy. Amen.

The Orate, Fratres

Celebrant: Pray brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.

People : May the Lord receive our sacrifice, for the praise and glory of his Name, for our good, and that of all
his Church.

The Great Thanksgiving

Celebrant: The merciful goodness of the Lord endures forever and ever on those who fear him, and his
righteousness from generation to generation.

People : Even those who keep his covenant, and remember his commandments and do them.

Celebrant: The lord has set his throne in heaven; and his kingship has dominion over all.

People : Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you mighty ones who do his bidding, and listen to the voice of his
word.

Celebrant: Praise the Lord, all you his host, you ministers of his who do his will.

People : Praise the Lord, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion, praise the Lord.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People : And also with you.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
People : We lift them up to the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People : It is right to give him thanks and praise.
 Celebrant: It is truly right, it is our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
O Lord, holy Father Almighty, everlasting God.
You created man in love to share your divine life. We see his high destiny in the love of husband
and wife, which bears the imprint of your own divine love. Love is mans origin, love is his constant
calling. Love is his fulfillment in heaven. The love of man and woman is made holy in the
sacrament of marriage, and becomes the mirror of your everlasting love.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we joyfully
proclaim your glory, evermore praising you and saying

All : (to be sung) HOLY

Celebrant: Holy and gracious Father, in your infinite love you made us for yourself, and when we feel into sin
and became subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal
Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and
Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the Cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your
will, a perfect sacrifice for all mankind.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, Our Lord Jesus Christ took bread: and
when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said: take this and
eat it; This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. After supper, he took
the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you,
this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of
sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith.

All : (to be sung) MYSTERY OF FAITH

The Priest continues:

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
and we offer you these Gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and
Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we
may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace, and at the
last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom. All this we ask through
your Son Jesus Christ; by him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

The Priest lifts up the Bread and Cup.

All honor and glory are yours, Almighty Father, now and forever.

People : (to be sung)

Amen. Amen. Amen.

All shall kneel.

The Lords Prayer

Celebrant: As our savior Christ has taught us with confidence, we now pray:

All : (to be sung) OUR FATHER

The Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant: (Alleluia) Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People : Therefore let us keep the feast. (Alleluia)
(Alleluia is omitted during Lenten Season)

The Communion

Celebrant: The Gifts of God for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you and
feed on Him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

Celebrant: The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in everlasting life.

Communion Songs:

The Post Communion Prayer

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People : And also with you.

Celebrant: Let us pray.

All : O God, the giver of all that is true and lovely and gracious: We give you thanks for binding us together
in these mysteries of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, Leo and
Racquel now joined in Holy Matrimony, may become one in heart and soul, live in fidelity and peace, and
obtain those eternal joys prepared for all who love you; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing

Bishop : Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

People : Now and forever.
Bishop : Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
People : Who made heaven and earth.

Bishop : The Peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep you strong in the knowledge and love of
God, and his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. And the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you always.

Presentation to the Sponsors

Celebrant: Dear Sponsors: Leo and Racquel look up to you with great respect and love and see in you the
embodiment of the kind of persons they would wish to emulate. May you continue to be examples
to them of kindness, understanding and love, as today you have been named co-parents with their
own parents. And may God guide and help you. Amen.

Presentation to the congregation

Celebrant: Dear friends, may I present to you Leo and Racquel. your witness and participation in their pledge
of love for each other show your personal interest and concern for their happy life together. May
you continue to sustain them with your interest and concern as they grow stronger in their life
together in the Lord.

The Dismissal

Celebrant: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

People : Thanks be to God.