Catholic Wedding Ceremony: Prayers and Blessings, Exams of Law

Download Catholic Wedding Ceremony: Prayers and Blessings and more Exams Law in PDF only on Docsity! 1
THE RITE OF MARRIAGE THE INTRODUCTORY RITES During the Entrance Hymn, the Priest greets and welcomes the bride and groom at the altar. Then they light candles as a reminder of their baptism when they received the light of Christ and so began their respective life journeys with God. The Greeting When the Entrance Hymn is concluded, the Priest and the faithful, standing, sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, while the Priest, facing the people, says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The people reply: Amen. Then the Priest, extending his hands, greets the people, saying: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. The people reply: And with your spirit. The Priest speaks to the couple and all present in order to prepare them for the celebration of Marriage. The Penitential Act (Lord have mercy) is omitted. The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is said. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; 2 you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. COLLECT (Opening Prayer) The Priest, with hands joined, says: Let us pray. All pray in silence with the Priest for a while. Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in your kindness pour out your grace on these your servants, N & N; that, coming together before your altar, they may be confirmed in love for one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. The people reply: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD First Reading A reading from the prophet Jeremiah (31: 3-4, 11-14) I have loved you with everlasting love and I am constant in my affection for you. I will build you up and I will protect you in the good times and in bad. So be happy and go forth in the dancing of the merrymakers. I have plans in my heart for you, plans for peace, not disaster, plans to give you a future and a reason to hope. And remember, when you call upon me and come to pray to me, I hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek with all your heart, I will be found by you. 5 my name, there am I in the midst of them." Now as you are about to exchange your marriage vows, the Church wishes to be assured that you appreciate the meaning of what you do, and so I ask you: Have you come here of your own free will and choice and without compulsion to marry each other? N & N: We have. Will you love and honour each other in marriage all the days of your life? N & N: We will. Are you willing to accept with love the children God may send you, and bring them up in accordance with the law of Christ and his Church? N & N: We are. DECLARATION OF CONSENT I invite you to declare before God and his Church your consent to become husband and wife. They join hands. The Priest then asks the bridegroom: N, do you take N, as your wife for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life? Groom: I do. The Priest then asks the bride: N, do you take N, as your husband for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life? 6 N: I do. When the bride and bridegroom have given their consent, the Priest says: What God joins together man must not separate. May the Lord confirm the consent you have given and enrich you with his blessing. BLESSING OF RINGS The Priest says the following prayer of blessing Almighty God, bless
these rings, symbols of faithfulness and unbroken love. May N and N always be true to each other, may they be one in heart and mind, may they be united in love forever. Through Christ our Lord. All reply: Amen. The bridegroom places the bride’s ring on her finger. He says: N, wear this ring as a sign of our faithful love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The bride places a ring on the bridegroom’s finger. She says: N, wear this ring as a sign of our faithful love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The bridegroom may give gold and silver to the bride saying: I give you this gold and silver, tokens of all I possess. 7 PRAYER OF THE NEWLY MARRIED COUPLE We thank you, Lord, and we praise you for bringing us to this happy day. You have given us to each other. Now, together, we give ourselves to you. We ask you, Lord: make us one in your love; keep us one in your peace. Protect our marriage. Bless our home. Make us gentle. Keep us faithful. And when life is over unite us again where parting is no more in the kingdom of your love. There we will praise you in the happiness and peace of our eternal home. Amen. The bride and groom light one candle representing their union in the sacrament of marriage and their desire to keep the flame of faith alive in their hearts. 10 PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS Receive in your kindness, Lord, the offerings we bring in gladness before you, and in your fatherly love watch over those you have joined in a sacramental covenant. Through Christ our Lord. The people reply: Amen. THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER Preface: The great Sacrament of Matrimony. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Lift up your hearts. R. We lift them up to the Lord. V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is right and just. It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For in him you have made a new covenant with your people, so that, as you have redeemed man and woman by the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, so in Christ you might make them partakers of divine nature and joint heirs with him of heavenly glory. In the union of husband and wife you give a sign of Christ’s loving gift of grace, so that the Sacrament we celebrate might draw us back more deeply into the wondrous design of your love. And so, with the Angels and all the Saints, we praise you, and without end we acclaim: All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 11 The people kneel. The Priest, with hands extended, says: You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and
Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you. He shows the consecrated host to the people, places it again on the paten, and genuflects in adoration. After this, he continues: In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me. He shows the chalice to the people, places it on the corporal, and genuflects in adoration. Then he says: The mystery of faith. And the people continue, acclaiming: We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. 12 Then the Priest, with hands extended, says: Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Francis our Pope and Donal our Bishop and all the clergy. Be mindful also, Lord, of N and N, whom you have brought to their wedding day, so that by your grace they may abide in mutual love and in peace. Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you He joins his hands. through your Son, Jesus Christ. He takes the chalice and the paten with the host and, raising both, he says: Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever. The people acclaim: Amen. 15 and never let me be parted from you. The Priest genuflects, takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above the chalice, while facing the people, says aloud: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. And together with the people he adds once: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. The Priest, facing the altar, says quietly: May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life. And he reverently consumes the Body of Christ. Then he takes the chalice and says quietly: May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life. And he reverently consumes the Blood of Christ. The Communion now follows. Anyone not presently disposed to receive the Eucharist today for any reason is warmly invited to receive a blessing from the priest. They can indicate that this is their intention by having their arms folded before the chest, and slightly bowing the head. The priest will be happy to offer a personal prayer of blessing for them. Thank you for your respect at this most sacred moment. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Let us pray. All pray silently for a while. Then the Priest says the Prayer after Communion: Having been made partakers at your table, we pray, O Lord, that N and N who are united by the Sacrament of Marriage may always hold fast to you and proclaim your name to the world. Through Christ our Lord. The people reply: Amen. 16
THE CONCLUDING RITES Solemn Blessing at the End of Mass The Priest, facing the people and extending his hands, says: The Lord be with you. The people reply: And with your spirit. The Priest, with hands extended over the bride and bridegroom, says: May God the eternal Father keep you of one heart in love for one another, that the peace of Christ may dwell in you and abide always in your home. The people reply: Amen. May you be blessed in your children, have solace in your friends and enjoy true peace with everyone. The people reply: Amen. May you be witnesses in the world to God’s charity, so that the afflicted and needy who have known your kindness may one day receive you thankfully into the eternal dwelling of God. The people reply: Amen. And he blesses all the people, adding: And may almighty God bless all of you, who are gathered here, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. The people reply: Amen. DISMISSAL Then the Priest says: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. The people reply: Thanks be to God. The Register may now be signed at some suitable place in or near the sanctuary.