The
Catholic wedding ceremony is a lively blend of words, devotional
hymns and exchanges that make it a very solemn occasion. A typical
wedding is explained below.
Attending a preparatory course
The prospective bride and groom attend a Marriage Preparatory
Course. They have a choice between a one-day and a three-day course.
They are required to fill in a form declaring details of their
lives and take an oath on the Holy Bible that they have not withheld
any information and that they are aware of the duties within a
Christian marriage. They must produce their baptism certificates.
In the case of a mixed marriage, only the Christian partner is
required to produce the baptism certificate.
Wedding rituals
Welcoming the bride
On the wedding day, a car is sent to pick up the girl and waits
for her outside the Church. When the bride arrives, the Best Man
welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek and hands her a posy
of flowers.
The Wedding Mass
The couple walks down the aisle with the wedding procession in
tow. The priest begins the ceremony. He welcomes them into the
Church and offers them his good wishes. The wedding mass begins
with hymns and selected readings from the Bible.
Homily
The priest delivers the Homily, an interesting lecture with an
emphasis on the sanctity of marriage.
The Nuptials
During this rite, the priest asks a few questions that the couple
must answer honestly. He asks them if they have come of their
own free will to give themselves to the other in marriage. They
must also answer in the affirmative when asked if they will hon
our and love each other as husband and wife for the rest of their
lives, if they will accept children from God lovingly and bring
them up according to the law of Christ and His church.
The Solemn Promise
The priest guides the couple through this rite. He tells them
to join their right hands and declare their consent before God
and His Church. Having done this, the couple takes their wedding
vows. They promise, individually, to be true to the other in good
times and in bad, in sickness and in health. They promise to love,
respect and honour each other all the days of their lives. The
priest blesses the couple, joining them together in marriage,
and says, "May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent
and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined together,
let no man put asunder."
Blessing & Exchange of Rings
The priest blesses the wedding rings so that the couple that wears
them will have deep faith in each other, do the Lord's will and
always live together in peace, goodwill and love. The bride and
groom exchange rings with a promise of unconditional love and
fidelity. |