WEDDING TIME
There are no fixed day and time for weddings other than that no weddings can be scheduled on Sunday due to the number of Masses on this day. Weddings date and time are set according to clergy and facility availabilities. Wedding celebration will take approximately 45-60 minutes depending whether it will be a full Mass or a Service. Marriages between Catholics are usually celebrated within a Mass while marriages between a Catholic and a non-Catholic party is celebrated without Holy Communion in the Wedding Service.
INTERFAITH WEDDING
The marriage of Catholics, even if only one party is Catholic, is regulated not only by divine law, but also by canon law, without prejudice to the competence of civil authority concerning merely civil effects of the marriage. (can. 1059)
With the permission of the local Ordinary, the Rite for Celebrating Marriage within Mass may also be used in mixed marriages between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic, if the situation warrants it. If yours is an ecumenical (interfaith) wedding, a minister of another faith is welcome to participate in the Rite of Marriage without a Mass (Service) by giving additional prayers, blessings, or words of greeting or exhortation. We regret that the Roman Catholic Church law (can. 1127, §3) forbids religious celebration in which a Catholic assistant and the non-Catholic minister together, following their own rite, ask for the consent of the marriage parties.
You have the option of including the Mass in your wedding celebration, even if it is an interfaith marriage. The decision to have or not to have a Mass should never be automatic, but should be carefully considered in light of your faith, the families, and the guests involved. As a prayer and a sign of unity, the Mass is unexcelled, but the reception of Communion may be a sign of disunity and a source of embarrassment for people of non-Catholic faiths. In this situation it is ecumenically sensitive not to have a Mass, but rather a Service, since half of the congregation cannot fully participate in the Holy Communion.
PRESIDER
The normal presider at our wedding celebration is local Priest.
VISITING PRESIDER
Should you wish to invite a family priest or guest priest to officiate at your wedding, courtesy dictates that you speak first to the Pastor, before inviting another priest to preside. We will ask you to ask the visiting priest to write a letter to the local Bishop , asking for delegation or permission to officiate. The letter should indicate his commitment to the date and time of your wedding. The visiting priest should prepare both of you through the normal marriage preparation programs. The parish here is happy to prepare you for marriage if the visiting priest is unable to do it.
ALTAR SERVERS
Please make arrangements with the parish office if you wish to have altar servers. A monetary gift should be made directly to each altar server for their time. If you want a particular server from the parish, please contact the altar server and his family directly and then inform or have them inform the parish office.
LECTOR / READER
In Catholic liturgy, the lector/reader does not just “read the Bible.” In this special role, the lector helps to make Christ present among the gathered community of faith. You may choose two lectors, one to proclaim the Old Testament passage, and one to proclaim the New Testament reading which you select. (The priest will proclaim the gospel). Our parish liturgical guidelines suggest that the lectors you choose:
· Be a practicing Catholic
· Received the sacrament of Confirmation
Have the skills necessary to read and proclaim well.
A third person (Catholic or non-Catholic) may be chosen to announce the intentions for the General Intercessions.
We encourage your readers to spend a few minutes with one of our parish lectors in order to prepare properly for an effective proclamation of God's Word. This can be arranged for a convenient time.
Notes for the Lector:
· Readings are proclaimed from the ambo (pulpit)
· Readings are proclaimed from the Lectionary, the Church’s ritual book, not from photocopied sheets. The Lectionary will be marked for your reading.
Remember to read more slowly and deliberately than you would in normal conversation
· The customary introduction / conclusion of a reading are as printed: “A reading from the book/letter …” All Old and New Testament readings conclude with a few seconds of silence, followed by “The Word of the Lord.” Please note the summary or commentary statement in small print or italic is not read, nor is the Bible citation (chapter and verse number).
CANDLES, VEIL AND CORD
The friends you invite to be secondary sponsors who will take care of the Candles, Veil and Cord should know what to do, and when to do it. The ceremony involving this is normally done immediately after the Sanctus (Holy, Holy …): two candles are lit, one on either side of the couple; then the veil is laid over the head of the Bride and the shoulders of the Groom; and finally, the cord in the form of an 8 is placed over the shoulders of both the Bride and the Groom.
This part of the ceremony, however, is best done under advisement from the presider.
The Cord and Veil are removed after the final prayer; the candles are put out by the sacristan (or altar servers) after the Mass.
GIFT BEARERS
You may have two people bring forward the gifts of bread and wine during the preparation of the gifts if you celebrate mass at your wedding. Bread and Wine are the primary physical elements of eucharist, and should not be obscured by trying to fit in “gifts” such as chalices, patens, purificators, etc. to meet a desire for more participants.
RING BEARERS AND FLOWER GIRLS
In choosing the ring bearers and flower girls, please be realistic in the age of the child(ren) you choose. Young children often are frightened easily. We strongly encourage you to choose children who are old enough to understand that something serious is going on, and they have to behave accordingly. Six or seven might be the right age.
BRIDAL PROCESSION
The ceremony begins with the Bridal Procession – the solemn entrance of the Bride.
In two lines, the Bridal Entourage marches into the church: first, the ring and coin bearers; then the flower girls, followed by the bridesmaids; now come the sponsors; and finally, the Bride, on the left arm of her father or guardian.
In the meantime, the Bridegroom, accompanied by the Best Man, waits at the foot of the sanctuary. When the bride reaches the place where the Groom is waiting, her father or guardian “gives her away” to him; then the couple – the Bride on the left arm of the Groom – walks up to the altars. The Best Man and the Bridal Entourage take the places previously assigned to them.