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THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

WITHIN THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

Commentator: Good morning/afternoon/evening. Today, we are gathered as one commu-

nity of believers to bear witness to the union of N and N in the Sacrament of Holy
Matrimony in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Let us welcome the cou-
ple with their entourage.

SOLEMN ENTRANCE OF THE Bridal COUPLE

INTRODUCTORY RITES

LITURGICAL GREETING:

Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All: And with your spirit.

Priest: My brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred

mysteries, let us call to mind our sins. (Pause)

I confess …

PENITENTIAL ACT:

All: … to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters,

That I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words,
In what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault;
Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the angels and Saints,
And you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.

All: Amen.

(Gloria if indicated by the ORDO)

COLLECT:

Priest: Let us pray.

Father,
you have made the bond of marriage
a holy mystery,
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a symbol of Christ’s love for his Church.
Hear our prayers for N. and N.
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 this
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Commentator: Please be seated.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING: (Gn2:18-24)

Reader: A reading from the book of Genesis

The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make
him a helpmate.” So from the soil the Lord God fashioned all the wild beast
and all the birds of heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he
would call them; each one was to bear the name the man would give it. The
man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of heaven and all the wild
beasts. But no helpmate suitable for man was found for him. So the Lord
God made the man fall into a deep sleep. And while he slept, he took one of
his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken from
the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man exclaimed:

“This at last is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh!

This is to be called woman, for this was taken from man.”
This is why a man leaves his father and mother, and joins
himself to his wife, and they become one body.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: (Ps 32:12.18.20-22)

Reader: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

All: (R) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Reader: They are happy, whose God is the Lord

the people he has chosen as hid own.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
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on those who hope in his love. (R)

Our soul is waiting for the Lord;

The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name. (R)

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

as we place all our hope in you. (R)

Commentator: Please stand.

ALLELUIA: (1 Jn.4:12)
(except during Lenten Season)

All: Alleluia, Alleluia.

If we love one another,
God remains in us in perfect love.
Alleluia, Alleluia.

GOSPEL: (Jn15:9-12)

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John
All: Glory to you, O Lord.

Priest:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentator: Please be seated.

HOMILY:
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RITE OF MARRIAGE

Commentator: May we request the couple to please rise, while their parents, ninong and
ninang to please come forward.

ALLOCUTION

Priest: Dearly beloved N. (Groom) and N. (Bride), you are here today to seal your
love with an eternal bond before the Church. I assure you of the prayers of
our community, that God may pour his abundant blessings on your love and
help you carry out the duties of the married state.

And you dear brothers and sisters, may I ask you to help them with
your prayers and accept them as a new couple in our Christian community.

SCRUTINY

Priest: May I now ask you N. (Groom) and N. (Bride) to answer truthfully the
following questions.
Priest (to the bride): Did you come here of your own free will to bind yourself for ever in
the love and service of your husband?
Bride: Yes, Father.
Priest (to the groom): Did you come here of your own free will to bind yourself for ever
in the love and service of your wife?
Groom: Yes, Father.
Priest: Are you both ready to raise as good Christians the children whom God will
give you?
Both: Yes, Father.

EXCHANGE OF CONSENT

Priest (to couple): N. and N. , since you wish to contract Holy Matrimony,
please join your right hands, and express your intention before God and his
Church.
Priest (to bride): N. do you take N. here present, for your lawful husband,
according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Church?
Bride: Yes, I do.
Priest: Do you give yourself to him as his wife?
Bride: Yes, I do.
Priest: Do you accept him as your lawful husband?
Bride: Yes, I do.
Priest (to groom): N. do you take N. here present, for your lawful wife,
according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Church?
Groom: Yes, I do.
Priest: Do you give yourself to her as her husband?
Groom: Yes, I do.
Priest: Do you accept her as your lawful wife?
Groom: Yes, I do.
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Priest: Now, please recite this prayer:
Couple: Grant us, O Lord to be one heart and one soul, from this day
forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in
health, until death do us part.

CONFIRMATION OF THE MARRIAGE BOND

Priest: And I, by the authority of the Church, calling on all those present here as
witnesses, confirm and bless the bond of marriage which you have
contracted. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

BLESSING OF THE ARRHAE AND RINGS

Priest: (N and N) we shall now bless your arrhae and rings.

Our help is in the Lord.

All: He made heaven and earth.

Priest: Let us pray.

Bless, O Lord, your servants, (N) and (N), with sufficiency of material
possessions which these arrhae symbolize so that they may use them to
attain eternal life. Through Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen.

Priest: Bless, O Lord, these rings so that your servants (N and N) who wear them
may ever live in mutual love and in unbroken loyalty. Through Christ Our
Lord.

All: Amen.

GIVING OF THE WEDDING RINGS AND THE ARRHAE

Priest: Now give these rings to one another, and say, after me:

Groom: N. wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Bride: N. wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Groom: I give you these arrhae as a pledge of my dedication

to your welfare. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.

Bride: And I accept them.

Priest: Let us give the newly-wedded couple a round of applause.

Commentator: The parents of the couple, and their ninong and ninang may now return to
their seats.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL:

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Priest: Dearly beloved, let us now pray for the Church and for the newly
wedded couple whose marriage reflects the union with Christ.

All: (R) Lord, graciously hear us.

Leader: For all the poor and the sick

and all those in trial and affliction,
let us pray to the Lord. (R)

Leader: For N. and N. that He may keep

their hearts united forever,
let us pray to the Lord. (R)

Leader: For our newly wedded couples that He may keep their hearts united forever,
let us pray to the Lord. (R)

Leader: That He may protect them from evil,

lighten their burdens
and fortify them in their trials,
let us pray to the Lord. (R)

Priest: Almighty, eternal God, look down with favor upon your servants. Grant them,
to remain faithful to you and to one another. At the end of a long and well-
spent life, reward them with eternal happiness together with (their children
and with) all those who love them. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Commentator: May we request the Candle Sponsors to light the wedding

candles, the Veil Sponsors to place the veil, to be followed by
the Cord Sponsors.

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

PRESENTATION AND PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS:

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we
have received the bread we offer you; fruit of the earth and work of human
hands, it will become for us the bread of life.

All: Blessed be God for ever.

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we
have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human
hands, it will become our spiritual drink.

All: Blessed be God for ever.

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Commentator: Please stand.

Priest: Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice

may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

All: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands

for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good, and the good of all his holy Church.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS:

Priest: Lord,
accept our offering
for this newly-married couple, N. and N.
By your love and providence you have brought them together;
now bless them all the days of their married life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

PREFACE: THE DIGNITY OF THE MARRIAGE COVENANT

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Priest: Lift up your hearts.

All: We lift them up to the Lord.

Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All: It is right and just.

Priest: Father, all-powerful and ever-loving God,

we do well always and everywhere
to give you thanks.

By this sacrament your grace unites man and woman

in an unbreakable bond of love and peace.
You have designed the chaste love of husband and wife
for the increase both of the human family
and of your own family born in baptism.
You are the loving Father of the world of nature;
you are the loving Father of the new creation of grace.

In Christian marriage you bring together

the two orders of creation:
nature’s gift of children enriches the world
and your grace enriches also your Church.

Through Christ the choirs of angels

and all the saints praise and worship your glory.
May our voices blend with theirs
as we join in their unending hymn:

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.
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Hosanna in the highest.

(all kneel)

Priest: Father, accept this offering

from your whole family
and from N. and N. for whom we now pray.
Grant them (the gift and joy of children and)
a long and happy life together.
(Through Christ our Lord, Amen.)

ACCLAMATION:

All: We proclaim you death O Lord and profess your Resurrection

Until you come again.

COMMUNION RITE

THE LORD’S PRAYER:

Priest: Our Father…

All: … 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.

INVITATION TO PEACE:

Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

All: And with your spirit.

Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Grant us peace.

(all kneel)

INVITATION TO COMMUNION:

Priest: 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.

All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only
say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Commentator: Those who wish to receive Holy Communion please fall in line by row.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION:

Priest: By the power of this sacrifice, O Lord,

accompany with your loving favor
what is your providence you have instituted,
so as to make one heart in love
those you have already joined in this holy union.
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Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Commentator: Cord and Veil Sponsors, kindly remove the cord and veil, respectively.
Candle Sponsors, kindly put off the candle lights.

ADMONITION

Priest: N. (Groom) and N. (Bride), now that you have received the Holy Sacrament
of Matrimony, I admonish you to remain faithful to one another.

(N. Bride), love your husband and be a good housewife; persevere in faith
and love and holiness.

(N. Groom), love your wife as Christ loves his Church and live with her in the
holy fear of the Lord.

CONCLUDING RITE

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE:

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit

Priest: N. (Groom) and N. (Bride), please bow your heads for the blessings.

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.

All: Amen.

Priest: And may almighty God bless all of you, who are gathered here, the Father,
and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

DISMISSAL:

Priest: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

All: Thanks be to God.

Priest: My brothers and sisters may I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. [N. (Groom)
and N. (Bride) and surname].

N. (Groom), you may now kiss your bride.