Wedding Rites

St. James the Greater Chaplaincy

Introduction
Commentator: Dear Family, relatives and friends, today, we are gathered here to witness
the promise of love that unites Groom and Bride Man and Woman becoming one,
together and forever. There is a moment in each of our life when life itself gains a richer
meaning because it is shared with love.
For Groom and Bride, this moment has come. Through this joyous feast of love which
we are about to celebrate, let us, as witnesses and as a whole Christian community, pray
for Groom and Bride that they may be filled with God’s abundant graces as they start
their new life together.
Please stand for the processional march.
Bridal Processional March
Introductory Rites
Greetings
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: God is love and has, in some mysterious way, drawn you, Groom and Bride, together
in love. But He leaves you free to make that love grow or to let it wither and die. The Lord will
help you, Groom and Bride, to forge a future for your love, if you do your share, when you
stand to the commitment to love and honor one another in good times and bad, in poverty and
plenty, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, in that covenant which you are about
to seal. Insert it into that other covenant which we celebrate in each celebration of the Mass.
The Penitential Rite is omitted. The celebrant continues with the Gloria.
I confess 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.
Gloria
(During Advent and Lent “Glory to God” is not said unless specified in the Ordo that it is said
in Solemnities within these seasons.)
All: 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; 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
Priest: Let us pray.
Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in your kindness pour out your grace on these
your servants Groom and Bride 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.
All: Amen
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading (Sg 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a)
Lector: A reading from the Song of Songs
Hark! My lover – here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through
the windows, peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks to me: he says to me:
“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff;
Let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely,”
My love belongs to me and I to him.
He says to me: “Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm;
For stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a
blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away.”

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 33:12, 18, 20-21, 22)
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
upon those hope for his kindness. (Response)

Our soul waits for the Lord,

Who is our help and shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
In his holy name we trust. (Response)

May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us

Who have put our hope we trust. (Response)

Second Reading (1Cor. 12:31-13:8a)

Lector: A reading from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
Brothers and sister:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent
way.
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or
a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and
all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am
nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not
rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick – tempered, it does not brood over
injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

Alleluia Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever remains in love, remains in God and God in him.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel (Jn. 15:9-12)

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!

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 for the homily.
Homily
Rite of Marriage
(The couple stands. The coin and ring bearer will stand at the right side of the celebrant.)
ALLOCUTION

Priest: Dearly beloved, Groom and 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 to carry out the duties of the
married state.
Addressing the community:
Priest: 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.
SCRUNITY
Priest: Groom and Bride. May I now ask you to answer truthfully the following
questions:
Bride, did you come here of your own free will to bind yourself forever in the love
and service of your husband?
Bride: Yes, Father.
Priest: Groom, did you come here of your own free will to bind yourself forever 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?
Groom and Bride: Yes, Father.
EXCHANGE OF CONSENT
Priest: Groom and Bride, since you wish to contract Holy Matrimony, please join your
right hands and express your intention before God and His Church.

They join their right hands.

Priest: Bride, do you take Groom, 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: Groom, do you take Bride, 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.
Priest: Now please say together.
Groom and Bride: 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 the 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: Groom and Bride we shall now bless your arrhae and rings. Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
Priest: Let us pray.
Bless O Lord, Your servants Groom and Bride 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 Groom and Bride, 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:
Groom: Bride, wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Bride: Groom, wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Groom: Bride, 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.

PRONOUNCEMENT
Priest: My dear brothers and sisters as gesture of our acceptance of Groom and Bride, as
a new couple in the Christian community let us give them a round of applause.
Commentator: Please all stand for the Prayer of the Faithful.
Prayer of the Faithful
Priest: Heavenly Father we have just witnessed the covenant of marriage between
Groom and Bride.
We know our brokenness and our needs, none of which can be healed without your
divine power and love. And so, confident with your care and concern, we pray:
Lord, keep us in your love.
1. For your people, your Church, that she may always be the source of light and
strength for the married couples in their midst, let us pray to the Lord.
2. For Groom and Bride, that they may constantly seek for God’s love, peace and
guidance and make Him the center of their family life, let us pray to the Lord.
3. May Groom and Bride, find strength in God and in each other and brace the crosses
that might come their way and may they have the humble heart to accept their
triumphs and offer it to God, let us pray to the Lord.
4. That the beauty of this celebration and love we have witnessed today, keep us all
faithful in Christ’s love and make us strive to seek for His mercy and faithfulness,
let us pray to the Lord.
Priest: Heavenly Father, the greatest of your kingdom is the law of love. Unite Groom
and Bride in their love for each other. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
PRESENTATION OF THE GIFTS

PRESENTATION OF THE ALTAR AND GIFTS

Priest: Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours 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 his holy Church.
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Priest: 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.
All: Amen.
PREFACE
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: 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 Jesus Christ Our
Lord.
For in Him you have made 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 all the Angels and all the Saints, we praise you, and without end we
acclaim:
Sanctus (to be sung)
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.
Eucharistic Prayer II
Priest: 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.
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

The mystery of faith.

All: We proclaim your death, O Lord and profess your Resurrection until you come again.

PRIEST: 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 Patricio our Bishop and all the clergy.
Be mindful also, Lord, of Groom and Bride, 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 pleased you throughout the ages, we
may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through you son,
Jesus Christ.

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.
All: Amen.
COMMUNION RITE
Priest: At the Savior’s command and forms by divine teaching, we dare to say:

OUR FATHER, (To be sung)

Our Father, 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; lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

NUPTIAL BLESSING
Priest: Let us humbly invoke by our prayers, dear brothers and sisters, God’s blessing
upon this bride and groom, that in his kindness he may favor with his help those on
whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Then the Priest, with hands extend over the bride and the bride groom, continues:
Holy Father, maker of the whole world, who created man and woman in your own image
and willed that their union be crowned with your blessing, we humbly beseech you for
these your servants, who are joined today in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
May your abundant blessing, Lord, come down upon this bride, N., and upon N., her
companion for life, and may the power of your Holy Spirit set their hearts aflame from on
high, so that, living out together the gift of Matrimony, they may (adorn their family with
children and) enrich the Church.
In happiness may they praise you, O Lord, in sorrow may they seek you out; may they
have the joy of your presence to assist them in their toil, and know that you are near to
comfort them in their need; let them pray to you in the holy assembly and bear witness to
you in the world, and after a happy old age, together with the circle of friends that
surrounds them, may they come to the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
SIGN OF PEACE
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostle, Peace I leave you, my peace I give
you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of you Church, and graciously grant her peace
and unity in accordance with you will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.

All: Amen.
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.
LAMB OF GOD (to be sung)
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 my roof but only say the word and my
soul shall be healed.

COMMUNION RITE

REMOVAL OF THE VEIL CORD

Commentator: May we request the veil and cord sponsors to remove the veil and the
cord from the newly married couple.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Priest: Having been made partakers at your table, we pray, O Lord, that those 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.
All: Amen.

Concluding Rite
ADMONITION
Priest: Groom and Bride, now that you have received the holy sacrament of Matrimony,
I admonish you to remain faithful to one another.
Bride, love your husband Groom be a good housewife, persevere in faith and love and
holiness
Groom, love your wife Bride as Christ loves His Church and live with her in the holy
fear of the Lord.
SOLEMN BLESSING
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.

Priest: May God the all-powerful Father grant you his joy and bless you in your children.
All: Amen.

Priest: May the Only Begotten Son of God stand by you with compassion in good times
and in bad.
All: Amen.
Priest: May the Holy Spirit of God always pour forth his love into your hearts.
All: Amen.

Final Blessing
Priest: And may Almighty God, bless all of you, who are gathered here, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

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

All: Thanks be to God.

Signing of the marriage contract and presentation of the newlywed couple

Priest: My dear faithful of God, let us welcome Mr. and Mrs. Groom and Bride, you may
now kiss your bride.

RECESSIONAL
ORDER OF PICTORIAL
Couple with the priest
Couple with Parents of the Bride
Couple with Parents of the Groom
Couple with Both Parents
Couple with Female Sponsors
Couple with Both Female and Male Principal Sponsors
Couple with Male Sponsors
Couple with Secondary Sponsors
Couple with Best Man and Maid of Honor
Couple with Groomsmen and Bride’s Maid
Couple with Flower Girls and Bearer
Couple with the whole entourage
Couple with Immediate Family of the Bride
Couple with Relatives of the Bride
Couple with Immediate Family of the Groom
Couple with Relatives of the Groom
Couple with Friends of the Bride
Couple with Friends of the Groom