The Celebration of Matrimony
All stand, including the couple and the witnesses, who are positioned near them, the Priest
addresses the couple in these or similar words:
Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the Church so
that in the presence of the Church’s minister and the community your
intention to enter into Marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a
sacred seal. Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you. Through a
special Sacrament, he enriches and strengthens those he has already
consecrated by Holy Baptism, that they may; and your love be enriched
with his blessing you, so that you may have strength to] be faithful to
each other for ever and assume all the responsibilities of married life.
Therefore, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your
intentions.
The Questions before the Consent
(The Priest then questions them about their freedom of choice, fidelity to each other, and the
acceptance and upbringing of children, and each responds separately)
(Name) and (Name), have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion,
freely and wholeheartedly?
The bridegroom and bride each say: I have.
Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other
for as long as you both shall live?
The bridegroom and bride each say: I am.
(The following question may be omitted if circumstances suggest this, for example, if the
couple is advanced in years)
Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up
according to the law of Christ and his Church?
The bridegroom and bride each say: I am.
Consent
The priest invites them to declare their consent:
Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right
hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church.
They join their right hands.
The bridegroom says:
I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good
times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the
days of my life.
The bride says:
I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in
good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all
the days of my life.
The Reception of Consent
Receiving their consent, the priest says to the bride and bridegroom
May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the
Church and graciously bring to fulfillment his blessings within you. What God has
joined, let no one put asunder.
Response: Amen
Blessing and Giving of Rings
Priest: May the Lord bless + these rings,
which you will give to each other
as the sign of your love and fidelity.
Response: Amen.
The Priest sprinkles the rings, as the circumstances so suggest, and gives them to the bride and
bridegroom.
The husband places his wife's ring on her ring finger, saying, as the circumstances so suggest:
(Name), receive this ring
as a sign of my love and fidelity.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Likewise, the wife places her husband's ring on his ring finger saying, as the circumstances so suggest:
(Name), receive this ring
as a sign of my love and fidelity.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
[Link]’s Church - Tembipada
