The Rite of Marriage

INTRODUCTORY RITES

At the appointed time, the bridal procession begins accompanied by nuptial

music or songs. When the bride, the groom and entourage have taken their
respective places, the Mass begins
Commentator: Good day, brother and sisters. Today we gather as a
community to participate to the Holy Eucharist and to
witness the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage
between __________&_________.
Please, stand to welcome the Mass Celebrant.

Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 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: Dear brothers and sisters, we are gathered to celebrate
the Holy Eucharist and to witness the Sacrament of
Marriage between ______&_______. As their Christian
family, we remind them that they are called to a life of
holiness and fidelity as husband and wife. Let us rejoice
with them and ask God’s blessing for them and their
future children.

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 PENITENTIAL ACT
Priest: Brothers and sisters let us acknowledge our sins, and so
prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
All: 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.
Priest: May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins
and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
Priest: Lord, have mercy!
All: Lord, have mercy!
Priest: Christ, have mercy!
All: Christ, have mercy!
Priest: Lord, have mercy!
All: Lord, have mercy!

OPENING PRAYER
Priest: Let us pray. Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in
your kindness, uphold what you have established for the
increase of the human race, so that the union you have
created between _______&_________ may be kept safe by
your assistance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.

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Commentator: Please be seated for the Liturgy of the Word.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING: Genesis 2: 18 – 24

Reader: A reading from the Book of Genesis.

Then the Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to
be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” So the
Lord God formed out of the ground various wild
animals and various birds of the air, and he brought
them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its
name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the
birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none
proved to be the suitable partner for the man. So the
Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he
was asleep, he took one of his ribs and closed up its
place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a
woman the rib taken from the man. When he brought
her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone
of my bones and flesh from my flesh; “This one shall be
called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been
taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one
body.

The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 128

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Reader: Let our response be:
*Happy are those who fear the Lord
(All: Happy are those who fear the Lord.)

Blessed are you who fear the Lord,

Who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the handiwork;
Happy shall you be and favored.

*Happy are those who fear the Lord.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine.

In the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.

* Happy are those who fear the Lord.

Behold, thus is the man blessed

Who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion:
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.

*Happy are those who fear the Lord.

Commentator: Please all stand to honor the Holy Gospel.

Aleluia (song)

(if the Aleluia song has no verse or lyrics:

Commentator: Alleluia, Alleluia.
God is love; let us love one another as He has loved us.
Alleluia, Alleluia)

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GOSPEL
Priest: The Lord be with you!
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. 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 all be seated and listen to the Homily.

HOMILY

RITE OF MARRIAGE
Commentator: All remain seated. The Bride and Groom please stand
for the Rite of Marriage. May I request the principal
sponsors to stand beside the couple.

ALLOCUTION
Priest: Dearly beloved _________&__________, you are here today to
seal your love with an eternal bond before the Church. I
assure you the prayers of our community that God may
pour his abundant blessings on your love and help you

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 to carry out the duties of the married state. And you,
dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may I ask you to help
them with your fervent prayers and accept them as a
new couple in our Christian community.

SCRUTINY
Priest: May I now ask you to answer truthfully the following
questions:
Priest: (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 good Christians the children
whom God will give you?
Bride and Groom: Yes, Father.

EXCHANGE OF CONSENT
Priest: _________&________, since you wish to contract Holy
Matrimony, please join your right hands and express
your intention before God and his Church.
(bride) do you take (groom) here present, as 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.

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Priest: Do you accept him as your lawful husband?
Bride: Yes, I do.
Priest: (groom), do you take (bride) here present, as 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 recite this prayer.
Bride and Groom: 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 the
present here as witness, confirm and bless the bond of
marriage which you have contracted. In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

BLESSING OF THE RINGS, ARRHAE AND BIBLE

Commentator: May we request the Ring, Arrhae and Bible Bearer to
come forward for the blessing of the rings, arrhae and
Holy Bible.
Priest: _____&________, we shall now bless your rings, arrhae and
Holy Bible. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

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All: He made heaven and earth.
Priest: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord, these rings so that your
children, ____________&________, who wear them may ever
live in mutual love and unbroken loyalty. We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Priest: Bless, O Lord these arrhae so that your children,
_______&________, may have sufficiency of material
possessions which these arrhae symbolize, so that they
may use them to attain eternal life. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Priest: Bless, O Lord this Holy Bible that Your word may give
________&_______life and guide them to live according to
your truth. May it always be the source of guidance to
them. Help them to anchor their marriage on Your word
which is the source of infinite strength and wisdom. We
ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS, GIVING OF ARRHAE AND BIBLE

Priest: Now give these rings to each other.
Groom: (Bride), accept and wear 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.
Bride: (Groom), accept and wear 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.
Groom: (Bride), I give these arrhae as a pledge of my dedication
and concern for your welfare and our children. In the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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Bride: And I accept them.
(Note: Blessing of Bible – OPTIONAL, if you have a Bible to be blessed
Priest: ___________&_____________ accept this Holy Bible, the Word of
God. Read it, live it and keep its spirit in your hearts so
guided by its message, you may go forth in peace always
in the love and service of the Lord.
Bride and Groom: We reverently receive this Bible as a symbol of
our being one in fully submitting to the will of God. May
it remain with us and our children for as long as we live.
All: Amen.

PRESENTATION OF THE COUPLE TO THE COMMUNITY

Priest: May all those who stand here today serve as witnesses to
this union. Let us always pray for __________&__________, as
they build together God’s little church in their family.
And now, brothers and sisters, as one community, let us
welcome __________&__________into their new lives as
husband and wife with a big round of applause.
Commentator: Please all stand for the Prayers of the faithful.

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

Priest: Dear brothers and sisters, let us now pray for the Church
and for our newly-wed couple, whose marriage reflects
the union of Christ and his Church. For every petition,
we will say: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: Let us pray for our Church, which is the bride of Christ,
that she may always be faithful in her mission of
spreading the good news of our salvation and Christ’s
love for us. We pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.

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Reader: Let us pray for our government leaders that they may
become God’s instrument in protecting the family and
defend life at all cost. We pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: Let us pray for the needs of our brothers and sisters, the
sick, the handicapped, the prisoners and all those
abandoned by their loved ones, that through their
presence in our community we may be enlightened and
show our charity with love. We pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: Let us pray for _________&__________, united today in God’s
love, founding a new family in our Christian community.
May they become God’s faithful stewards and
collaborators of God in rearing their future children. We
pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: Let us pray for all the young people who will embrace the
vocation to married life, that they may learn from the life
and experiences of others the beauty of love that comes
from purity, generosity and total commitment of heart.
We pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: For all us gathered here today and for those who could not
be with us that the blessings of this occasion, be upon us
throughout our lives. We pray.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Priest: God our Father, look down with favor upon your servants,
________&________. Grant them the grace to remain faithful
to You and to one another. And at the end of a long - well
spent life, reward them with eternal happiness together
with their children and with all those who love them.
Through Christ our Lord.

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All: Amen.

Commentator: Please be seated for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

(Offertory song - Instrumental)

RITE OF THE CANDLE, VEIL AND CORD

Commentator: _________&_________, please kneel.
(Candle)
We will now have the lighting of candles. May we
request the candle sponsors to light the bridal candles.
Commentator (as candles are being lit): The candles represent the
light from God that you will need to guide you
throughout the rest of your married life. The candles
also express the silent promise that you will continue to
be light and warmth to each other for life.
(Veil, please advise the sponsors not to cover the faces of the bride)
May now I call on the veil sponsors, to place the veil
over ____________&_____________.
Commentator (as veil is being placed): Let this veil be a symbol of
the faithful love you have for each other. Through the
passing of the years, let it remind you that you belong to
each other and to no one else.
(Cord)
May I now call on the cord sponsors, to place the cord
over ____________&______________.
Commentator (as cord is being placed): This cord symbolizes an
infinite bond of love you share that keeps your
relationship strong in the face of adversity, as well as

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 that you both are no longer two, but one in marriage.
May this cord remind you to face your life together
courageously and to be mutual in support of each other
in carrying out your duties and responsibilities as a
couple. And, may your love grow stronger and bind you
closer together through the years.

OFFERTORY
(Time of Covid: No Offertory procession
Offerings in kind will be placed in the steps leading to the altar before
the ceremony)

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your
goodness, we have this bread to offer, which earth has
given and human hands have made. It will become or us
the bread of life.
All: Blessed be God for ever.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your
goodness, we have this wine to offer, which earth has
given and human hands have made. It will become for us
the spiritual drink.
All: Blessed be God forever.
Commentator: Please all stand.
Priest: Pray my bothers 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 all His church.

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PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Priest: Receive, we pray, O Lord, the offering made on the
occasion of the sealing of the sacred bond of Marriage
between ___________&__________ and just as your goodness
is its origin, may your providence guide its course.
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. For you have forged the
covenant of marriage as a sweet yoke of harmony and
unbreakable bond of peace, so that the chaste and
fruitful love of Holy Matrimony may serve to increase
the children you adopt as your own. By your providence
and grace, O Lord, you accomplish the wonder of this
twofold design: that while the birth of children brings
beauty to the world, their rebirth in Baptism gives
increase to the Church, through Christ our Lord.
Through him, with all the Angels and the Saints, we
praise you, and without end we acclaim:
Sanctus

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 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.
Hosanna in the highest.
Commentator: Please kneel for the Consecration.

CONSECRATION
Priest: You are holy indeed, O Lord, the fountain 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 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.”
Priest: The mystery of faith.

Commentator: Please remain kneeling.

All: (to be recited) We proclaim your Death, o Lord, and
profess your Resurrection until you come again.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

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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 fullness of charity, together with
Francis, Our Pope, Reynaldo, our Bishop and all the
clergy.
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 Blessed Joseph, her
spouse, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who
have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to
be co-heirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify
you through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through Him, with Him, and in Him, o God, Almighty
Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
honor is yours, forever and ever.
All: Amen.

COMMUNION RITE
Priest: At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:
(Our Father-song)
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

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 forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and 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 ________________ &
_______________ that in His kindness He may favor with His
help those on whom He has bestowed the Sacrament of
Matrimony.
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 ____________ (groom), and upon __________ (bride), his
companion for life, and may the power of the 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 surround them, may they come to the Kingdom of
Heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

SIGN OF PEACE
Priest: Lord, Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: “I leave you
peace, my peace I give you”. Look not on our sins, but on

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 faith of your Church and grant us the peace and the unity
of Your kingdom where you live forever 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.
All: Peace be with you!
LAMB OF GOD
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, grant
us peace.
Commentator: Please 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.

HOLY COMMUNION
(Communion- Song)

Commentator (after everyone has received communion): May we

request the secondary sponsors to remove the veil and cord.

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 PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Commentator (at the signal of the Priest): Please stand.
Priest: Let us pray. By the power of this sacrifice, O Lord,
accompany with your loving favor what in your
providence you have instituted, so as to make of one
heart in love those you have already joined in this holy
union and replenished with the one Bread and the one
Chalice. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

CONCLUDING RITES/ADMONITION
Priest: ________________&____________now that you have received the
Holy Sacrament of Marriage, I admonish you to remain
faithful to one another.
_________(bride), love your husband and be a good wife.
Persevere in faith, love and holiness.
_________(groom), love your wife as Christ loves His
Church, and live with her in the holy fear of the Lord.

THE FINAL BLESSING

Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.

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 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: May you be blessed with your children, have solace in
your friends and enjoy true peace with everyone.
All: Amen.
Priest: May you be witnesses in the world to God’s charity, so that
the afflicted and needy who have known your kindness
may one day receive you thankfully into the eternal
dwelling of God.
All: Amen.
Priest: And may the almighty God bless you all, in the name of the
Father, and of the Son +, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Priest: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
All: Thanks be to God.
Priest: Let us all welcome Mr. & Mrs. ___________________to their new
life as husband and wife in the eyes of God. _________, you
may now kiss your wife, _________.
Commentator: Let us give the newly married couple another big
round of applause.

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SIGNING OF THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT
Commentator: We now come to the signing of the
contract by the priest and the newlywed couple to be
followed by the principal sponsors.
We would like also to request everyone to please be
seated for a short pictorial, please come forward as I say
the order of the picture taking.

ORDER OF PICTURE TAKING

1) Couple with Officiating Priest
2) Couple
3) Couple with Parents of the Groom
4) Couple with Mother of the Bride
5) Couple with Both Parents
6) Couple with Bride’s Immediate family
7) Couple with both Groom & Bride’s Families

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8) Couple with Principal Sponsors
9) Couple with Best Man & Maids of Honor
10)Couple with Secondary Sponsors
11)Couple with Symbol Bearers and Flower Girls
12)Couple with Entire Bridal Entourage
13)Couple with Groom’s Relatives
14)Couple with Bride’s Relatives
15)Couple with both Groom & Bride’s Relatives
16)Couple with Groom’s Friends
17)Couple with Bride’s Friends

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 “Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

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