THE CELEBRATION OF MATRIMONY
(priest)
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,
so that they may be faithful to each other for ever
and assume all the responsibilities of married life.
And so, in the presence of the Church,
I ask you to state your intentions.
THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE CONSENT
N and N, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?
Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?
Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?
THE 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.
A
I, N, take you, N 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.
I, N, take you, N, 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.
Option A1 – reception by questions
N, do you take N to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?
The bridegroom says “I do.”
N, do you take N to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?
The bride says “I do”.
B
I, N, take you, N, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.
I, N, take you, N, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.
Option B1 – reception by questions
N, do you take N for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?
The bridegroom says “I do.”
N, do you take N for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?
The bride says “I do.”
THE RECEPTION OF THE CONSENT
(priest)
A
May the Lord in his kindness strengthened the consent you have declared before the Church, and bring to fulfillment his blessing within you.
What God joins together, let no one put asunder.
Or:
B
May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God who joined together our first parents in paradise, strengthen and bless in Christ the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what God joins together, no one may put asunder.
[After either A or B]
Let us bless the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God
THE BLESSING AND GIVING OF RINGS
A
May the Lord bless + these rings which you will give to each other as the sign of love and fidelity.
Amen
B
O Lord, we bless + these rings in your name. May those who wear them remain entirely faithful to each other,
abide in peace and in your good will,
and always live in mutual charity.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
C
O Lord, bless + and sanctify your servants in their love.
Let these rings, a sign of their faithfulness,
remind them of their love for one another.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
N, 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.
N, take 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.