Here is the complete range of texts that can be chosen during the Roman Catholic celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage.
THE CHOICE OF TEXTS:
The Greeting
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.
Or
Priest: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
All: And with your spirit.
Or
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Gloria
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 Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
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.
Choices for the Opening Prayer
Priest: Let us pray.
All pray in silence for a brief period.
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 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, for ever and ever.
OR:
O God, who in creating the human race
willed that man and wife should be one,
join, we pray, in a bond of inseparable love
these your servants who are to be united
in the covenant of Marriage so that,
as you make their love fruitful, they may become,
by your grace, witnesses to charity itself.
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.
OR:
Be attentive to your prayers, O Lord,
and in your kindness pour out your grace
on these your servants (N. and N.), 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.
OR:
O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage
by so great a mystery that in the wedding covenant
you foreshadow the Sacrament of Christ and his Church,
grant, we pray, to these your servants,
that what they receive in faith they may live out in deeds.
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.
OR:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that these your servants,
now to be joined by the Sacrament of Matrimony,
may grow in the faith they profess
and enrich your Church with faithful offspring.
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.
OR:
O God, who since the beginning of the world
have blessed the increase of offspring,
show favour to our supplications
and pour forth the help of your blessing
on these your servants (N. and N.),
so that in the union of Marriage
they may be bound together in mutual affection,
in likeness of mind and in shared holiness.
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
THE RITE OF MARRIAGE:
The Choice of Address Formulary
(Bride) and (Groom) and their witnesses (Chief bridesmaid) and (Best man) stand. The Priest addresses them in these words.
1. Dear children of God, you have come to this church so that the Lord may seal your love in the presence of the priest and this community.
Christian marriage is a sacred union which enriches natural love. It binds those who enter it to be faithful to each other for ever; it creates between them a bond that endures for life and cannot be broken; it demands that they love and honour each other, (that they accept from God the children he may give them, and bring them up in his love). To help them in their marriage the husband and wife receive the life-long grace of the sacrament.
Is this your understanding of marriage?
Bride and Groom: It is.
OR
2.
Dear children of God, you have come to this church so that the Lord may seal your love in the presence of the priest and this community. Christ blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in Baptism; now, by a special sacrament, he strengthens you to fulfil the duties of your married life.
(Priest) then questions the bride and groom.
Priest: (Bride) and (Groom), you are about to celebrate this sacrament. Have you come here of your own free will and choice and without compulsion to marry each other?
Bride and Groom: We have
Priest: Will you love and honour each other in marriage all the days of your life?
Bride and Groom: We will
Priest: Are you willing to accept with love the children God may send you and bring them up in accordance with the law of Christ and his Church? [this question may be omitted, e.g. if the couple is advanced in years]
Bride and Groom: We are.
OR
3.
Dear children of God, you have come today to pledge your love before God and before the Church here present in the person of priest, your families and friends.
In becoming husband and wife you give yourselves to each other for life. You promise to be true and faithful, to support and cherish each other until death, so that your years together will be the living out in love of the pledge you now make. May your love for each other reflect the enduring love of Christ for his Church.
As you face the future together, keep in mind that the sacrament of marriage unites you with Christ, and brings you, through the years, the grace and blessing of God our Father. Marriage is from God: he alone can give you the happiness which goes beyond human expectation, and which grows deeper through the difficulties and struggles of life.
Put your trust in God as you set out together in life. Make your home a centre of Christian family life. (in this you will bequeath to your children a heritage more lasting than temporal wealth).
The Christian home makes Christ and his Church present in the world of everyday things. May all who enter your home find there the presence of the Lord; for he has said: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Now, as you are about to exchange your marriage vows, the Church wishes to be assured that you appreciate the meaning of what you do, and so I ask you:
Priest: Have you come here of your own free will and choice and without compulsion to marry each other?
Bride and Groom: We Have
Priest: Will you love and honour each other in marriage all the days of your life?
Bride and Groom: We will
Priest: Are you willing to accept with love the children God may send you and bring them up in accordance with the law of Christ and his Church?
Bride and Groom: We are.
Declaration Of Consent – Choice of Formularies (those approved for use in Ireland)
Priest: I invite you then to declare before God and his Church your consent to become husband and wife.
The Bride and Groom turn to face towards each other, and join hands.
Version 1:
Groom: (Bride), do you consent to be my wife?
Bride: I do. Do you (Groom) consent to be my husband?
Groom: I do.
Groom: I take you as my wife and I give myself to you as your husband –
Bride: I take you as my husband and I give myself to you as your wife –
Joining hands, they say together:
Both: – to love each other truly
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part.
(or all the days of our life)
When (Bride) and (Groom) have given their consent, the priest says:
Priest: What God joins together man must not separate. May the Lord confirm the consent you have given and enrich you with his blessings.
Version 2:
Groom: I, (Groom) take you (Bride) as my wife,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part.
(or all the days of our life)
The bride says:
Bride: I, (Bride) take you (Groom) as my husband,
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do us part.
(or all the days of our life)
Priest: What God joins together man must not separate. May the Lord confirm the consent you have given and enrich you with his blessings.
Version3:
Priest: (Groom) do you take (Bride) as your wife,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do you part?
(or all the days of your life?)
Groom: I do.
Priest: (Bride) do you take (Groom) as your husband,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
till death do you part?
(or all the days of your life?)
Bride: I do.
Priest: What God joins together man must not separate. May the Lord confirm the consent you have given and enrich you with his blessings.
Version 4:
Groom: (Bride), do you consent to be my wife?
Bride: I do. Do you (Groom) consent to be my husband?
Groom: I do.
Joining hands, they say together:
Both: We take each other as husband and wife and promise to love each other truly
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health, till death do us part.
(or all the days of our life)
Priest: The Lord has joined you together. May he fulfil his blessing in you; may he keep you in his love.
Blessing of Rings – there is a choice of four versions:
After the exchange of vows, the best man places the ring(s) on the paten. The priest prays:
1. May the Lord bless + this ring (these rings) which will be the sign of your love and fidelity.
2. Lord, bless + (Bride) and (Groom) and consecrate their married life. May this ring (these rings) be a symbol of their faithful love in each other, and a reminder of their love. Through Christ our Lord.
3. Lord, bless + these rings. Grant that those who wear them may always be faithful to each other. May they do your will and live in peace with you and in mutual love. Through Christ our Lord.
4. Almighty God, bless this ring (these rings), + symbol(s) of faithfulness and unbroken love. May (Bride) and (Groom) always be true to each other, may they be one in heart and mind, may they be united in love forever, through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
(Groom) places the (Bride)’s ring on her finger saying:
Groom: (Bride) wear this ring as a sign of our love and fidelity (or “as a sign of our faithful love”).
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
(Bride) places (Groom)’s ring on his finger saying:
Bride: (Groom) wear this ring as a sign of our love and fidelity. (or “as a sign of our faithful love”).
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[optional]: Exchange of Tokens
VERSION 1:
(Groom) may give gold and silver to the bride saying:
Groom: I give this gold and silver, tokens of all I possess.
VERSION 2:
(Bride) and (Groom) may exchange small symbolic gifts, saying:
Bride: (Groom), I give you this gift, a token of all I possess.
Groom: (Bride), I give you this gift, a token of all I possess.
Prayer of the Newly Married Couple: (optional)
The couple pray the following prayer or a prayer of thanks to God they have composed themselves:
We thank you, Lord, and we praise you
for bringing us to this happy day.
You have given us to each other.
Now, together, we give ourselves to you.
We ask you, Lord: make us one in our love;
keep us one in your peace.
Protect our marriage. Bless our home.
Make us gentle. Keep us faithful.
And when life is over unite us again
where parting is no more in the kingdom of your love.
There we will praise you in the happiness and peace of our eternal home. Amen.
Prayer of the Faithful
Here are some samples of the format/ themes for intercessions at a Wedding Celebration:
Priest: Now that (Bride) and (Groom), have given themselves to each other in Christian marriage let us ask God our Father to keep them and all married couples faithful to him, and united in themselves:
(Person 1): For (Bride) and (Groom) as they begin their married life together, and for happiness in their home, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
[or: Lord hear us; Lord graciously hear us.]
(Person 2): For their parents, their friends and all who have helped them to this happy day, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
(Person 3): For all young people who are preparing for marriage, and for those called to other vocations, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
(Person 4): For all who are victims of injustice, and for those deprived of love and affection, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
(Person 5): For all married couples, especially those experiencing difficulty in their marriage, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
(Person 6): For our friends and relatives, who have departed this life, and for all the faithful departed, let us pray to the Lord. All: Lord, hear our prayer
Priest: God our Father, you taught us that love is the fulfilling of the law: may (Bride) and (Groom), grow in love for each other, and always remain in love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
a choice from the following:
1. Receive, we pray, O Lord,
the offering made on the occasion
of this sealing of the sacred bond of Marriage,
and, just as your goodness is its origin,
may your providence guide its course.
Through Christ our Lord.
2. Receive in y our 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. Amen.
3. Show favour to our supplications, O Lord, and receive with a kindly countenance the oblations we offer for these your servants, joined now in a holy covenant, that through these mysteries they may be strengthened in love for one another and for you.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Preface Of Christian Marriage for the Eucharistic Prayer:
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.
Preface I The Dignity of the Marriage Covenant
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 an 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 the Angels and all the Saints,
we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim.
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.
OR
Preface II: The Great Sacrament of Marriage
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 Christ our Lord.
For in him you have made a 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 join hers 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 the Angels and all the Saints, we praise you, and without end we acclaim
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts…
OR
Preface III: Marriage A sign of God’s Love.
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 willed that the human race,
created by the gift of your goodness,
should be raised to such high dignity
that in the union of husband and wife
you might bestow a true image of your love.
For those you created out of charity
you call to the law of charity without ceasing
and grant them a share in your eternal charity.
And so, the Sacrament of holy Matrimony,
as the abiding sign of you own love,
consecrates the love of man and woman, through Christ our Lord.
Through him, with the Angels and all the Saints, we sing the Hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim:
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts…
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER i, ii, OR iii NOW FOLLOWS.
The Nuptial Blessing
This solemn prayer of Blessing takes place immediately after the Our Father and replaces the prayer “Deliver us Lord from every evil…”
Choose one of these 4 different versions:
1. Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly pray to the Lord that on these his servants, now married in Christ, he may mercifully pour out the blessing of his grace and make of hone heart in love (by the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood) those he has joined by a holy covenant.
All pray in silence for a short while. The Priest then extends his hands over the couple, who kneel, and continues…
O God, who by your mighty power created all things out of nothing, and, when you had set in place the beginnings of the universe, formed man and woman in your own image, making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man, that they might no longer be two, but one flesh, and taught that what you were pleased to make one must never be divided.
O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage by so great a mystery that in the wedding covenant your foreshadowed the Sacrament of Christ and his Church:
O God, by whom woman is joined to man and the companionship they had in the beginning is endowed with the one blessing not forfeited by original sin nor washed away by the flood.
Look now with favour on these your servants, joined together in marriage who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.
Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit and pour your love into your hearts, that they may remain faithful in the Marriage covenant.
May the grace of love and peace abide in your daughter N. and let he always follow the example of those holy women whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.
May her husband entrust his heart to her, so that, acknowledging her as his equal and his joint heir to the life of grace, he may show her due honour and cherish her always wit the love that Christ has for his Church.
And now, Lord, we implore you: may these your servants hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments: made one in the flesh, may they be blameless in all they do: and with the strength that comes from the Gospel, may they bear true witness to Christ before all; (may they be blessed with children, and prove themselves virtuous parents, who live to see their children’s children.)
And grant that reaching at last together the fullness of years for which they hope, they may come to the life of the blessed in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
OR
2.
Priest:Let us pray to the Lord for this bride and groom, who come to the altar as they begin their married life, that (partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ) they may always be bound together by love for one another.
Holy Father, who formed man in your own image, male and female you created them, so that as husband d and wife, united in body and heart, they might fulfil their calling in the world;
O God, who, to reveal the great design you formed in your love, willed that eth love of spouses for each other should foreshadow the covenant you graciously made with your people, so that, by fulfilment of the sacramental sign, the mystical marriage of Christ with his Church might become manifest in the union of husband and wife among your faithful.
Graciously stretch out your right hand over these your servants (N. and N.), we pray, and pour into their hearts, the power of the Holy Spirit.
Grant, O Lord, that, as they enter upon this sacramental union, they may share with one another the gifts of your love and, by being for each other a sign of your presence, become one heart and one mind.
May they also sustain, O Lord, by their deeds the home they are forming
(and prepare their children to become members of your heavenly household by raising them in the way of the Gospel.)
Graciously crown with your blessings your daughter N. so that, by being a good wife (and mother), she may bring warmth to her home with a love that is pure and adorn it with welcoming graciousness.
Bestow a heavenly blessing also, O Lord, on N., your servant, that he may be a worthy, good and faithful husband (and father).
Grant, holy Father, that, desiring to approach your table as a couple joined in Marriage in your presence, they may one day have the joy of taking part in your great banquet in heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
OR
3. 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 favour with his help those on whom he has bestowed the sacrament of marriage.
All pray in silence for a short while. The Priest then extends his hands over the couple, who kneel, and continues…
Holy Father, maker of the 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 form 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 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.
Prayer After Communion
Choose from one of the following 3 options:
Priest: Let us pray.
1. By the power of this sacrifice, O Lord,
accompany with your loving favour
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.
2. Having been 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.
3. Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the power of the Sacrament we have received may find growth in these your servants and that the effects of the sacrifice we have offered may be felt by us all. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Final Blessing (at the end of Mass)
Choose one of the following 3 different versions:
Priest: The Lord be with you
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.
1. Priest: May God the eternal Father keep you of one heart in love for one another, that the peace of Christ dwell in you and abide always in your home.
All: Amen
Priest: May you be blessed in 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 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 to love and serve the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
OR
2. 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 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.
Priest: And may almighty God bless you all, who are gathered here- the Father, and the Son + and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen
Priest: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God
OR
3. Priest: May the Lord Jesus, who graced the marriage at Cana by his presence, bless you and your loved ones.
All: Amen
Priest: May he, who loved the Church to the end, unceasingly pour his love into your hearts.
All: Amen
Priest: May the Lord grant that, bearing witness to faith in his Resurrection, you may await with joy the blessed hope to come.
All: Amen
Priest: And may almighty God bless you all who are gathered here, the Father, and the Son + and the Holy Spirit
All: Amen
Priest: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
All: Thanks be to God