Catholic Rite Sample Ceremony

The Greeting
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
All: Amen
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.

Penitential Rite
Priest: Lord, we have sinned against your mercy.
All: Lord have mercy.
Priest: Lord show us your mercy and love.
All: And grant us your salvation.
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

Gloria (said or sung)

Priest: Glory to God in the highest,
All: 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.

Opening Prayer
Priest: Let us pray.
Father, hear our prayers for GROOM and BRIDE, who today are united in marriage before your
altar.
Give them your blessing, and strengthen their love for each other. We ask this though our Lord
Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever.
All: Amen.

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 Liturgy of the Word

First Reading (nine options)

A reading from the Song of Songs (8:6-7)
My lover 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 (seven options; many composers have set them to music)
Reader: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
All: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
and walk in his ways!
By the labor of your hands you shall eat.
You will be blessed and prosper.
All: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
Your children like shoots of the olive
around your table.
All: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Indeed thus shall be blessed
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion:
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children.
All: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Second Reading (fourteen options)

A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (12:31-13:8).
If I do not have love, I gain nothing. But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still
more excellent way.
If I speak in tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clang-
ing cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all the mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my

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possessions, and I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist
on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in
the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never
ends. The Word of The Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Reading (ten options)

A reading from the Gospel according to Mark (10:6-9)
But from the beginning of creation he made them male and female. This is why a man leaves
his father and mother, and the two become one flesh. They are no longer two, therefore, but one
flesh. So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily (based on the Scriptures)

The Rite of Marriage

Priest: 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 con-
secrated you in Baptism; now, by a special sacrament, he strengthens you to fulfil the duties of
your married life.
GROOM and BRIDE, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and
wholeheartedly?
The bridegroom and bride each say: I have.
Priest: 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.
Priest: 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.

Declaration of Consent (two versions of the vows to choose from)

The bride and groom declare their consent using one of the following formulas:
Option 1.
I (name) take you (name) to be my wife/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 2.
I (name) take you (name) for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day for-
ward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish
until death do us part.
Or, the bride and groom may each answer “I do” after the priest or deacon poses the question.

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Blessing of the Rings (three versions of the prayer to choose from)
Priest: Almighty God, bless these rings, symbols of faithfulness and unbroken love. May GROOM
and BRIDE 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.
Both: Amen.
Groom: (Placing the ring on bride’s finger)
BRIDE, wear this ring as a sign of our love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Bride: (Placing the ring on groom’s finger)
GROOM, wear this ring as a sign of our love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Blessing and giving of the Arras (optional)

Candle Ceremony (optional)

Universal Prayer
The couple can work with the priest to write their own.
Reader: For GROOM & BRIDE, that the Lord who has brought them together on this special
day may help their love grow deeper and deeper each day, filling their lives with happiness and
peace. Lord hear us.
All: Lord, graciously hear us.
Reader: For the parents, family and friends of BRIDE and GROOM, and all who have helped
them to become husband and wife. We pray that God will reward them for their goodness. Lord
hear us.
All: Lord, graciously hear us.
Reader: Lord, we pray for the faithful departed. We pray for all our relatives and friends who
have touched our lives in a special way but are no longer with us. Lord hear us.
All: Lord, graciously hear us.
Reader: Let us pray for those who have traveled here be with GROOM and BRIDE on their spe-
cial day. May they return home safely. Lord hear us.
All: Lord, graciously hear us.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Presentation of the Gifts

Prayer over the gifts

Priest: Lord accept the gifts we offer you on this special day. In your fatherly love, watch over and
protect GROOM and BRIDE, whom you have united today in marriage. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

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Eucharistic Prayer
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
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 to give Him thanks and praise.
Priest: Father, all powerful and ever living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you
thanks. By this sacrament your grace unites man and woman in an unbreakable bond of love
and peace. The love of BRIDE and GROOM is made holy in the sacrament of marriage and be-
comes the mirror of God’s everlasting love. Through Christ the choirs of angles and all the saints
praise and worship your glory. May our voices blend with theirs as we join in their unending
hymn of praise.
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
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
Priest: Father you are holy indeed, and all creation rightly gives you praise. All life, all holiness
comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit.
From age to age you gather your people to yourself, so that from east to west a perfect offering
may be made to the glory of your name.
And so, Father, we bring you these gifts, we ask you to make them holy by the power of your
Spirit, and that they may become the body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at
whose command we celebrate this Eucharist.
On the night he was betrayed, he took the bread and gave you thanks and praise. He broke the
bread, gave it to his disciples and said:
Take This, All Of You And Eat It, This Is My Body Which Will Be Given Up For You.
When supper was ended he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to
his disciples, and said:
Take This, All Of You, And Drink From It, This Is The Cup Of My Blood, The Blood Of
The New And Everlasting Covenant. It Will Be Shed For You And For All So That
Sins May Be Forgiven. Do This In Memory Of Me.
Priest: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
All: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Lord’s Prayer
Priest: Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Saviour gave us:
All: Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in Heaven.

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Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and do not let us fall into temptation
but deliver us from evil.

Blessing and Placing of the Lazo or the Veil (optional)

Nuptial Blessing (three versions to choose from)

Priest: Let us ask God to bless BRIDE & GROOM, now married in Christ, and unite them in his
Love.
God, our Father, creator of the universe, you made man and woman in your own likeness and
blessed their union.
We humbly pray to you for BRIDE & GROOM today united in the sacrament of marriage.
May your blessing come upon them.
May they find happiness in their love for each other.
May they praise you in their days of happiness and turn to you in times of sorrow.
May they know the joy of your help in their work and the strength of your presence in their need.
May they worship you with the Church and be your witnesses in the world.
May old age come to them in the company of their friends,
and may they reach at last the Kingdom of Heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Sign of Peace

Lamb of God
All: Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us!
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace!

Holy Communion
An appropriate Communion song should be sung.

Concluding Rite

Solemn Blessing
Priest: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Priest: The Lord Jesus was present at the wedding at [wedding place]; today may he bless you and
your families and friends.
All: Amen.
Priest: He loved his Church to the end: may he fill your hearts to overflowing with his love.
All: Amen.
Priest: May he give you the grace to bear witness to his resurrection, and look forward to his
coming with hope and joy.

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All: Amen.
Priest: May the peace of Christ ever dwell in your home; may the angels of God protect it, and
may the holy family of Nazareth be its model and inspiration.
All: Amen.
Priest: May almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen
Priest: Go in the peace of Christ
All: Thanks be to God

Signing of the Marriage Record

Recessional
A hymn could be sung, or instrumental music could be played.

*******

Options for the Readings

First Reading
Male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26-28, 31a)
The two of them become one body (Genesis 2:18-24)
In his love for Rebekah, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother (Genesis 24:48-51, 58-67)
May the Lord of heaven prosper you both. May he grant you mercy and peace (Tobit 7:6-14)
Allow us to live together to a happy old age (Tobit 8:4b-8)
The woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31)
Stern as death is love (Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a)
Like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her
home (Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16)
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31-32a,
33-34a)

Responsorial Psalm
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 33)
I will bless the Lord at all times (Psalm 34)
The Lord is kind and merciful (Psalm 103)
Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands (Psalm 112)
Blessed are those who fear the Lord (Psalm 128)
How good is the Lord to all (Psalm 145)
Let all praise the name of the Lord (Psalm 148)

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Second Reading
What will separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:31b-35, 37-39)
Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1-2, 9-18)
Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you (Romans 15:1b-3a, 5-7, 13)
Your body is a temple of the Spirit (Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20)
If I do not have love, I gain nothing (Corinthians 12:31-13:8a)
One Body and one Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-6)
This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:2a, 21-33)
The God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:4-9)
And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:12-17)
Let marriage be held in honor by all (Hebrews 13:1-4a, 5-6b)
Be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another (1 Peter 3:1-9)
Love in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18-24)
God is love (1 John 4:7-12)
Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:1, 5-9a)

Gospel
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven (Matthew 5:1-12a)
You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16)
A wise man built his house on rock (Matthew 7:21, 24-29)
What God has united, man must not separate (Matthew 19:3-6)
This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it. (Matthew 22:35-40)
They are no longer two, but one flesh (Mark 10:6-9)
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee (John 2:1-11)
Remain in my love (John 15:9-12)
This is my commandment: love one another (John 15:12-16)
That they may be brought to perfection as one (John 17:20-26)

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