St. Peter Catholic Church

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 22, 2012
The Whole Church Celebrates with You…
The Sacrament of Marriage
We are in the midst of the “wedding season” and so I thought a few
reflections on the Sacrament of Marriage might be a good idea.
“We’re getting Married!” With these few simple words, an
engaged couple announces the most important decision of their
lives. This decision affects not only the couple, but also their
families and friends. No longer is John just “our son,” “our
nephew” or “my college buddy.” No longer is Mary just “my
daughter,” “our cousin” or “my friend from work.” Now they are
also partners who have agreed to pledge their lives to each other
and form a new family.
As they gather around John and Mary at the wedding, these family
members and friends celebrate these changes in relationships.
When a wedding is celebrated in church, there is another level of
relationship beyond family and friends, and that involves God and
the Church. In their exchange of vows, the couple offers a visible
sign of God’s presence and love. It is an act of worship that takes
place in the midst of a Christian community. In living out their
vows, husband and wife share in Christ’s paschal mystery by dying
to their own desires so as to live for each other and their children.
Their marriage reflects Christ’s relationship with the Church and
creates a new family within the community of the Church.
A church wedding touches the couple, their families and friends in
an especially intimate way, but is also pertains to the local parish
and to the larger church. This is what the bishops at the Second
Vatican Council means when they said, “Liturgical services are not
private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is ‘the
sacrament of unity’” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 26).
Catholic weddings are parish liturgies and, as such, are often
announced in the parish bulletin. Weddings may even be celebrated
within a parish Sunday Mass. While one may need an invitation to
attend the reception, the wedding liturgy is a celebration of the
whole church and is open to all parishioners.
Preparing Yourselves to Celebrate Marriage
The months before a wedding are usually a time of intense planning
for the “big day.” Here are three things not to overlook in preparing
for a Catholic wedding:
1. In the Roman Catholic Church, the couple is the minister of the
sacrament of marriage. The bride and groom exchange vows to
each other. The priest or deacon serves as the Church’s chief
witness; he does not “pronounce them husband and wife.” Other
roles in a Catholic wedding include two additional witnesses ( the
“best man” and “maid or matron of honor”), lectors to proclaim the
scripture readings and intercessions, music ministers to lead the
assembly’s singing, and, if the wedding takes place within Mass,
additional ministers of communion might be needed.
2. Some things are essential for a Catholic wedding; others are not.
Essential things include the scripture readings, homily, statement of
intention (“Have you come here freely and without reservation to
give yourselves to each other in marriage?”), consent or exchange
of vows, and nuptial blessing. Things that are NOT essential
include seating guests of the bride and guests of the groom on
separate sides of the aisle, keeping the bride and groom apart before
the wedding, unrolling a white aisle runner before the entrance
procession, the lighting of a unity candle, and placing a flower
before the statue of the Blessed Mother,
3
3. There are no spectators at a Catholic wedding. The bishops at the
Second Vatican Council made “full, conscious, and active
participation” by all worshippers “the aim to be considered before all
else” in liturgy (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 14). Just as at
Sunday Mass, certain individuals fulfill various ministries within the
wedding liturgy, but the entire assembly of worshippers celebrates
the liturgy. When you go to a wedding, listen attentively to the
scriptures the couple has chosen, sing the music they have selected,
respond to the prayers in a strong voice. I am continually amazed at
a wedding liturgy how weak the responses are on the part of the
assembly. It often is such an oddity to me at a wedding or a funeral
that so many Catholics seem “thrown” by the liturgy. It appears
foreign or unfamiliar thus the responses become weak or worse, nonexistent.
The enthusiastic participation of the entire assembly of
worshippers is the best gift anyone can give to the couple on their
“big day.”
It is always so great when the couple is involved in the wedding
liturgy preparation and invests time and energy in choosing the Word
of God, the selection of the nuptial blessing, a gift for the poor, a
special prayer of the couple, the preparation of the intercessions and a
careful selection of the participants for the offertory procession. The
prayerful preparation of the wedding liturgy by the couple becomes a
true gift to their guests and the entire Church. It is so wonderful
when the couple invests as much time and care for the liturgy as they
have for the reception, the selection of the wedding party, and the
clothes to be worn that day.
The Search is On!!!!
We are on the threshold of beginning a new “class” for the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults, the RCIA. Our next session begins in
September. In the meantime we need candidates (those already
baptized in another Christian church but not in communion with the
Catholic Church) and Catechumens (those unbaptized and have had
not religious affiliation). Surveys have clearly shown that folks
come to the RCIA by a gentle invitation from us. Signs are great.
Information nights are terrific. Homilies are super - but the best way
and the most lasting way people come into the church is clearly by
you and me asking them to become a Catholic and join us in the faith.
We are ALL in the evangelization business. It is ALL of our
responsibility to propagate the Catholic Faith and to spread that faith
far and wide. So let’s not be bashful or timid about encouraging and
asking people we know…relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors…
those who do not have a church at this time or have shown an interest
in our church, our parish. If someone you know has been asking
questions invite them to check us out.
For more information about the RCIA contact Linda Doyle, our
Coordinator of Faith Formation for Adults, at Ursuline Hall, 822-
1347.
What a summer! Please, Lord, a little rain would be so good!
Pray for our poor farmers and those who must work out in this
heat.
Father Mike gets home from his vacation in Germany tonight
and I leave today for my vacation in the Tetons and Yellowstone.
See you in a couple of weeks. Father Mike is in charge and I told
him NOT to sell the church…unless he gets a good price!
Peace and all good!
Monsignor Jack
1-3-5