Outline of Wedding Ceremony
Opening Rite
Liturgy of the Word
- 1st Reading
- Psalm (sung)
- 2nd Reading
- Alleluia (sung)
- Gospel
Rite of Marriage
- Address Option 1 or option 2
- Vows Option 1 or option 2
- Rings
- Exchange of Coins Optional
- Prayer of the newly weds
- Prayer of the Faithful Choose 4 – 6 petitions
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Eucharistic Prayer No need to print it all.
Concluding Rite
Opening Rite
PriestThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
AllAnd with your spirit.
Gloria
PriestGlory 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 God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
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
PriestLet us pray...
AllAmen.
Liturgy of the Word
Choose
one first reading,
one Responsorial Psalm, which is ideally sung,
a second reading,
and a Gospel reading which the priest will read.
First Readings
A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus 6:14-17
A loyal friend is a powerful defence: whoever finds one has indeed found a treasure. A loyal friend is something beyond price, there is no measuring his worth.A loyal friend is the elixir of life, and those who fear the Lordwill find one.Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends, for as a person is, so is his friend too.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16. 8:6-7
I hear my love. See how he comes leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills.My love is like a gazelle, like a young stag. See where he stands behind our wall. He looks in at the window, he peers through the opening.My love lifts up his voice, he says to me, 'Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, come.My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock, in the coverts of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.My love is mine and I am his.
Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is strong as Death, passion as relentless as Sheol. The flash of it is a flash of fire, a flame of Yahweh himself.Love no flood can quench, no torrents drown
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the prophet Jeremiah31:31-34a
See, the days are coming - it is the Lord who speaks - when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive - it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, "Learn to know the Lord!" No, they will know me, the least no less than the greater - it is the Lord who speaks.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes3:1-8
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:
A time for giving birth, a time for dying;
a time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building.
A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing.
A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them;
a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for discarding.
A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time for keeping silent, a time for speaking.
A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Genesis1:26-28, 31
God said, "Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth."
God created humanity in the image of himself, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.God blessed them, saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth." God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Genesis2:18-24
The Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helpmate. So from the soil the Lord fashioned all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he would call them, each one was to bear the name the man would give it. The man gave names to all the wild beasts. But no helpmate suitable for man was found for him. So the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep. And while he slept he took one of his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man exclaimed: "This at last is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! This is to be called woman, for this was taken from man." This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 43:1-3a, 4 -5a
But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
Since you are precious and honoured in my sight,
and because I love you,
Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Ruth1:16-17
But Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Tobit8:4-8
When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobit and said, “Let us pray that the Lord may have mercy upon us.”And Tobit began to pray, “You are blessed, O God of our fathers; blessed, too, is your name for ever and ever. Let the heavens bless you and all things you have made for evermore. It was you who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his helpmate like himself.” And so I do not take my sister for any lustful motive; I do it in singleness of heart. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her.” And she said with him, “Amen.”
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
The cantor or choir sings a psalm, and the assembly sings the response.If the Responsorial Psalm is not sung, choose one of the following.
Option 1:Response: The Lord fills the earth with his love.Ps. 32
They are happy; whose God is the Lord,
The people he has chosen as His own.
The Lord looks on those who revere Him,
On those who hope in His love. R./
Our soul is waiting for the Lord
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In Him do our hearts find joy,
We trust in His holy name.R./
May your love be upon us,
O Lord as we place all our hope in you.R./
Option 2:Response: Praise the name of the Lord. Ps. 148
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his host. R./
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens
and the waters above the heavens.R./
All the mountains and hills,
all fruit trees and cedars,
beasts, wild and tame,
reptiles and birds on the wing. R./
Option 3:Response: How good is the Lord to all.Ps 144
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.R./
All your works shall thank you, O Lord,
and all your faithful ones bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign,
and declare your mighty deeds,R./
The Lord is just in all his ways,
and holy in all his deeds.
The Lord is close to all who call him,
who call on him in truth.R./
Option 4:The Lord is compassion and love.Ps. 102
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
He will not always find fault;
nor persist in his anger forever.R./
He does not treat us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so strong his mercy for those who fear him.R./
As far as the east is from the west,
so far from us does he remove our transgressions.
As a father has compassion on his children,
the Lord’s compassion is on those who fear him.R./
Option 5:Response:Taste and see that the Lord is good
I will bless the Lord at all times;
praise of him is always in my mouth.
In the Lord my soul shall make its boast;
the humble shall hear and be glad.R./
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free. R./
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This lowly called; the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress. R./
Second Readings
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians13:1-8a
If I have the eloquence of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all 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 possessions, and if 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 arrogantor 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.
A reading from the first letter of St John4:7-12
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans12:-9-18
Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying. If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special care.
Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor. Do not allow yourself to become self-satisfied. Never repay evil with evil but let everyone see that you are interested in the highest ideals. Do all you can to live at peace with everyone.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Colossians3:12-17
You are God's chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
The word of the Lord.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians4:4-9
I want you to be happy always in the Lord. I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone - the Lord is very near. There is no need to worry, but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters, fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour and everything that can be thought virtuous and worthy of praise. Keep doing all the things that you learned from me and have been taught by me and have heard or seen that I do. Then the God of peace will be with you.
The word of the Lord.
G o s p e l A c c l a m a t i o n s
usually sung
Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia, Alleluia!
As long as we love one anotherAnyone who lives in love lives in God,
God will live in us, and God lives in him.
and his love will be complete in us. Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia, Alleluia!
God is love; Everyone who loves is born of God,
let us love one another and knows him.
as God has loved us. Alleluia
Alleluia
Gospel Readings
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to N.
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew5:3-10
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. He began to speak. This is what he taught them:
'How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Gospel of the Lord.