Usscb Liturgest Suggests Groom And Bride Both Walk Down Aisle

[TotusTuusMaria]

[url="http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-097.shtml"]http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-097.shtml[/url]

Groom with parents first, then bride with parents, suggests liturgist
Couples can memorize vows to speak from the heart
Liturgical roles let many participate

HAVING BOTH BRIDE, GROOM ESCORTED DOWN THE AISLE WITH PARENTS EXPRESSES EQUALITY, SAYS LITURGIST

WASHINGTON—Having both bride and groom escorted down the aisle by their parents expresses equality of the man and woman. That’s also the suggestion of the Catholic Rite of Marriage, said Father Rick Hilgartner, associate director of the U.S. Bishop’ Secretariat for Divine Worship.

“The bride and the groom enter freely and equally into marriage, and the entrance procession should reflect that,” he said.

Father Hilgartner also recommended that the couple memorize their marriage vows rather than repeat them after the priest for a more meaningful and memorable occasion. He offered the suggestions in “Ten Things to Consider for Planning the Celebration of Your Marriage in the Catholic Church,” a resource posted on the Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at [url="http://foryourmarriage.org"]http://foryourmarriage.org[/url].

1. Marriage is a Sacrament!
A marriage between two Christians is a sacrament, that is, an encounter with Jesus Christ. The bride and the groom, pledge their selfless love for each other. All present can look at the bride and groom and see Jesus, as the bride and the groom look at each other and see Jesus’ love.

2. The Bride and the Groom are the Ministers of the Sacrament.
The ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage are the bride and groom. The priest (or deacon) acts as the official witness of the church and the state, but the bride and the groom marry each other.

3. Marriage is a matter of faith.
Marriage presupposes, renews and strengthens faith. Preparation for marriage invites couples to reflect on God’s presence in their lives and the grace He gives them to live daily in mutual and lasting fidelity.

4. The Scriptures: God’s Word to you, and your word to the world
Couples normally choose three readings (one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament letters, and one from the Gospels) for their wedding. Couples can reflect on what they believe God is saying to them and what they want to say about their own faith on that day.

5. Vows: what you say, what you promise, what you live
The heart of the Rite of Marriage is the exchange of vows. Some suggest that couples memorize their vows so they can experience the exchange of consent more powerfully, by speaking the vows from the heart, rather than repeating them after the priest. In this way, they can spend time pondering what the vows mean and remember the words for years to come.

6. Music: to stir the soul and lift the mind
Music adds beauty and has an important liturgical function. It accompanies the procession of the ministers and the bridal party and is an integral part of the Liturgy itself. The singing of the acclamations and responses by the assembly, hymns and songs at the entrance (gathering) and Communion procession are urged in the Rite of Marriage. Music should communicate the mystery of God’s love in Jesus, especially as it pertains to the couple joined in marriage.

7. Procession: Here comes the bride… and the groom!
The bride and the groom enter freely and equally into marriage, and the entrance procession should reflect that. The Rite of Marriage suggests that the liturgical ministers (priest, deacon, reader, servers) lead the procession, followed by the bride and bridegroom, each escorted by “at least their parents and the witnesses.” Perhaps the groom goes first, led by his attendants and escorted by his parents, followed by the bride, led by her attendants and escorted by her parents.

8. Ministries: more than just the bridal party
Relatives and friends both stand by as attendants but also perform a liturgical function as official witnesses of the marriage. Other liturgical roles include readers to proclaim the Bible readings and announce the general intercessions, family or friends to present the offertory gifts of bread and wine, servers to assist at the altar and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. The officiating priest (or deacon) can provide guidance throughout the process.

9. Family + Friends = Liturgical Assembly
Loved ones at the ceremony represent the community of the Church, who surround the couple with encouragement and prayers; they form a liturgical assembly that stands before the Lord with hearts open to his loving power.

10. Above all, pray!
The wedding liturgy (whether celebrated at Mass or apart from it) is an act of worship. It is a time to offer praise and thanks to God for his gifts, and to seek his continued blessings and help. It is a time to thank God for the gift of one’s spouse and for the couple to ask the Lord’s blessing and guidance as they become witnesses of His love for them and for the world.

In addition to the variety of resources that parishes provide for couples, many helpful resources are available online. Among them is www.foryourmarriage.org, a project of the Catholic Communication Campaign and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Keywords: Marriage, bride, groom, wedding, Catholic, U. S. Bishops, Father Rick Hilgartner, Rite of Marriage

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I don't know... so is this an option? why release it?

[Archaeology cat]

We had planned on having the vows memorised and repeating them, but I'm glad we repeated them after the priest instead. At the rehearsal we messed them up, and I know we would have at the real thing, as well.

[puellapaschalis]

The thing about father walking the bride into the church and to the altar doesn't, I don't think, actually form a part of the rubrics of the wedding ceremony. And if it's a Nuptial Mass, I'm not sure when the bride would enter anyway - she'd probably upstage the entrance procession.

[Deeds]

I'm a bit vague on this, but I was under the impression that the Catholic norm in the rubrics was precisely that the bride and groom both process in together behind the priest, accompanied by their attendants, although there is a an exception in place for when local customs differ. I think the father giving away the bride is a Protestant custom that took hold in many parts of the Western world. It's something that I've never really liked - I'd much prefer to process in with the groom - but I wouldn't want to make people think I was snubbing my dad!

[Archaeology cat]

We had the "traditional" procession of the attendants & bride, with my dad walking me down. I guess the priest and altar servers processed in first, but I'm not sure. I think I would have liked processing in with my husband, behind the priest, had I known of that.

[HisChildForever]

This makes me think of Mark 10: 7-8, where Christ states "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother (and be joined to his wife), and the two shall become one flesh." So we have the man who "leaves" his parents and joins with his wife. With this Scriptural passage in mind, why is it the woman walking down the aisle to meet with her groom? But then I suppose that this (walking down the aisle) does not symbolize the woman "leaving" per se. Rather the woman is "given" to the groom via her father. (And we can assume that the groom, ALONE at the altar, has already left his parents.) I have never really thought of this before, but it does seem a bit strange that the woman is being passed between men.

[Apotheoun]

The procession is irrelevant.

[Adrestia]

I've been to weddings where the priest and serves go in first, groom and parents in second (parents drop him off, then the groomsmen move from the 1st pew and join him), then the bridesmaids process in one by one (a groomsman comes down from the altar when the bridesmaid reaches the end of the aisle to pick her up), then finally the bride with her parents.

Edited May 9, 2009 by tgoldson

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' post='1862549' date='May 9 2009, 05:04 AM']We had planned on having the vows memorised and repeating them, but I'm glad we repeated them after the priest instead. At the rehearsal we messed them up, and I know we would have at the real thing, as well.[/quote]

Traditionally in the Roman Rite, the couples did not say their own vows, but merely responded "Volo" ("I do wish") to the question " "N., vis accipere N., hic praesentem in tuam legitimam uxorem (maritum) iuxta ritum sanctae matris Ecclesiae?" (N, are do you wish to take N, here present, as your lawful wife/husband according to the rite of holy mother Church?).

The practice of adding the vows recited by the couple themselves actually originated from the Sarum Use (the variation of the Roman Rite local to England). Following the English Reformation, the under-cover priests began using the Roman liturgical books rather than the Sarum books since the Roman books were easier to find. Thus he have the vow in question form answered by "I do".
However, the Rite of marriage instructs priests to keep any legitimate customs in regard to the celebration of marriage. In the Sarum Rite, the vow was made in statement form by the couple themselves. So, following custom, this vow was added in addition. So basically, in the English speaking world, we have two sets of vows.

Personally, I think it'd cause a lot less stress on the couple if only the question form with "I do" was now used.

Edited May 9, 2009 by Resurrexi

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1862672' date='May 9 2009, 12:23 PM']The procession is irrelevant.[/quote]

Hm, I thought it was symbolic though so it has to hold some relevance. The father (head of his household) passing on his daughter to her husband (now a head of a household), both men also representing protectors. A bit patriarchal but symbolic all the same. Of course you can find other meanings in it as well, one I already touched upon (the groom is alone at the altar as a symbol of that Scriptural passage I mentioned). I feel that nowadays everyone associates the wedding itself (the celebration part of it) with the bride - her special day, the beautiful dress, etc. So her walking down the aisle towards the groom for all to see adds to the idea that this is her day and she is in the spotlight. It reminds me of that phase, which I am probably about to butcher, "no one is prettier than the bride on her wedding day."

[CatherineM]

Sometimes it can be very hard to separate out what is part of our Western culture, and what is part of our Ecclesiastical culture.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='Resurrexi' post='1862686' date='May 9 2009, 05:40 PM']Traditionally in the Roman Rite, the couples did not say their own vows, but merely responded "Volo" ("I do wish") to the question " "N., vis accipere N., hic praesentem in tuam legitimam uxorem (maritum) iuxta ritum sanctae matris Ecclesiae?" (N, are do you wish to take N, here present, as your lawful wife/husband according to the rite of holy mother Church?).

The practice of adding the vows recited by the couple themselves actually originated from the Sarum Use (the variation of the Roman Rite local to England). Following the English Reformation, the under-cover priests began using the Roman liturgical books rather than the Sarum books since the Roman books were easier to find. Thus he have the vow in question form answered by "I do".
However, the Rite of marriage instructs priests to keep any legitimate customs in regard to the celebration of marriage. In the Sarum Rite, the vow was made in statement form by the couple themselves. So, following custom, this vow was added in addition. So basically, in the English speaking world, we have two sets of vows.

Personally, I think it'd cause a lot less stress on the couple if only the question form with "I do" was now used. [/quote]
Wow. I never knew that - very cool. Thanks!

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1862688' date='May 9 2009, 10:41 AM']Hm, I thought it was symbolic though so it has to hold some relevance. The father (head of his household) passing on his daughter to her husband (now a head of a household), both men also representing protectors. A bit patriarchal but symbolic all the same. Of course you can find other meanings in it as well, one I already touched upon (the groom is alone at the altar as a symbol of that Scriptural passage I mentioned). I feel that nowadays everyone associates the wedding itself (the celebration part of it) with the bride - her special day, the beautiful dress, etc. So her walking down the aisle towards the groom for all to see adds to the idea that this is her day and she is in the spotlight. It reminds me of that phase, which I am probably about to butcher, "no one is prettier than the bride on her wedding day."[/quote]
There is normally no procession in the Crowning ritual of the Eastern Churches.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' post='1862549' date='May 9 2009, 03:04 AM']We had planned on having the vows memorised and repeating them, but I'm glad we repeated them after the priest instead. At the rehearsal we messed them up, and I know we would have at the real thing, as well.[/quote]
In the traditional Crowning ritual of the Byzantine Churches there are no vows.

[Adrestia]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1862750' date='May 9 2009, 12:34 PM']In the traditional Crowning ritual of the Byzantine Churches there are no vows.[/quote]
don't you exchange rings earlier?