In consultation with the priest who will preside at your wedding, you will determine if the marriage is to be celebrated at Mass or in a Liturgy of the Word. The determining criteria will center on the religious background of the bride and groom, and other matters which should be determined between you and your presiding priest or deacon.
In your wedding packet you will receive the book Together for Life by Joseph Champlin, which, along with various prayers and blessings, contains those scripture readings most appropriate for use at weddings. (If your marriage preparation is done through Campus Ministry at Marquette, you will receive the book Celebrating Marriage by Paul Covino which contains the same material.) In consultation with the priest who will preside at the wedding, the engaged couple will select two or three passages from scripture.
Non-scriptural passages are never used in place of the scriptures.
Weddings at Gesu Parish are celebrated according to the worship books of the Roman Catholic Church: the Sacramentary, the Lectionary and The Rite of Marriage. Ministers of other denominations may assist during the ceremony. This requires consultation with your presiding priest or deacon.
Wedding vows are provided in the wedding liturgy. You may select one of options for vows as listed in the book Together for Life or Celebrating Marriage when you consult with your priest. The usage of vows from other sources or vows written by the bride and groom are not permitted in the Catholic Wedding Liturgy. If you wish, you may speak to the Director of Liturgy at Gesu regarding where in your liturgy a personal expression of your commitment could be offered.
At Gesu, we use a form to help plan the wedding liturgy. Utilizing the different options found in Together for Life or Celebrating Marriage please fill out this form before meeting with Gesu’s Director of Liturgy. You can either save the form to your computer’s hard drive and then print the completed form or you can complete the form online and print out the completed form or submit it by email. You will not be able to save a copy of the completed form; so remember to print out a copy for yourself.
Wedding Liturgy Planning Form using Together for Life
Wedding Liturgy Planning Form using Celebrating Marriage
