CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST.

PETER CLAVER,
RANAU

ORDER OF CELEBRATING
MATRIMONY WITH MASS

UPDATE 2021

INTRODUCTORY RITES
 GREETING

Priest : In the name of the Father, † and of the

Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All : Amen.

Priest : The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and

the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All : And with your spirit.

Then, in these or similar words, the Priest

addresses the couple and those present to dispose
them inwardly for the celebration of Marriage :

Priest : We have come rejoicing into the house

of the Lord for this celebration, dear
brothers and sisters, and now we
stand with N... and N... on the day
they intend to form a home of their
own.
For them, this is a moment of unique
importanc. So let us support them with
our affection, with our friendship, and
 with our prayer as their brothers and
sisters.
Let us listen attentively with them to
the word that God speaks to us today.
Then, with holy church, let us humbly
pray to God the father, through Christ
our Lord, for this couple, his servants,
that he lovingly accept them, bless
them, and make them always one.

GLORIA
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace to people of good will.

Glory 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 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.

COLLECT
Priest : Let us pray.
Be attentive to our prayers, O Lord, and in
your kindness uphold what you have
established for the increase of the human
race, so that the union you have created
may be kept safe by your assistance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, you son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever.
All : Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book og Genesis (1:26-28,
31a)

God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air and the cattle, and over all the
wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on
the ground.”

God created man in his image; in the image of God

he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply;

fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the
fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living
things that move on the earth.” God looked at
everything he had made, and found it very good.

The word of the Lord.

All : Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 127 (128) : 1-2, 3,4-5ac and 6a

R : O blessed are those

Who fear the Lord!

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,

and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands
You shall eat.
you will be happy and prosper.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

in the heart of your house;
Your Children like shoots of the olive,
around your table.

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.
THE SECOND READING
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the
Ephesians (5:2a, 25-32)

Brothers and sisters:

Live in love, as Christ loved us
and handed himself over for us.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in
splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their
own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and

his mother and be joined to his wife,
 and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery,

but I speak in reference to Christ and the
Church.

The word of the Lord.

All : Thanks be to God.

THE ALLELUIA AND THE VERSE BEFORE THE

GOSPEL (cf. Psalm 133 (134) : 3)
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Lord bless you from Sion,
He who made both heaven and earth.
Alleuia!

THE GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Matthew (19:3-6)

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested

him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any
cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the
beginning
 the Creator made them male and female and
said,
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 they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man
must not divide.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

All : Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

HOMILY
THE CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE
Only bride & bridegroom stand
Dearly beloved,
you have come together into the house of the
Church,
so that in the presence of the Church’s minister
and the community
your intention to enter into Marriage
may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred
seal.
Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you.
Through a special Sacrament,
he enriches and strengthens
those he has already consecrated by Holy
Baptism,
that they may be faithful to each other for ever
and assume all the responsibilities of married life.
And so, in the presence of the Church,
I ask you to state your intentions.

The questions before the Consent

Priest : N... and N... have you come here to
enter into Marriage without coercion,
freely and wholeheartedly?
Bridegroom : I Have.
Bride : 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?
Bridegroom : I am.
Bride : 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?
Bridegroom : I am.
Bride : I am.

Priest : Since it is your intention to enter the

covenant of Holy Matrimony join your
right hands and declare your consent
before God and his Church.

They join their right hands.

The Bridegroom says ;
Bridegroom : I, N..., take you, N..., to be my
wife.
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.

The bride says:

Bride : I, N..., take you, N..., to be my
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.
If, however, it seems preferable for pastoral
reasons, the Priest may obtain the consent of the
contracting parties through questioning.

First he asks the bridegroom:

N..., do you take, N... to be your wife?
Do you promise to be faithful to her
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health,
to love her and to honor her
all the days of your life?

The bridegroom replies: I do.

Next, the Priest asks the bride:
N..., do you take, N... to be your husband?
Do you promise to be faithful to him
in good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health,
to love him and to honor him
all the days of your life?

The bride replies: I do.

The Reception of the Consent

Priest : May the Lord in his kindness strengthen
the consent you have declared before the
 Church, and graciously bring to fulfillment
his blessing within you. What God joins
together, let no one put asunder.
Let us bless the Lord.
All : Thanks be to God.

The Blessing and Giving of Rings

Priest : May the Lord bless † these rings, which
you give to each other as a sign of love
and fidelity.
Bridegroom & Bride : Amen.
He sprinkles the rings, as the circumstances so suggest,
and gives them to the bride and bridegroom.
The husband places his wife’s ring on her ring
finger, saying as the circumstances so suggest:
Bridegroom : N..., receive this ring as a sign of
my love and fidelity. In the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.

Likewise, the wife places her husband’s ring on his

ring finger, saying, as the circumstances so
suggest:
Bride : N..., receive this ring as a sign of my love
and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
LIFTING OF THE VELL

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS
Stand
Priest : Dear brothers and sisters, as we call to
mind the special gift of grace and charity
by which God has been pleased to crown
and consecrate the love of our
sister N... and our brother N... let us
commend them to the Lord.
Response : Lord, We ask you, hear our prayer.

Second reader read the general intercessions.

1.That these faithful Christians, N... and N..., newly
joined in Holy Matrimony, may always enjoy
health and well-being, let us pray to the Lord. R.

2.That he will bless their covenant as he chose to

sanctify marriage at Cana in Galilee, let us pray
to the Lord. R.

3.That they be granted perfect and fruitful love,

peace and strength, and that they bear faithful
witness to the name of Christian, let us pray to
the Lord. R.

4.That the Christian people may grow in virture

day by day and that all who are burdened by any
need may receive the help of grace from above,
let us pray to the Lord. R.

5.That the grace of the Sacrament will be renewed

by the Holy Spirit in all married persons here
present, let us pray to the Lord. R.

Priest : Graciously pour out upon this husband and

wife, O Lord, the Spirit of your love, to
make them one heart and one soul, so that
nothing whatever may divide those you
 have joined and no harm may come to
those you have filled with your blessing.
Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

If appropriate, at the Presentation of the Gifts the
bride and bridegroom may bring the bread and
wine to the altar.

HYMN FOR PRESENTATION OF THE

OFFERINGS

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for

through you goodness we have received the bread
we offer you :
Fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will
become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God ever.

The Priest says quietly;

By the mystery of this water and wine may we
come to share in the divinity of Christ, who
humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for
through you goodness we have received the wine
we offer you :
Fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will
become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God ever.

The Priest says quietly;

With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be
accepted by you, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in
your sight this day, be pleasing to you, Lord God.

Then he washes his hands, saying quietly :

Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse
me from my sin.

INVITATION TO PRAYER
Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be
acceptable to God. The almighty Father.

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your

hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for
our good and the good of all his holy Church.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERING

Receive in your kindness, Lord, the offerings we

bring in gladness before you, and in your fatherly
love watch over those you have joined in
sacramental covenant. Through Christ our Lord.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER II

INTRODUCTORY DIALOGUE
Priest : The Lord be with you.
All : And with your spirit.

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 and just.

PREFACE

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,

always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
Through Christ our Lord.

For in him you have made a new covenant with

your people,
so that, as you have redeemed man and woman
by the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection,
so in Christ you might make them partakers of
divine nature
and joint heirs with him of heavenly glory.

In the union of husband and wife

you give a sign of Christ’s loving gift of grace,
so that the Sacrament we celebrate might draw us
back more deeply into the wondrous design of your
love.

And so, with the Angels and all the Saints,

we praise you, and without end we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.
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.

Kneel
You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all
holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by
sending down your spirit upon them like the
dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body
and † Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the same time he was betrayed and entered
willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving
thanks, broke it, and give it to his disciples, saying;

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU,

AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took
the Charlie and, once more giving thanks, he gave
it to his disciples, saying;

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU,

AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHARLIE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL
COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT
FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.

The mystery of faith

Sung or said
We proclaim you Death, O Lord,
And profess your resurrection
Until you come again.

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of His

Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the
Bread of life and the Charlie of salvation, giving
thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your
presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and
Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by
the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout
the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with N... our Pope and N... our Bishop
and all the clergy.

Be mindful also, Lord of N... and N... whom you

have brought to their wedding day, so that by your
grace they may abide in mutual love and in peace.

Remember also our brothers and sisters who have

fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and
all who have died in your mercy :
Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Blessed
Joseph, her spouse, with the blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you
throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to
eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through
you Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and
ever.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Stand/sung or said
At the saviour’s command and formed by divine
teaching, we dare to sing/say:

Our Father, Who art in Heaven,

hallowed be Thy name;
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

THE NUPTIAL BLESSING

The bride and bridegroom approach the altar or, if
appropiate, they remain at their place and kneel.
The Priest, with hands joined, calls upon those
present to pray:

Dear brothers and sisters,

let us humbly pray to the Lord
that on these his servants, now married in Christ,
he may mercifully pour out
the blessings of his grace
and make of one heart in love
(by the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood)
those he has joined by a holy covenant.

And all pray in silence for a while.

Then the Priest, with hands extended over the

bride and bridegroom, continues:
O God, who by your mighty power
created all things out of nothing,
and, when you had set in place
the beginnings of the universe,
formed man and woman in your own image,
making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the
man,
that they might no longer be two, but one flesh,
and taught that what you were pleased to make
one must never be divided;

O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage

by so great a mystery
that in the wedding covenant you foreshadowed
the Sacrament of Christ and his Church;

O God, by whom woman is joined to man

and the companionship they had in the beginning
is endowed with the one blessing
not forfeited by original sin
nor washed away by the flood.

Look now with favor upon these your servants,

joined together in Marriage,
who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.
Send down on them the grace of the Holy Spirit
and pour your love into their hearts,
that they may remain faithful in the Marriage
covenant.

May the grace of love and peace

abide in your daughter N...,
and let her always follow the example of those holy
women
whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.

May her husband entrust his heart to her,

so that, acknowledging her as his equal
and his joint heir to the life of grace,
he may show her due honor
and cherish her always
with the love that Christ has for his Church.

And now, Lord, we implore you:

may these your servants
hold fast to the faith and keep your
commandments;
made one in the flesh,
may they be blameless in all they do;
and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,
may they bear true witness to Christ before all;
(may they be blessed with children,
and prove themselves virtuous parents,
who live to see their children’s children).

And grant that,

reaching at last together the fullness of years
for which they hope,
they may come to the life of the blessed
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

SIGN OF PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All : And with your spirit.

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

BREAKING OF THE BREAD

May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who
receive it.

Lamb of God,
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us,
Lamb of God,
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us,
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.

kneel
The Priest says quietly :
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, by
the will of the Father and the work of the Holy
Spirit, through Your Death gave life to the world.
Free me by this, Your most holy Body and Blood,
from all sins and from every evil; keep me always
faithful to you commandments, and never let me
be parted from you.

Then, he lifts the Host and says aloud:

Behold the Lamb of God
Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the
Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under

my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall
be healed.

The Priest says quietly:

May Body of Christ keep me safe for everlasting

life. May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for
everlasting life.

COMMUNION HYMN
 stand
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Having been made partakers at your table,
we pray, O Lord,
that those who are united by the sacrament of
Marriage may always hold fast to you and proclaim
you name to the world. Through Christ our Lord.
All : Amen.

BLESSING / CONCLUDING RITE

At the end of Mass, the Priest, with hands
extended over the bride and bridegroom, says;

May God the Eternal Father

keep you of one heart in love for one another,
that the peace of Christ may dwell in you
and abide always in your home.
R. Amen.
May you be blessed in your children,
have solace in your friends
and enjoy true peace with everyone.
R. Amen.

May you be witnesses in the world to God’s

charity,
so that the afflicted and needy who have known
your kindness
may one day receive you thankfully
into the eternal dwelling of God.
R. Amen.

And he blesses all present, adding:

And may almighty God bless all of you, who are

gathered here,
the Father, and the Son, † and the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

R. Thanks be to God.

SINGNING CEREMONY
Instrumental / sit

The bride and the bridegroom and their witnesses

come forward to sign the marriage certificate.

CONSLUDING HYMN
Stand
 HOLY MATRIMONY

“THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO BUT ONE”

(Mark 10:8)