I like Scott Alessi’s piece on marrying at Sunday Mass. It’s a decision my wife and I have never come close to regretting. Here we are processing in together during the entrance song:
Isn’t that a great dress? My sweetie made it. Who’s the stiff in the suit? Not too nervous there, are we, bucko. The scan of the Mass just after we were called up for vows:
It can work. And once I get my sweetie’s permission to crack into the wedding picture album maybe I can scan more stuff.
11 September 2012 at 3:52 am
I read the article yesterday, along with Kimberly Belcher’s post at PrayTell. I have yet to comment over there. This is an idea that I would have never thought possible or imagined, but I think that it is a wonderful. Talk about the sacramentatlity of marriage and the deeper understanding of what marriage means. Perhaps this would be a better focus for those who are worried about the erosion of traditional marriage. Of course,that might require a poet or a liturgist, occupying one of the pulpits of power.
11 September 2012 at 7:53 am
Ditto for baptisms, in my view. These things should be witnessed by the larger community, not just invited guests, whenever practical, of course.
11 September 2012 at 8:39 am
Agreed. We try to have baptisms during mass at my work parish, but many are resistant to it. Families often want (insert cry here) “private” baptism, and there are parishioners who complain that mass is “already too long.” *sigh*
11 September 2012 at 8:16 am
I really wish this were more of an option. It feels like once you indicate that you’d like to get married, they automatically assume you’re a raging bridezilla. (For the record, no way am I wearing white, a dress with a pricetag that could feed a ton of people, and I don’t really give two craps about flowers and photography. Whether my dude of honor wears clothes, is up to him.)
11 September 2012 at 9:18 am
I often remember fondly weddings at Sunday Masses in El Salvador. (Here in Honduras they are either on the fourth Sunday of the month or during a Mass in the rural community where the people live.) Good friends of mine got married at a Sunday Mass at St. Thomas in 2001 which I heard was a great experience for them and for many parishioners; I wasn’t there but in El Salvador at the time.
Here in Honduras we often have everything during Mass – baptisms, weddings, and first communions – all at the same Mass! A little crazy when there are 28 first communions or 42 baptisms (mostly of young people). But it’s a real community celebration, even if it takes three hours.