After the homily, the new Order of Celebrating Matrimony devotes eleven numbered sections of “black and red” to the “core” of the Wedding Mass. The first is here:
58. If two or more Marriages happen to be celebrated at the same time, the Questions before the Consent, the Consent itself, and also the Reception of the Consent must always take place individually for each Marriage; the remaining parts, however, including the Nuptial Blessings, should be spoken once for all in the plural.
More than one Marriage at the same liturgy? Wha..? Before getting to the usual details, the Church reminds its ministers that each couple must offer their answers to questions, give consent, and have this consent “received.” What does all that mean? Those usual ritual questions about one’s freedom to marry and expectations, what most people think of as wedding “vows,” and the minister’s brief “endorsement,” all of these must be voiced for and by each couple. Not as a large group, or even a small one.
The text cited in red is from the English translation of The Order of Celebrating Matrimony © 2013, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
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