The Celebration of 
Marriage 
Uniting Dominic & Joyce

Bear testament to the union of Dominic & Joyce

in the love of the Lord.

Church of St Mary of the Angel

13th December 2008

   
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 Wedding Service of Dominic and Joyce 

Foreword 

We are happy to greet all of you, our dear family and

friends, who have come to share in our joy on this day of
our marriage.

Joyce and I have known each other for quite some time.
Together we have come, day by day, to know each
other better and to love each other more and more.
Today, we take a new step: We are committing
ourselves to grow together in dialogue, in sharing and in
love. It is our hope and goal to continue to grow, to fulfill
ourselves and help each other to be all that we can
become.

This celebration that brings us together today is a

celebration of our love. At the same time, it is the
celebration of the love of Jesus for us.

We rejoice that you are with us to share in our

celebration. It is our hope that this celebration will be for
you, as well as for us, an occasion of peace, of joy, and
of love.

With joy,

Dominic & Joyce

   
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The Bridal Procession 

(Please stand to welcome the bride) 

Welcoming the couple into the Church by the 
presiding Priest, Father John Wong 

Dominic and Joyce,

be greeted in the Lord!
This day you come to invite us, the people of God,
to share in your joy.
Today, in this church,
you are the presence of Christ in our midst.
Your love is the symbol of his love for us, the Church.

With open arms we welcome you,

as you welcome us into the experience of love
you want to share with us here.
Let us celebrate that love, the love of God,
with joyful hearts and voices.

   
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Opening Prayer 
In the opening prayer, we pray for Dominic and Joyce that God will bless them and keep
their love and marriage strong all the days of their lives.

Priest: Let us pray.

Almighty God,
You have made the bond of marriage
a holy mystery,
a symbol of Christ’s love for His Church.

When You created mankind,

You willed that man and wife should be one.

Today, with faith in You and in each other

Dominic and Joyce have come together to
pledge their love.

Bind them in the loving union of marriage,

and make their love fruitful,
so that their lives will always bear witness
to Your divine love in the world.

We ask You this through

our Lord Jesus Christ.

All: Amen

(Please be seated)

   
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Liturgy of the Word 
This reading shows that love comes from God. True love is generous; it does not wait
for the other to take the first step. It models itself on the Lord who has loved us first
without waiting for us to love Him.

A reading from the first letter of John (4:7-12)

Beloved,
let us love one another,
for love is from God;
And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God,
for God is love.

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God

has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we
might live through Him.

In this is love,
not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.

Beloved,
if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time;
if we love one another
God abides in us,
and his love is perfected in us.

The word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

   
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Responsorial Psalm 
The psalm is a prayer in response to God speaking to us.

Psalm 145

Response:
How good is the Lord to all.

1. The Lord is gracious and merciful;

Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works. (Response)

1. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,

And Your godly ones shall bless You.
The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time. (Response)

3. The Lord is righteous in all His ways

And kind in all His deeds
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth. (Response)

Gospel Acclamation 
The word Alleluia means to praise the Lord.

(Please stand) 

I John 4:8.11

Alleluia, Alleluia!

God is love;
Let us love one another as He has loved us.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

   
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Gospel Reading 
The gospel, which means “Good News”, is the principal reading in the Liturgy of the
Word. It tells of the deeds and some of the words of Jesus. Catholics make the sign
of the cross by tracing three crosses with the right thumb: on the forehead – that our
minds may be open to God’s words; on our lips – that we may proclaim God’s word
and on our hearts – the word of God may dwell there.

Mark 10:6-9

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Priest: A read from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said: “From the beginning of creation God made

them male and female. For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and the two shall become
one flesh; so they are no longer two but one flesh. What
therefore God has joined together, let no man
separate.”

Priest: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily 
The homily is an important occasion to reflect on the meaning of the couple’s
marriage in the light of God’s Word.

(Please be seated) 

   
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Rite of Marriage 
Here, Dominic and Joyce pledge their commitment and love to each other. 

(The couple and witnesses to rise. Congregation remains seated) 

Priest: Dominic and Joyce, you have come together in this

church so that the Lord may seek and strengthen your
love in the presence of the Church’s minister, your
family and friends.

Christ abundantly blesses this love. In this way, you

may be strengthened to keep mutual and lasting
faith with each other and to carry out the duties of
marriage. And so in the presence of the Church, I
ask you to state your intentions.

Dominic and Joyce,

have you come here freely and without
reservation to give yourselves to each other in
marriage?

Dominic: Yes I have.

Joyce: Yes I have.

Priest: Will you love and honour each other as husband

and wife for the rest of your lives?

Dominic: Yes I will.

Joyce: Yes I will.

Priest: Will you accept children lovingly from God, and

bring them up according to the law of Christ and
His Church?

Dominic: Yes I will.

Joyce: Yes I will.

   
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Exchange of Vows 
The priest invites the couple to join their right hands, as he says:

Priest: Since it is your intentions to enter into marriage, join your

right hands and declare your consent before God and
His Church.

Priest: Dominic, do you take Joyce to be your wife?

Do you promise to be true to her in good times and
in bad,
in sickness and in health,
to love her and honour her all the days of your life?

Dominic: I do.

Priest: Joyce, do you take Dominic to be your husband?

Do you promise to be true to him in good times
and in bad,
in sickness and in health,
to love him and honour him all the days of your life?

Joyce: I do.

Priest: You have declared your consent before the

Church. May the Lord in His goodness strengthen
your consent and fill you both with His blessings.

What God has united, men must not divide.

All: Amen.

   
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Blessing of Rings 

Priest: Lord, bless and consecrate Dominic and Joyce in

their love for each other. May these rings be a
symbol of true faith in each other, and always
remind them of their love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Exchange of Rings 
The bridegroom places the ring on the bride’s ring finger.

Dominic: Joyce, take this ring as a sign of my love and

fidelity. In the name of the Father, and the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
The bride places the ring on the bridegroom’s ring finger.

Joyce: Dominic, take this ring as a sign of my love and

fidelity. In the name of the Father, and the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Priest: May God, our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
fill this marriage with every blessing and grace.

All: Amen.

Priest: Dominic and Joyce, you have made promises to

each other. The rings you now wear will always
remain a symbol of your vows.

By the power vested in me by the Church, I now

pronounce you husband and wife.
Unveiling of the bride.

   
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General Intercession 
In the prayers of intercession, we ask God for blessings on the newlyweds and
all present.

Priest: Let us prayer with confidence to our Heavenly

Father who has called Dominic and Joyce to be
united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. May
the Lord continue to bless and strengthen this
bond and keep them united in constant love.

Reader: For Dominic and Joyce, that they may persevere in

love, maintain their resolve to support each other
and come together to an even greater
knowledge of God: we pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader: For their parents, that God may bless them for the
love and care they have given, and the sacrifices
they have made to give Dominic and Joyce loving
homes: we pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader: For their relatives and friends, for those who have
supported them, and for God’s presence to be
with them in the fulfillment of life’s journey: we pray
to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader: For all the married couples present here, that God
will help them grow in love and sustain them in
their efforts to give of themselves to others: we
pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader: For ourselves and for each other, that we may

   
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 accept the challenge placed before us today,
and make love our way of life: we pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

   
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The Lord’s Prayer 
Priest: Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the
words our Saviour gave us.

All: Our Father in heaven,

Holy be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the test,
but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

   
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Nuptial Blessing 
This special blessing is asked for the couple by the priest on behalf of all present.
Together, the community prays for the faith and love of the couple in their married
life.

Priest: Let us ask God for his continued blessings upon

Dominic and Joyce.

Holy Father, creator of the universe, maker of man

and woman in your own likeness, source of blessing
for married life, we humbly pray to you for this
couple who are united in this sacrament of
marriage.

May your fullest blessing come upon them so that

they may together rejoice in your gift of married
love.

Lord, may they both praise you when they are

happy and turn to you in their sorrows. May they
be glad that you help them in their work and know
that you are with them in their need. May they
pray to you in the community of the Church, and
be your witnesses in the world. May they reach old
age in the company of their friends, and come at
last to the kingdom of heaven,

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

   
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Final Blessings 
The service ends with the solemn blessing and dismissal of the congregation.

Priest: May the Lord Jesus, who was a guest at the

wedding in Cana, bless you and your families and
friends.

All: Amen.

Priest: May Jesus who loved His Church to the end,

always fill your hearts with His love.

All: Amen.

Priest: May He grant that as you believe in His resurrection,

so you may wait for Him in joy and hope.

All: Amen.

Priest: May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

Signing of the Register 
(Please be seated) 

Recessional March 
(Please stand) 

   
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Light Refreshments 
Please proceed to the courtyard for some light refreshments.

   
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