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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Steering Wedding Dates away from Advent & Lent

Fr. David Friel · March 9, 2014

Y NEXT WEDDING is scheduled for May, which means that, this year, I am spared the difficult task of balancing the joy of a ritual Mass with the somber character of Holy Lent. What does the Church have to say about weddings in penitential seasons?

She says very little, actually. According to the General Instruction:

Ritual Masses are connected to the celebration of certain Sacraments or Sacramentals. They are prohibited on Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, on solemnities, on the days within the Octave of Easter, on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), on Ash Wednesday, and during Holy Week, taking due account of the norms given in the ritual books or in the Masses themselves. (GIRM, 372)

It is within the purview of dioceses and parishes to add further limitations, if they so desire, but these are the only universal restrictions. You will notice that, while weddings are permitted on Lenten weekdays, they are forbidden on the Sundays of the same season. Are priests and others involved in liturgical matters supposed to see in the rule for Sundays of a particular season a model for what is desirable on the weekdays of that same season? The letter of the law is not in question; it is clear that weddings are permitted on all days except those noted above. But, would the spirit of the law dissuade us entirely from celebrating weddings in penitential seasons?

Before the Second Vatican Council, it was not allowable to celebrate a nuptial Mass or impart a nuptial blessing during Advent or Lent. Only a wedding ceremony outside of Mass was permitted. Ought this former practice to influence our current practice?

The USCCB offer this information on the marriage section of their website:

There are no legal restrictions on when the Rite of Marriage may be celebrated, with the exception of the Triduum, as long as the various guidelines specific to the particular parish are respected. When the Rite of Marriage includes a Mass there are limitations as to dates and readings. . . . When a wedding coincides with a major feast the readings for that feast must be respected. Weddings during penitential seasons must respect the church tone and décor appropriate for the season.

The strictures of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, available on their website, are more narrow than the present regulations of the Roman Catholic Church. Personally, I find the Greek Orthodox policy admirable for its fidelity to a sense of sacred time. Following are their directives concerning days when marriage is not permitted:

Marriages are not performed on fast days or during fasting seasons; these include the Great Lent and Holy Week; August 1-15; August 29 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist); September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross); and December 13-25. Nor are marriages celebrated on the day before and the day of a Great Feast of the Lord, including Theophany (January 5 and 6); Pascha; Pentecost; and Christmas (December 24 and 25). Marriages may be performed on these days only by permission of the diocesan Bishop.

When weddings are celebrated in Advent and Lent, many issues arise that do not surface at other times. How festive is too festive? What sort of flower arrangements are permissible? If it is a Friday night wedding, what food will be served at the reception? Perhaps the better, larger question is whether a nuptial Mass is really in keeping with the spirit of a Friday in Lent.

Musically, there are other dualities that yearn for reconciliation. The Gloria, for instance, is omitted on the Sundays of Lent and Advent; according to the third edition of the Roman Missal, however, the Gloria is prescribed for all weddings, even in the seasons of Lent and Advent. In another place, the Missal states that, “during Lent . . . the use of musical instruments is allowed only so as to support the singing.” Does this rule out instrumental music during weddings within Lent? When celebrating a wedding in Lent, which takes precedence: the ritual or the season? It would seem that the ritual takes precedence, but its celebration ought to be mitigated by its seasonal context.

Not many of the couples we deal with as priests and sacred musicians use the Liturgical Desk Calendar as their personal planner. For most, the cycle of the liturgical year probably registers as hardly a “blip” on their wedding preparation radar. It is therefore all the more incumbent upon us to be that “blip.” We could try not only to steer couples away from selecting a date in Advent or Lent, but perhaps even encourage them to choose a date during the Christmas or Easter seasons.

If we prepare ourselves well, the routine meetings we regularly schedule with couples can grow to be something more than occasions to arrange mundane details. They can become moments for formative catechesis, given in charity.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Nuptial Mass, Roman Missal Third Edition Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ with regard to 1960s switch to vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The Council of Trent taught: “In this divine sacrifice which takes place at Mass, the same Christ is present and is immolated in an unbloody manner, Who once on the Cross offered Himself in a bloody manner. For the victim is one and the same, now offering through the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the Cross; only the manner of offering is different” (Session XXII, cap. 2, Denzinger, n. 940).

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

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