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Views from the Choir Loft

The Rite of Marriage, Second Edition

Fr. David Friel · March 13, 2016

MPLEMENTATION of the revised rite of marriage has been set. The text, now entitled the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, is mandatory for use beginning December 30, 2016, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The new texts may optionally be used beginning September 8, 2016.

So, what is actually new in this second edition? There are a number of revised elements, as well as a couple of new additions.

First, as noted above, the name of the ritual book has been changed from Rite of Marriage to Order of Celebrating Matrimony. Additionally, the opening notes (or Praenotanda) have been significantly expanded to further explain the theology of Holy Matrimony (now composed of 44 paragraphs, compared with the 18 in the first edition).

Following the entrance procession, the ritual now calls for an introduction to be given by the celebrant. Two sample addresses will appear in the ritual. Just over a year ago, I attended a workshop by Msgr. Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship. During the workshop, he read to us one of these sample addresses, and it impressed me as a very beautiful and understandable précis on the theology of Holy Matrimony.

The new order makes it clearer that the Penitential Act is to be omitted and that the Gloria is always included at a nuptial Mass. This latter change originally came into force with the 2011 Roman Missal, but it is now being clarified.

The exchange of consent will incorporate two changes. First, there will be a new alternate form that calls upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, together with Adam and Eve. Additionally, immediately after the consent is given, a dialogue has been added between the priest & people. The celebrant will say, “Let us bless the Lord,” and the whole assembly will be invited to respond, “Thanks be to God.”

The special remembrance of the newly married couple that was already supplied for the Roman Canon has been matched by similar inclusions for Eucharistic Prayers II and III. There will also be two separate sets of recommended general intercessions included in the rite.

Finally, within each of the four nuptial blessings, there will now be an explicit epiclesis that says: “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.”

HIS NEW EDITION will also incorporate two new appendices and two new adaptations. The first new appendix is called an “Order of Blessing an Engaged Couple.” This might be used with benefit as part of parish Pre-Cana programs. The other new appendix will be called the “Order of Blessing a Married Couple within Mass on the Anniversary of Marriage.” Included herein will be sample formulae for the renewal of vows and the blessing of rings (either for the original rings or for new rings).

The two new adaptations will be in addition to the one adaptation already approved in the present ritual (the optional phrasing for the exchange of consent that mentions “for richer or poorer,” etc.). The new adaptations will be for the blessing and giving of the arras (coins) and the blessing and placing of the lazo (veil), both traditions that are popular among couples of Mexican, Filipino, and Spanish descent.

For more information on the significance of the arras and lazo traditions, I highly recommend a very informative article by Michael P. Foley published in Antiphon, journal of the Society for Catholic Liturgy. His article appears in Vol. 18 (2014), no. 2, pp. 115-143, coincidentally two articles before my own article on the Propriety of the Propers.

Apart from the rubric concerning the singing of the Gloria, which has been in force for some time now, these new changes do not seem to affect much regarding the music at nuptial Masses and ceremonies. The changes are, however, significant. It remains to be seen what the published versions of this second edition will look like.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Catholic Wedding Nuptial Mass Music, Nuptial Mass, Society for Catholic Liturgy, USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
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I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing—direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: “Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you: I have carved you in the palm of my hand.”

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