“It is good that your wedding be simple and make what is truly important stands out”
As Pope Francis and the whole world turn their eyes in Dublin, Ireland this week for the international gathering of World Meeting of Families, here in saipan, the wedding bells are in the air as the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa launches its Annual Group Wedding ceremony which is set on December 29, 2018, the weekend of the Feast of the Holy Family at Mt. Carmel Cathedral. The wedding ceremony will be of officiated by his Excellency Ryan P. Jimenez, D.D. Last December, thirteen couples celebrated their Holy Sacrament of Matrimony in the presence of their family and friends and Bishop Ryan in a simple yet dignified liturgy. The diocese have incorporated the Group Wedding as part of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan and have made this an annual event in order to highlight the importance and the beauty of the Sacrament of Matrimony to our families and in our community and to assist and encourage with pastoral sensitivity those couples who have not yet received the grace of the Sacrament.In his address to engaged couples on February 14, 2014,
Pope Francis himself underlines the centrality of the sacrament more than all the other elements commonly associated with Catholic Wedding. “It is good that your wedding be simple and make what is truly important stands out. Some are more concerned with the exterior details, with the banquet, the photographs, the clothes, the flowers…These are important for a celebration, but only if they point to the real reason for your joy: the lord’s blessing on your love.”
Today, there are many couples in our community, who have lived together for many years without any marriage or who have only been married by a judge or a civil official. Perhaps the cost of a “church wedding” prevents people of modest incomes from getting married in church. This is a popular misconception of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Like any other Sacrament, the Holy Matrimony is a free gift of Our Lord Jesus Christ to all through the Church since we cannot put a price on the grace of God.
Anyone who is interested please do not hesitate to contact your parish priests or the Commission on Marriage and Family Life through Fr. Jason Granado (670- 989-3054 or frjasongranado@ rcdck.org). Please register no later than October 31, 2018 to allow us to conduct the marriage preparation and to prepare the necessary documents.
