The Basic Outline of the Celebratory Mass for Marriage
Entrance Rite
Liturgy of the Word
Rite of Marriage
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Concluding Rite
(Optional or possible additions are in parenthesis)
- Gathering
- Welcome of the bride and bridegroom (at the door of the church or at the altar)
- Procession (many choices for the entrance song)
- Greeting (three options)
- Gloria (even on a Sunday during Advent and Lent; choice of musical settings)
- Opening Prayer (four options)
Liturgy of the Word
- Old Testament Scripture Reading (nine options)
- Responsorial Psalm (seven options and many musical settings)
- New Testament Scripture Reading (thirteen options)
- Gospel Acclamation (choice of musical settings)
- Gospel (ten options)
- Homily (based on the Scriptures, Church teaching on marriage, and the couple’s lives)
Rite of Marriage
- Address to the couple
- Questions regarding intentions
- Consent (two choices of vows for the couple to speak to each another and a third alternative, when pastoral circumstances dictate, having the priest or deacon pose the vows as questions)
- Reception of the consent (may be accompanied with a musical acclamation by the assembly)
- Blessing and Exchange of Rings (three prayer options)
- General Intercessions (three suggested forms available, personalization possible)
- Profession of Faith (if Marriage is celebrated on a Sunday or Solemn Feast Day)
Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Preparation of the gifts (may select two people to carry the bread and wine to the altar and choose from among three options for Prayer Over the Gifts)
- Eucharistic Prayer (three options for Preface; several Eucharistic Prayer formulas; various sets of sung acclamations)
- The Lord’s Prayer
- Nuptial Blessing (three options)
- Sign of Peace
- The Breaking of the Bread (musical settings as for the Eucharistic Prayer)
- Communion (under forms of both consecrated bread and consecrated wine or under the form of consecrated bread alone; many choices for Communion processional song)
- Prayer after Communion (three options)
Concluding Rite
- Solemn Blessing (four options)
- Dismissal (three options)
- Recessional (many choices for music)
(Optional or possible additions are in parenthesis)