General Instructions

1. Since the rite of betrothal is only a sacramental, it is not
   celebrated along with the Holy Qurbana.
2. If the rite of betrothal is celebrated on Sundays or any other day of obligation, Qurbana may be celebrated either before or after this ceremony.

The man and the woman, together with their relatives and friends enter the
church through the main door and proceed to the Bema. The man and the woman stand in front of the Bema; man on the right side and woman on the left side. There must be two witnesses near them.

C: Glory to God in the highest. (Three times)

A: Amen. (Three times)

C: Peace and hope to people on earth, always and forever.

A: Amen.

C: Our Father in heaven,
C&A: Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come.
Holy, holy, holy are you.
Our Father in heaven,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Angels and people sing out your glory;
Holy, holy, holy are you.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day the bread we need
and forgive us our debts and sins
as we have forgiven those who offended us.
Do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

C: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.

A: From eternity and forever. Amen.

C: Our Father in heaven,

C & A: Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come.
Holy, holy, holy are you.
Our Father in heaven,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Angels and people sing out your glory;
Holy, holy, holy are you.

OR

C: Our Father in heaven

A: Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day the bread we need
and forgive us our debts and sins
as we have forgiven those who offended us.
Do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father in heaven,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Angels and people sing out your glory;
Holy, holy, holy are you.

D: Let us pray. Peace be with us.

C: O God our Lord, you have created man and woman. We
glorify you, for you have united them for the loving
union and existence of the human race. Lord, you who
have selected our forefather Isaac and his life partner
Rabecca, graciously bless these servants (names) who
have come here to make the promise to be united in
marriage with full freedom of mind and complete joy.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Lord of all, forever.

A: Amen.

Psalm 34: 8-14

C: Taste and see that the Lord is good.
(Qanona) Lord who prepared the way for Isaac to
find out the wife, bless these servants who have come
for the engagement.

A: Happy are those who take refuge in Him.

C: Fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
For those who fear him have no want.

A: The young lions suffer want and hunger,
But those who seek the Lord
Lack no good things.

C: Come, O Children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

A: Which of you desires life,
And covets many days to enjoy good?

C: Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.

A: Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

C: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit.

A: From eternity and forever, Amen.

C: (Qanona) Lord who prepared the way for Isaac to
find out the wife, bless these servants who have come
for the engagement.

D: Let us pray. Peace be with us.

C: Lord, Our God! For all the helps and blessings You have
bestowed on us and for which we can never be grateful
enough, we offer You never-ending praise and glory in
the Church, crowned like a spouse with every goodness
and grace. You are the creator and Lord of all, the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, forever.

A: Amen.

(Hymn)

A: Lord of all we bow and praise You
Jesus Christ, we glorify You
For You give man glorious resurrection
And You are the one who saves his soul.
C: It is proper to thank You and praise Your name.
Lord of all we bow and praise You…,
A: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit. From the eternity and forever. Amen.
Lord of all we bow and praise You…,

OR

A: Lord of all, we praise You. Jesus Christ, we glorify You.
For You are the one who raises our bodies, and saves
our souls.

C: It is proper to thank You and praise your name.
Lord of all, we praise You…,

A: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit. From the eternity and forever. Amen.
Lord of all, we praise You…,

D: Let us pray. Peace be with us.

C: My Lord, You are truly the One who raises our bodies.
You are the Savior of our souls, and the preserver of
our lives. We are bound always to thank, adore, and
glorify You. The Lord of all, forever.

A: Amen.

(Hymn)

D: Lift up your voices and sing aloud
Let us all sing His praise
Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord eternal.

A: Holy Lord of all
Holy mighty One
Holy immortal One
Have mercy on us.

C: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and the Holy
Spirit.

Holy Lord of all…

A: From the eternity and forever. Amen.

Holy Lord of all…

OR

D: Brothers and sisters, raise your voices and glorify
the living God.

A: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy on us.

C : Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One…,

A: From the eternity and forever. Amen.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One…,

D: Let us pray. Peace be with us.

C: Lord, Our God, illumine our hearts and minds to hear
and understand the sweet voice of Your life-giving and
divine commandments. In Your mercy and grace, grant
that they bear in us the fruits of love, hope, and salvation
beneficial to our body and soul and that we may
constantly praise You, Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, forever.

A: Amen.

Gospel Reading

D: Let us stand and listen attentivelly to the Holy Gospel.

C: Peace + be with you.

A: With you and with your spirit.

C: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed
by St. …

A: Glory to You Christ, Our Lord.

Jn 15:9-12

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in
my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my
love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide
in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may
be in you, and that your joy may be complete. “This is my
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

OR

Mt 6:25-33

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you
will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

A: Glory to You Christ, Our Lord.

Homily

Karozutha

D: Let us all with joy and devotion pray for these servants
who present themselves before you, saying ‘Lord, have
mercy on these servants’.

A: Lord, have mercy on these servants.

D: Bless these servants and bestow your grace upon them
to enter into the holy sacrament of matrimony
according to their promise. We beseech you.

A: Lord, have mercy on these servants.

D: Bless these servants to prepare themselves for a married
life based on Christian virtues and with a pure heart.
We beseech you.

A: Lord, have mercy on these servants.

D: May these servants enter into married life, being
conscious of the obligations of the Christian family.
We beseech you.

A: Lord, have mercy on these servants.

D: Lord, prepare these servants to acknowledge that the
sacrament of marriage is a covenant between God and
the spouses and a relation lasting unto death. We
beseech you.

A: Lord, have mercy on these servants.

S: Let us commend ourselves and one another to the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

A: Lord, Our God, we commend ourselves to you.

C: O God our Lord, have mercy on these servants who have
come before your presence for the celebration of
betrothal. Bless them graciously to fulfill their promise
and to lead a life pleasing to You. Keep them and their
families united in love. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Lord
of all, forever.

C: Amen.

C: You are aware that the promise of marriage may be done
only with right knowledge and full consent. The Holy
Church gives you an occasion to declare publicly your
promise to get married.

The celebrant calling the man by his name asks:

C: (Name of the man) Do you promise to accept (Name of
the woman) as your wife according to the law of Christ
and according to the teachings of the Holy Church?

Man: Yes. I promise.

The celebrant calling the woman by her name asks:

C: (Name of the woman) Do you promise to accept (Name
of the man) as your husband according to the law of
Christ and according to the teachings of the Holy
Church?

Woman: Yes. I promise.

The celebrant asks the witnesses

C: Do you bear witness to this promise of marriage?

Witnesses: Yes.

C: May Jesus Christ our Lord, bless you (names) who made
the promise of marriage and may He bless you to fulfill
your promise.

(Sprinkles Holy Water)

A: Amen.

C: O Lord Jesus, who received the Church as the pure
bride, graciously extend Your right hand of mercy upon
these persons who have made the promise of marriage.
Protect them under the shade of Your providence. May
the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother,
St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, and St. Thomas,
our Apostle, make perfect the promise made by these
persons. May the prayer of all the saints especially the
saints and the blessed ones of our Church help and
protect them, Lord of all, forever.

A: Amen. Bless us, O Lord.

Final Blessing (Huttama)

C: May God, by His Word strengthen the promise of
marriage that you have made in His providence. Let Him
confirm it by the commandment of love and perfect it
by His mercy. May God, who has united Abraham and
Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, seal your
promise in faith, truth, love, and unity of heart. May God
strengthen you to receive the sacrament of matrimony
with intense prayer and spiritual preparation. May God
abundantly bless you, your parents who brought you up
in love, your family members and all those who took
part in this holy ceremony, now, and always + and
forever.

A: Amen.