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Congratulations on your engagement!
Weddings are a vital part of the sacramental life of the Church.
The readings at a Catholic wedding liturgy are a proclamation of God’s Word and of the Church’s faith about marriage. For this reason, they are limited to readings from the scriptures (the Bible).
There are nine (9) options for the first reading from the Old Testament, seven (7) options for the Responsorial Psalm, fourteen (14) options for the second reading from the New Testament, and ten (10) choices for the Gospel. You choose one from each of these categories.
The options for these readings in their entirety, as well as commentary to provide some context and highlight key themes in each reading, are listed on the following links.
- Catholic Wedding Mass: Old Testament readings
- Catholic Wedding Mass: Responsorial psalms
- Catholic Wedding Mass: New Testament readings
- Catholic Wedding Mass: Gospel readings
Choosing Readers (Lectors) for Your Catholic wedding
Who will proclaim the Scripture readings during your wedding ceremony? The Priest or Permanent Deacon who witnesses your marriage will proclaim the Gospel reading. The responsorial psalm is usually led by a cantor (song leader), or simply recited by a reader if a cantor is unavailable.That leaves you to find readers (also called lectors) for the first and second readings. Here are some tips for choosing your readers:
- Keep in mind that whoever you choose will be doing more than just "reading"; that person will be proclaiming the Word of God. James M. Schellman summarizes the implications of this sacred task perfectly: "Above all, the readers must understand and believe that they are performing a real ministry of presence and communion. They must accept that the Lord is active and present to the assembly through their proclamation, that the Lord longs to speak and be heard in the biblical word they enunciate. It is a word for this assembly, here and now, and each of its members is called to hear and respond to that word..."
- Because the role of the reader is a sacred task, you will probably want to choose a person of faith as your reader. Ideally, that person will also be a good public speaker. The Church has this to say about readers at weddings: "The proclamation of the Word of God is to be made by suitable and prepared lectors. They can be chosen from among those present, especially witnesses, family members, friends, but it does not seem appropriate for the bride and groom to be lectors. In fact, they are the primary receivers of the proclaimed Word of God" (Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage #68).
- The readers should be willing to prepare for their role by practicing the readings, even before the wedding rehearsal. At the wedding rehearsal, they should practice the reading with the sound system on.
- If you can't find suitable readers among your friends and family, the Parish Priest will be able to recommend good, experienced lectors who you could ask to read at your wedding.
- Finally, the readers should read from the lectionary, not a sheet of paper or notes. The Priest or Permanent Deacon witnessing your marriage can help you locate your readings in the lectionary.
Reference:
Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Hexham. (2018, October 31). Scripture readings for catholic weddings [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.stmaryshexham.org.uk/media/1564/scripture-readings-for-your-wedding-v2-oct18.pdf.
