Nuptial Blessing

Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly pray to the Lord
that on these his servants, now married in Christ,
he may mercifully pour out the blessing of his grace
and make of one heart in love
by the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood
those he has joined by a holy covenant.

And all pray in silence for a while.

God, who by your mighty power created all things out of nothing,
and when you had set in place the beginnings of the universe,
formed man and woman in your own image,
making the woman an inseparable helpmate to the man,
that they might no longer be two, but one flesh,
and you taught that what you were pleased to make one must never be divided;
God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage by so great a mystery that in the wedding covenant
you foreshadowed the Sacrament of Christ and his Church; God, by whom woman is joined to man
and the companionship they had in the beginning
is endowed with the one blessing not forfeited by original sin nor washed away by the flood.

Look now with favour on these your servants, joined together in Marriage,
who ask to be strengthened by your blessing.

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.

May the grace of love and peace abide in your daughter N.,
and let her always follow the example of those holy women whose praises are sung in the Scriptures.

May her husband entrust his heart to her, so that, acknowledging her as his equal
and his joint heir to the life of grace, he may show her due honour
and cherish her always with the love that Christ has for his Church.

And now, Lord, we implore you: may these your servants
hold fast to the faith and keep your commandments;
made one in the flesh, may they be blameless in all they do;
and with the strength that comes from the Gospel,
may they bear true witness to Christ before all;
may they be blessed with children, and prove themselves virtuous parents, who live to see their children’s children.

And grant that, reaching at last the fullness of years together for which they hope, they may come to the life of the blessed in the Kingdom of heaven.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord for this bride and groom,
who come to the altar as they begin their married life,
that (partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ)
they may always be bound together by love for one another.

And all pray in silence for a while.

Holy Father, who formed man in your own image,
male and female you created them, so that as husband and wife, united in body and heart,
they might fulfil their calling in the world;
O God, who to reveal the great design you formed in your love, willed that the love of spouses for each other
should foreshadow the covenant you graciously made with your people,
so that, by fulfilment of the sacramental sign,
the mystical marriage of Christ with his Church
might become manifest in the union of husband and wife among your faithful;
graciously stretch out your right hand over these your servants (N. and N.), we pray,
and pour into their hearts the power of the Holy Spirit.

Grant, O Lord, that, as they enter upon this sacramental union,
they may share with one another the gifts of your love and, by being for each other a sign of your presence,
become one heart and one mind.

May they also sustain, O Lord, by their deeds the home they are forming
and prepare their children to become members of your heavenly household 
by raising them in the way of the Gospel.

Graciously crown with your blessings N., your handmaid,  so that, by being a good wife (and mother),
she may bring warmth to her home with a love that is pure and adorn it with welcoming graciousness.

Bestow a heavenly blessing also, O Lord, on N., your servant, that he may be a worthy, good and faithful husband (and a provident father).

Grant, holy Father, that, desiring to approach your table as a couple joined in Marriage in your presence,
they may one day have the joy of taking part in your great banquet in heaven.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us humbly invoke by our prayers,
dear brothers and sisters,
God’s blessing upon this bride and groom,
that in his kindness he may favour with his help
those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony.

All pray in silence for a while.

Holy Father, maker of the whole world,
who created man and woman in your own image,
and willed that their union be crowned with your blessing, we humbly beseech you for these your servants,
who are joined today in this Sacrament.

May your abundant blessing, Lord,
come down upon this bride, N.,
and upon N., her companion for life,
and may the power of your Holy Spirit
set their hearts aflame from on high,
so that, living out together the gift of Marriage,
they may (adorn their family with children and)
enrich the Church.

In happiness may they praise you, O Lord,
in sorrow may they seek you out,
may they have the joy of your presence
to assist them in their toil, and know that you are near
to comfort them in their need;
let them pray to you in the holy assembly
and bear witness to you in the world,
and after a happy old age,
together with the circle of friends that surrounds them,
may they come to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.