SERVICE OF THE WORD

DOXOLOGY STAND

Cel: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Cong: Amen.


OPENING PRAYER

Cel: O Lord,
Make us worthy to begin by glorifying you
and to end by giving you thanks.
Bless us in your peace.
Guard your servants, Michael and Keri
Protect them by your cross
and save them from evil and all harm.
Glory be to you, our Lord and God, for ever.


Cong: Amen.

SONG (SANG OR PLAYED)








HOOSOYO

The celebrant places incense in the censer
and blesses it, saying:

Cel: I burn this incense to praise and honor the most Holy Trinity; Lord, have mercy on us.

Proemion

The celebrant sings the Proemion:

Cel: May we be worthy to offer praise and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom.
In his love, he betrothed the Church of all peoples and nations;
By his cross he sanctified her and made her a glorious bride.
To him are due glory and honor,
Now and for ever.

Cong: Amen.

Sedro

The celebrant then sings the Sedro:
Cel: Lord God,
Creator and Ruler of all things,
you took the dust of the earth into your holy hands,
fashioned Adam in your glorious image,
and formed our mother, Eve, from his rib.
O lover of all people,
with your right hand now bless your servants, Michael and Keri,
who are betrothed to one another.
Confirm them in faith, hope, love, and just deeds.
Make their marriage as honorable as the marriages of our righteous and just of old.
They served you in justice
and you multiplied their descendants
like the stars of the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore.
As they brought forth priests, kings, prophets,
apostles, preachers and teachers of your good news,
so likewise grant your servants, Michael and Keri,
to bear the fruits of justice
(and bring forth children of blessings).
Fill them with your fear
and surround them with your peace all the days of their lives.

Indeed, O Lord our God;
Assist them with your might
And extend your right hand over them.
Protect them with your loving cross
And keep them safe by your holy angels.
shall praise and thank you, your Father and
your Holy Spirit.
Now and for ever.

Cong: Amen.

SONG (SANG OR PLAYED)

Etro

The celebrant then prays the Etro:

Cel: Praised are you, O Jesus Christ, our Lord,
the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob;
you gave joy to the groom and the bide
at the wedding banquet at Cana of Galilee.
Now, O Lord,
accept the perfume of this incense.
Bless the groom, Michael, and the bride, Keri,
their witnesses and all of their guests,
as you blessed the just and their children.
To you be glory,
now and for ever.

Cong: Amen.
MAZMOORO

Deacon: Let us sing the psalm of glory and may God bless us.

Cel: Praise and glorify the Lord!

Cong: O Lord, may your cross shield the groom,
the bride and the witnesses.
They came to your Holy Church to receive
the blessing of your priests.

Cel: They sowed the fields and planted vineyards,
and they obtained a fruitful yield. (Psalm 107:17)
Lord, bless the groom, the bride and the witnesses;
bless them abundantly.

Cong: You accepted the offerings made by the righteous
before us, O Lord,
now accept our service and be attentive to our prayers.

READINGS

One or more of the following readings from Scripture is proclaimed:

Ephesians 5:22-23 or


Old Testament

Genesis 1:26-28, 31
Genesis 1:2, 18-24
Tobit 8:5-7
Sirach 26:4, 13-16

New Testament

1 Corinthians 6:13-20
1 Corinthians 12: 12-31
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Romans 12:1-2, 9-18
1 Peter 3:1-9

At the end of the last reading, the reader proclaims:

Reader: Praise be to God always!


FETGOMO

Cong: Alleluia! Alleluia!

Cantor: Hear, O daughter and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
So shall the king desire your beauty.
(Psalm 45:11-12)

Cong: Alleluia!

GOSPEL

Cel: Peace be with you.

Cong: And also with you.

Cel: Let us be attentive to the gospel of life and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by:
Matthew 19:3-6 or

Matthew 7:21, 24-29
Mark 10:6-9
John 1:1-11
John 15:9-12
John 15:12-16
At the end of the gospel, the celebrant kisses the book and blesses the congregation with it, saying:
Cel: This is the truth. Peace be with you.

KOROZOOTO

Cong: Praise, thanksgiving and blessings to Christ Jesus
for giving us his words of life,
to his Father who sent him to redeem us
and to his living Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

HOMILY

The celebrant then gives the homily in which he explains the Mystery of the Crowning.

RITE OF CROWNING

DIACONAL PROCLAMATION

Deacon: Again and again, let us pray to the Lord.

Cong: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For the peace of the Church and her children.

Cong: Lord, have mercy.

Deacon: For crowning of Michael and Keri,that it may be blessed and sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,let us pray to the Lord.

Cong: Lord, have mercy.

Other petitions may be added.

Qolo (Tune: Fsheeto)

The following qolo is then sung; the verses may be
Alternated by the celebrant and congregation.

(Or Song being Sang)

Alleluia!

The divine Groom has betrothed to himself a bride
Who is and will be without equal.

Her beauty surpasses all,
And her Groom is alive for ever.

And at all times, she proclaims:
Glory to you, O Lord!

Alleluia and Alleluia!
MARRIAGE COVENANT

The groom and bride then exchange their marriage covenant.

Cel: Michael, my beloved son,
do you take Keri, here present,
for your wife?

Groom: I do Father.

The celebrant then addresses the bride:

Cel: Keri, my beloved daughter,
do you take Michael, here present,
for your husband?

Bride: I do, Father.

The couple join their hands on the Bible. The celebrant then covers their hands with his stole and places his right hand over theirs, as he proclaims:

Cel: By the hand of God and his holy Word,
Our son, Michael and our daughter, Keri are joined in marriage
In the name of the most Holy Trinity;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
The One and only true God.
may their marriage be as firm as the covenant
by which heaven and earth were created,
and be blessed as was the covenant
by which Sarah was joined to Abraham,
Rebecca to Isaac and Rachel to Jacob,
so that nothing shall separate them but death.

Cong: Amen.

BLESSINGS OF THE RINGS

The groom and bride release their hands, and the celebrant proceeds to bless the rings, saying:

Cel: O Lord,
Extend the right hand of your Trinity
And bless + these rings,
Which we give to your servants,
Sanctify + them by our word
And grant that they may wear them +
In the sharing of their marriage.
May these rings be a wall of protection
For their bodies,
And shield them from all harm.
May our grace shine upon them
And your right hand, filled with mercy, bless them.
In sharing their happiness,
May they give you glory and thanksgiving,
Now and for ever.

Cong: Amen.

Giving of Rings

The celebrant gives the ring to the groom and then the groom repeats after the celebrant as he places the ring on the left ring finger of the bride.

Cel: Keri, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Groom: Keri, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Cel: I promise to honor and respect you, to have and to hold for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health;

Groom: I promise to honor and respect you, to have and to hold for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health

Cel: To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Groom: To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

The celebrant gives the ring to the bride and then the bride repeats after the celebrant as she places the ring on the left ring finger of the groom.

Cel: Mike, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Bride: Mike, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love.

Cel: I promise to honor and respect you, to have and to hold for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health;

Bride: I promise to honor and respect you, to have and to hold for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health

Cel: To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Bride: To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Cel: With the rings of your marriage
May the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ
Descend upon you.
May the blessings of his grace,
Which fulfills all needs,
Abound in you.
May these rings be a tower of protection for you,
May they shield you from all harm.
May you set out for the tabernacle of the Lord.
And mingle with his blessed flock.
To you, O Lord, be glory, for ever.

Cong: Amen.

BLESSING OF THE CROWNS

The celebrant next blesses the crowns, saying:

Cel: Like a crown, God has adorned the earth with flowers,
the heaven with stars,
and the land with the sea,
With a crown he has shown the special calling
given to the holy kings, priests, prophets and apostles.
in his bountiful mercy may be bless + these crowns
through the prayers of the Mother of God
and all the saints.

Cong: Amen.

CROWNING OF THE GROOM

The celebrant crowns the groom as the cantor sings all or at least some of the following:

Psalm 21:2-5

O Lord, in your strength the king is glad;
in your victory, how greatly he rejoices!
You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you refused not the wish of his lips.
For you welcomed him with goodly blessings,
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked life of you; you gave him length of
days for ever and ever.

The celebrant prays over the groom, saying:

Cel: May the Lord who crowned our holy fathers with
justice look upon you with love.
You have come to the holy Church seeking assistance,
may the Lord bless you,
protect you always,
and lead you to everlasting life.

Cong: Amen.

CROWNING OF THE BRIDE

The celebrant crowns the bride as the cantor sings all or at least some of the following verses:

Psalm 45:11-12, 14

Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your Lord, and you must worship him.
The beauty of the king’s daughter is from inside;
her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
The celebrant prays over the bride, saying:

Cel: May God who crowned all the holy women
and blessed Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel,
bless you, be merciful to you, and exalt you
with the crown of glory.
Adorned with the fruits of the Spirit,
May you flourish as a blessed vine
in the midst of the Church;
may the Lord God fill you with joy
as you dwell with your husband in love
and abiding peace;
(may you bring forth children pleasing to God,)
through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God,
and all the saints.

Cong: Amen.

CROWNING OF THE WITNESSES

The celebrant then crowns the witnesses an prays over them, saying:

Cel: O God and King
bless these witnesses who receive the crowns of witness.
Protect them by your cross,
and, as they have today witnessed in your holy house,
provide them with your blessings,
all the days of their lives.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory, for ever.

Cong: Amen.

REMOVAL OF THE CROWNS

The celebrant extends his right hand over the groom and says:

Cel: May the Lord who rules the whole universe bless + you
and richly endow the work of your hands.
May your wife be precious in your eyes.
and be as a column of fire within your home.
May you find happiness all the days of your life.
(May your children stand right upright before you like the cedars of Lebanon)
May God multiply your riches
and may you give aid and comfort to those who call upon you.
May you walk in the path of righteousness
all the days of your life,
that you may always render God glory and thanksgiving.

Cong: Amen.



The celebrant removes the crown from the groom.
He then turns to the bride and extends his right hand over her and says:

Cel: May the Lord who has filled creation with beauty
and made the just rejoice in their deed,
enrich you with good works.
May he confirm your heart in his justice.
(May you bring forth children pleasing to him.)
May you live with your husband in peace and love.
May your lamp be lighted before the Lord
on the day of his coming.

Cong: Amen.

The celebrant removes the crown from the bride.
He then extends his right hand over the two witnesses and says:

Cel: O lord God,
may these witnesses be worthy to receive from you
their good reward.
May they go out to meet you in joy
and may their lamps burn with
works of justice,
through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary
and all the saints.

Cong: Amen.

The celebrant removes the crowns from the witnesses.
The celebrant then prays:

Cel: May God bless you:
groom, bride and witnesses,
and protect this community by his glorious cross.
May you begin and end your married life in justice.
(May you bring forth children pleasing to God in this world.)
And in the world to come,
may you reach the harbor of eternal life.

Cong: Amen.

The Bride and Groom walk to the unity candle and light the candle that unites them together as a song is sang.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

The rite concludes with the following prayer.
However, if the Rite of Crowning takes place during the Divine Service of the Holy Mysteries, this prayer is recited as the blessing at the end of the Mysteries as is omitted here. The Pre-Anaphora and Anaphora now follows.


Cel: May the Lord God accompany you
From his holy temple
And protect you in body and soul.
May he protect you from the snares of the devil
And deliver you from the deceits of the wicked.
After a long and happy life
May he make you worthy to hear from him
These words of joy:
“Come, blessed of my Father, and inherit eternal life.”

He then makes the sign of the cross over them with the hand cross, saying:

Father, Son + and Holy Spirit.

Cong: Amen.

Cel: With the powers invested in me,
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.

After everyone claps and sits back down, the celebrant finishes with the announcing of the bride and groom.

Cel: I have the pleasure of announcing for the first time Mr. & Mrs. Fadi Antou.