Wedding program for non-Catholic guests

elizabethp17

Hi guys,

I was wondering - does anyone have a sample program they're planning to use/have used that would help non-Catholic guests follow along?  I'll be the only practicing Catholic at my wedding, and my in-laws-to-be are all Presbyterian (I'm the first Catholic they've ever met and they definitely have never been inside a Catholic church before).  I'd like something that preferably indicates when to stand, kneel, etc, if anyone has anything like that?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!   

mrsmorales2be

I'm working on mine, too. Only Catholic in my family, and we're having a Nuptial Mass...it's going to be interesting. Looking forward to others' input! I need to have mine done asap (almost 2 months out!) so if nothing else, I can share mine.

elizabethp17

Thanks!  That's really sweet.  I think I'll probably have to make one from scratch, since I want it to be quite detailed (I'm the first Catholic FI's family has ever met and they are really nervous they are going to stand at the wrong time or whatever).  If you do make one, and you don't mind sharing, that would be great to see, though!  You must be getting excited - 2 months isn't long at all! 

mrsmorales2be

I'd love to see what you're doing as well - maybe there's a way we can collaborate?

MesmrEwe

Ours was quite detailed - unfortunately I don't know where the file is for it.  Be aware though - it'll be 3-4 half-pages which was a bear to tie..

KPBM89

Ours didn't say when to stand, kneel, etc. because our priest indicated these to guests.  We also had a note that the pew books had a general order of mass (which does say when to stand, sit, kneel, and also responses) so that guests could follow that if they chose to.  This is what ours had in it:

Front cover had our names, date, and church name

Back cover had directions to the reception venue

Inside front cover first had our priest's name, then our parents' names, then our grandmothers' names, then bridal party names, then the names of our musicians

After that, we had a few notes, like remembering those who have passed in our families and thanking everyone for coming and for their love and support.

We then put in this note:

"For our guests who are not Catholic, we welcome you to this celebration of the nuptial mass. Please participate to the extent that you feel comfortable, while respecting the prayerful nature of the liturgy. The general order of mass can be found in Breaking Bread, including responses and some of the music selections."

The next page listed the order of our ceremony:

Prelude | [Song, Composer]

Processional | [Song, Composer]

Bridal Processional | [Song, Composer]

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading | [Reading]

[Name of reader and relation to us]

Responsorial Psalm | [Response]

Second Reading | [Reading]

[Name of reader and relation to us]

Gospel Acclamation | Alleluia

Gospel Reading | [Reading (ours was done by our priest so we didn't need to add a name with this)]

Homily

Rite of Marriage

Exchange of Consent and Marriage Vows

Blessing and Exchange of Rings

Prayer of the Faithful

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Preparation of the Gifts | [Song, Composer]

[Names of those who brought the gifts forward]

Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

The Nuptial Blessing

The Sign of Peace

Communion | [Song, Composer]

Concluding Rite

Final Blessing

Presentation of the Bride and Groom

Recessional | [Song, Composer]

Hopefully this can help some of you!  Your mass might be a slightly different order or might include other things (like a unity candle or sand pouring), which are easy to add in.  Our priest was amazing with hinting when to stand or kneel.  He also let everyone know who was able to receive communion so there was no confusion.  I'd say about a third to one half of our guests were Catholic.

IrishPirate60

Just a note: the unity candle is not part of Catholic tradition or practice. The exchange of promises before the deacon or priest is the matter of the sacrament. You don't need to add to it to make it "more."

elizabethp17

mrsmorales2be, I would definitely be up for that, although my wedding isn't until next August so I probably won't be doing it too soon.  When is yours?


KPBM89, thank you so much.  That's really great - I appreciate it.  We're not having a Mass, just the Rite of Marriage, since my fiance (and literally every guest) are non-Catholics - that's my big concern!  No unity candle or anything like that either.  It should be easy to adapt your one though, thanks a lot!

mrsmorales2be

@elizabethp17 - Oct. 25th, 2014, so significantly earlier than yours, but when I get mine all worked out, I'll pass it along.  I'm having a full Mass, though, so it might not be overly useful.

MesmrEwe

Above the Stand/sit/kneel...  You may want to add something about Communion that only practicing Catholics are allowed to receive but that those who aren't and/or children may come forward for a blessing (arms crossed on their chests) ..  The hymnals in our parish have a note regarding this which puts into very respectful terms the who may/may not receive.  We have one gentleman who every time he sees us mentions how this was a turning point in his faith on our wedding day. 

IrishPirate60

The OP specifically said they were NOT having a Mass, so these comments about communion are superfluous.

mrsmorales2be

@IrishPirate60 - perhaps superfluous to OP's question, but the fact that she's not having a nuptial mass was not noted in the original post.  Also, discussing how to handle the Liturgy of the Eucharist in the program is useful to the general discussion.  I doubt it's stepping on OP's toes.

IrishPirate60

Not in the original post, but in a subsequent one, only two posts above the "rules about receiving communion." It's not like this is a thread covering multiple pages, for Pete's sake.

mrsmorales2be

The information is still useful to the general discussion on preparing a program for non-Catholic guests. 

IrishPirate60

mrsmorales2be said:

The information is still useful to the general discussion on preparing a program for non-Catholic guests. 

For which there are several other threads addressing that specific issue. Keep it simple.

irishhippocrates

Hey all~

New to this thread and would also appreciate help with this. My fiance is Lutheran and the majority of his family also are. Also, we're both in medical school, and a good portion of our friends are Jewish, Hindi, Buddhist, you name it! We're doing a full mass for two reasons: it's important to me (as an Irish Catholic) and our priest officiant said he would do "everything possible" to make everyone feel welcome, regardless of religious affiliations

That being said, we do want our program to be as inclusive as possible. I'm curious what the ladies in this thread (elizabethp17, mrsmorales2be) ended up producing?  Would you be open to sharing a draft? Thanks!