At our church, the lady in charge of wedding preparation mentioned that the symbol of lighting the unity candle was permitted. I hadn't attended a mass that included this tradition. Has anyone seen this in a catholic mass? If so, at what point does it take place?
Re: lighting of the unity candle
Lots of us here are not big fans of the unity candle. It is a non-Catholic tradition that has seeped into our culture and wormed in on some brides/parishes. The wedding unifies you. The rings are blessed as a sign of this union. If you have a mass, you then share in the ultimate unifying act: sharing the Lord's Supper and being united together to Him as the Body of Christ.
For me, it was allowed by my parish and maybe allowed by our priest. However, I felt like with long readings, long musical selections, the Eucharist, and a presentation to Mary, there was already a long ceremony with lots of actual religious meaning. The candle would be another song for people to sit through, especially my non-Catholic guests who sat through a lot (but still complemented the ceremony when all was said and done).
We were not permitted to have the unity candle. I have only been to one Catholic wedding that has had one. It is not considered a part of the Catholic wedding ceremony/liturgy.
I forget the one before that, perhaps it was different, I never paid that much attention to that part of the wedding.
[QUOTE]I don't think I've ever been to a Catholic wedding ceremony where a unity candle hasn't been lit. We light ours after the Gospel Acclamation. I guess it really just has to do w/ your preference, parish, and priest.
Posted by JEPearson[/QUOTE]
Are you sure that's right? I'm not trying to pick on you or your parish or your priest, but theologically, that doesn't seem like a good place for it. You acclaim the glory of the Gospel, hear it proclaimed, and then hear a reflection on it (the homily). Putting it there seems to totally disrupt the flow of something that doesn't have wiggle room. You are hearing the Word of God, pausing for a non-Catholic symbol and returning to the Word of God. It just doesn't seem right.
For the Catholic wedding that wasn't a full mass they just had the mothers light the candle before the ceremony began. For the non Catholic wedding they did it right after their vows.