Wedding Topics

Text of the opening prayer for a Catholic wedding

Below is the text of the six options from The Order for Celebrating of Matrimony for the Opening Prayer that is said during a Catholic wedding. To see where the Opening Prayer occurs in a Catholic wedding mass, check the outline of a Catholic wedding within Mass or the outline of a Catholic wedding without Mass.

Italics indicate the rubrics, the instructions to the presider.

Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation of The Order of Celebrating Matrimony © 2013, ICEL. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. and some additional texts copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the permission in writing form the copyright holder.

Individuals who wish to reproduce text from The Order of Celebrating Matrimony for their own use (including reproduction in wedding programs) must follow the ICEL copyright permission procedures, which may be found at www.icelweb.org.

Opening Prayer (Collect)

Option A (#188)

O God, who consecrated the bond of Marriage
by so great a mystery
that in the wedding covenant you foreshadow
the Sacrament of Christ and his Church,
grant, we pray, to these your servants,
that what they receive in faith
they may live out in deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Response: Amen.

Option B (#189)

O God, who in creating the human race
willed that man and wife should be one,
join, we pray, in a bond of inseparable love
these your servants who are to be united in the covenant of Marriage,
so that, as you make their love fruitful,
they may become, by your grace, witnesses to charity itself.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Option C (#190)

Be attentive to our prayers, 0 Lord,
and in your kindness
pour out your grace on these your servants (Name and Name),
that, coming together before your altar,
they may be confirmed in love for one another.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Option D (#191)

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that these your servants,
now to be joined by the Sacrament of Matrimony,
may grow in the faith they profess
and enrich your Church with faithful offspring.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Option E (#192)

Be attentive to our prayers. 0 Lord,
and in your kindness uphold
what you have established for the increase of the human race,
so that the union they created may be kept safe by your assistance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Option F (#193)

O God, who since the beginning of the world
have blessed the increase of offspring,
show favor to our supplications
and pour forth the help of your blessing
on these your servants (Name and Name),
so that in the union of Marriage
they may be bound together
in mutual affection,
in likeness of mind,
and in shared holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Response: Amen.

Option G (#89)

Response: Amen.

For more information

Order of a Catholic wedding ceremony during Mass
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of the Catholic wedding Mass.

Order of a Catholic wedding ceremony outside Mass
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of a Catholic wedding outside of Mass.

Order of a wedding between a Catholic and an unbaptized person
A step-by-step walk through the complete order of a wedding between a Catholic and someone who has not been baptized as a Christian.

Choosing the form of your wedding
As you begin planning your wedding, one of the first things you will discuss with the priest or deacon at your parish is which form of the Rite of Marriage you will use during your wedding. Here are the three basic options.