“Love bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all
things. Love never ends.”St.
Paul
Marriage
Ministry
Marriage
is more than a wedding service – it is a lifelong journey of
love and faith. A couple decides to marry when two people realize
that their lives have become so united that the very center of
their identity has shifted – they are more themselves
TOGETHER than they were apart. They are most themselves when they
are not only themselves – they face the world as a unit, the
two have become one in love. (And don’t forget, God IS love
– in loving each other, whether you know it or not, you are
discovering and honoring God within you).
The art of marriage is to be faithful to that journey, and to the
unity of spirits proclaimed at your wedding ceremony: “In
good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.” While easy
to say, these words are profoundly challenging to live. they will
call upon you to love each other selflessly. When the promise is
made, time lies before you – a vast unknown. But we know that
there will be good times to enjoy and revel in, and there will be
bad times that test the strength of your love; and at sometime or
other, there will be sickness, and one of you will need the other
to be there – selflessly: to comfort and help, and to
console. The years will change you - your bodies will become old,
your children will grow and leave, your circumstances will be
unpredictable.
Every
moment of this journey, even the hardest, is precious. Every single
moment!
My
goal is to help you prepare for that journey as we also plan a
wedding service that reflects you and your unique love story. Your
service should not only be beautiful and sacred – you can
also consider it your gift to your loved ones. By sharing your
deep, abiding love for each other with them, you invite them to
rediscover and recommit themselves to loves in their own
lives.
You may have had a difficult time locating a priest or minister for
your wedding because you are not members (or active members) of a
church congregation. Your pastor may be unwilling to
officiate at your wedding at the time or place of your choosing. Or
your church may have turned you away because of some life
circumstance – as happens frequently to couples who are
divorced, or pregnant, or gay. Perhaps your family's diverse
religious background requires a post-denominational minister. Or
you may simply be turned off by the rigidity and inflexibility of
the corporate Catholic church.
Regardless
of why you come to me, you can be certain that I won't turn you
away or judge you for any reason. I will work with you to prepare
for a marriage that's built to last a lifetime, and to plan a
ceremony that expresses your faith and your personalities - and at
which you feel blessed by the Love that has called you to love each
other - and that is the True Anchor, the Still Point, in you
changing lives.
I can be reached at fatherrich@mac.com, or you can call me at
914-804-1944