[Article] A bride or groom as a thurifier in Holy Matrimony?

As the last part of the series on holy matrimony, ‘it is to be stressed that whenever rites, according to their specific nature, make provision for communal celebration involving the presence and active participation of the faithful, this way of celebrating them is to be preferred, so far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and quasi-private.

This applies with a special force to the celebration of Mass and the administration of the sacraments, even though every Mass has of itself a public and social nature’ ( Sacrosanctum Concilium [SC], 7).

Flowing from the above principle, and the desire to avoid the monopolization of liturgical celebrations by individuals (no matter the centrality of their functions), or the temptation to approach the liturgical space as a performing theater with the sanctuary as a stage for elevated displays, the Council Fathers of Vatican II crafted a basic liturgical principle in SC 28 as: ‘In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layperson, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy.’

If, therefore, ‘the marriage liturgy is a unique event, which is both a family and a community celebration’ ( Amoris Laetitia, 216; Familiaris Consortio, 67) and not private event in se, then, ordinarily, those norms cited above concerns ministers like bride and groom of liturgical celebrations of holy matrimony, just as it concerns ordained ministers, ‘servers, lectors, commentators, and members of the choir who also exercise a genuine liturgical function’ (SC 29) in the ritual mass of holy matrimony.

As a liturgical vision, such norms are also to ensure order, especially by avoiding many distractive movements in the liturgical space, and to ensure that all the faithful concentrate on how to particularly benefit from the graces of the sacraments not only as a community, but also in a very personal way.

Hence, for ordained ministers, for instance, liturgical norms demand that “‘a priest or deacon acting as the Master of Ceremonies (M.C.) wears a stole (on a choir dress- cassock and surplice) only when receiving Communion or during duty at the tabernacle.’ Thus, he functions as an MC or an ordained priest, not both.

So, even though the ‘Ceremonies of Bishops’ (36) suggests ‘a deacon acting as M.C. may wear a dalmatic. This may not be appropriate, because acting as M.C. does not seem to be a role which pertains to the order of deacons in a visible sacramental sense’” (cf. Peter J. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite, 175).

Thus, technically like ordained priests, deacons cannot act as M.Cs. and still seek to ‘minister as deacons’, and even in a more disturbing way, act as instrumentalists, choir conductors, media men, cantors, etc.

Implicitly from that same liturgical principle, acting as a thurifier or in such other functions as extraordinary minister of holy communion [as an expression of some form of solidarity or association], is not a role of the ministers (bride or groom- cf. CCC, 1623) of holy matrimony in a visible sacramental sense. More so, when the bride or groom are not indispensable persons for such roles, which are in themselves also, not indispensable in such ritual ceremonies.

Apart from the fact that their expected roles in the celebration are delicate enough and require their utmost attention, holy matrimony should be approached as the serious ‘business’ it is rather than the funfair it is not. On that important day of their long journey as contracting parties of holy matrimony, therefore, their proper roles as ministers of the sacrament should be their primary focus.