Blessing of a Civil Marriage #006-10-03-5b
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/official8329
- Date
- 2003 May 8-11
- Type
- Resolution 33-05-03
- Mover
- Bishop Fred Hiltz
- Seconder
- Archdeacon Helena Rose-Houldcroft
- Prologue
- Blessing of a Civil Marriage #006-10-03-5a
- Moved by: Bishop Fred Hiltz
- Seconded by: Archdeacon Helena-Rose Houldcroft
- That Faith, Worship and Ministry motion 1.4 be lifted from the table. CARRIED
- Withdrawal of Motion
- That Faith, Worship and Ministry motion 1.4 be withdrawn. CARRIED
- Text of motion
- That the Council of General Synod recommend that the General Synod approve for distribution and use where authorized by the Bishop the form for 'The Blessing of a Civil Marriage as modified from the `Book of Occasional Celebrations' and amended as follows":
- (on page 7, after the question to the couple and the response 'I do')
- Then the couple shall say together
- Acknowledging our union to be lifelong,
- Until we are parted by death,
- We ask God to bless our marriage CARRIED #33-05-03
- Notes
- The Blessing of a Civil Marriage is attached as Appendix F.
- APPENDIX F
- Blessing of a Civil Marriage
- According to Western Christian thought, the ministers of marriage are the man and woman who marry each other. From the point of view of the church, the role of an ordained minister in a marriage service is to pray for God's blessing on the marriage which the man and woman minister to each other. (From the point of view of the state the minister may have other civil functions to perform.) An ordained minister offers the prayer of blessing because he or she is the appointed leader of the congregation assembled for this particular act of worship.
- The church recognizes the validity of marriages which have been solemnized in accordance with its understanding of marriage, whether or not the exchange of vows took place in the context of an act of worship at which one of its ordained ministers presided. A civil ceremony at which a man and woman took each other as husband and wife with the intention of lifelong commitment is a complete and valid wedding. People enter marriage through the forms of civil ceremonies for a variety of reasons: because of cultural differences, to appease families, because they were not practising Christians at the time. Sometimes they later wish to affirm the Christian nature of their marriage by a ceremony which culminates in a solemn prayer for God's blessing on the marriage.
- There is an intimate relationship between the vows of marriage ad prayers of blessing which may follow them, even when there is a considerable interval of time between the two events. Nothing that is done in the blessing of a civil marriage should reflect negatively on the original exchange of vows. The blessing of a civil marriage is not a second marriage. The marriage vows should not be repeated.
- This service should not be used in contravention of diocesan regulations relating to remarriage after divorce.
- Subjects
- Marriage - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada - Liturgy - Texts
- Civil marriage
- check Appendix F incomplete