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What I Saw At My Catholic Friends’ Wedding

What I Saw At My Catholic Friends’ Wedding

Last updated on: July 26, 2015 at 11:37 pm by Tod Worner

What I Saw At My Catholic Friends’ Wedding 2015-07-26T23:37:14-06:00 Tod Worner

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They were beautiful.

Of course they were.

Kari, the bride, was dazzling. A good friend and the Director of Community Life for our local parish, Kari could warm you with her winsome smile, her sincere attention and her razor sharp wit. She is one of those extraordinary individuals who can innovate, organize and execute whatever she sets her mind to and yet have an unbelievably good time while doing it.

Mike, the groom, was dashing. Upon first meeting Mike, one cannot escape his magnetism. He is one of those gifted souls who can simultaneously excel in his profession, compete at the highest levels in insane bike races, engage you in true conversation AND prove himself a dead ringer for Michael Jackson on the dance floor.

And today was their wedding day.

Do you know what I saw at their wedding? Let me tell you.

It was striking.

The setting was St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Hamel, MN. And it was truly beautiful. The bright sun illuminated stunning stained glass windows. Smiling groomsmen and bridesmaids walked the aisle to the strains of Pachelbel. They were witnesses eager to bear witness for this sacred pairing. Rose petals were scattered by a bashful, but grinning flower girl rendering the holy aisle a touch sweeter for the Bride soon to emerge. And then, a wide-eyed Groom and a tearful, but smiling Bride met at the altar as if for the first time. Sublime music rose from the masterful hands of organist Richard Clarke. Two of Mike’s sisters served as cantors and left us mesmerized with their gorgeous voices. Their offering serving as veritable soft kisses on the cheeks of their younger brother and new sister. Father Mike, Deacon Rick and Marionite Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun provided warm familiar faces and warmer messages. And the crowd in St. Anne’s – the various and sundry family, friends and well-wishers – loved them, just simply loved them.

And yet in the midst of perhaps the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended, it was not the beauty that struck me. It was not the attractive couple, the charismatic witnesses, the lilting music or the fine decorations. No.No.

It was something more.

On a warm, summer Friday afternoon, men and women, young and old, family and friends, from near and far… paused. We paused from stressful jobs or extended vacations. We paused from answering phones and responding to texts. We paused. And, if only for a short time, we turned our gaze to one singular focus, one solitary and profound event. The creation of a most sweet and holy union under the loving eyes of God. The union was

Mike and Kari

But what really struck me – I mean really moved me – was the moment I discovered what was truly happening at this wedding.

It became clear when Mike and Kari laid roses at the foot of an icon of Mary and the cantor’s beautiful voice sang,

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.

[Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now, and at the hour of our death.]

It became apparent when we collectively sang the Litany of the Saints, a hymn exquisitely invoking the Communion of Saints to advocate on our behalf to the Lord Almighty.

Pray for us, Pray for us, Pray for us
All you holy men and women, pray for us.

And it was undeniable when we took part in the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the prayer was uttered by Father Mike,

May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.

What was happening at Mike and Kari’s wedding – what I saw at my Catholic friends’ wedding – was holiness.

It was not a stilted, self-inflated, disingenuous piety, but the humble, sincere devotion of a couple to their God in the presence of all of their loved ones. I saw a couple earnestly seeking the blessing of God and the prayerful support of his Saints as they began their first steps of the most sublime sacramental journey. Oh, they were smiling and starry-eyed, they left the wedding in a stretch “Hummerzine” and they had a blast at their reception with speeches, dollar dances and, yes, a legendary Michael Jackson impression that dazzled.

But they started their wedding, they started their sacramental life together, asking Mary to pray, asking the Saints to pray, and asking God to make them better, to make them worthy. And, knowing them, they will continue to ask. Oh, without question, they will be an extraordinarily fun and successful couple, but the joys and concerns, triumphs and tribulations, the times of mirth and hesitation will only be livable, sensible and meaningful with a deep rootedness in Christ.

What I saw at my Catholic friends’ wedding was holiness.

Holiness.

And, my God, it was beautiful.

Congratulations, Mike and Kari. May God bless your marriage evermore.

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