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The Sacrament of Penance Couples sometimes inquire about the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) as a means of preparing for marriage. The occasion of your marriage is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this sacrament. As you approach the altar to enter into the Sacrament of Marriage, God and the Church ask that you do so in a state of grace. Your marriage to each other is also a special relationship to God. In the same way you may desire your relationship with God to start anew and to allow God to forgive you of any hurt or sin that exists between you and God.
If you are uncomfortable about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or feel it's been too long since your last confession, please don't be embarrassed; speak to us. Our ministry is to support you and to help you with whatever issues or concerns you might have. Ultimately, we want you to know and cherish the great love and mercy God has for all his children. The schedule for Confession at Holy Name is listed in the bulletin. You may also schedule a meeting with one of the priests at any time or choose to attend confession outside the parish. We can assist you with times and places if you would like to know them.
Readers and Eucharistic Ministers At the heart of the Catholic Marriage Rite is the reading of Sacred Scripture. It is from Scripture that our understanding of the sacrament of marriage flows. As such, this moment within the liturgy is a sacred and enriching time. You may select some Scripture readings for your wedding. The priest or deacon will provide you with a booklet (Together for Life) that will assist you in selecting the readings and prayers. Plan to give the readers at your wedding a copy of the scripture passage, so they can practice beforehand.
If a family member or friend is a Eucharistic Minister, we welcome them to share this ministry at your wedding
Flower Girl/Ring Bearer Children are certainly welcome in God’s House. If you are planning to have children in your wedding party, please keep in mind that they can become overwhelmed during the liturgy and might find it difficult to sit quietly for the duration of the wedding. Consider arranging for an adult to sit with them during the ceremony and liturgy. Experience shows us that children younger than age six or seven are not usually able to handle this situation.
Flowers/Bows/Aisle-Runner You are welcome to decorate the inside of the church and sanctuary with floral arrangements and place bows/flowers on the pews. Keep in mind that the church is a house of worship, and any and all arrangements or decorations should be respectful of its sacredness. If you have plans to decorate the church more extensively than floral arrangements or bows on the pews (HNC does not have pew hooks.), please discuss those plans with the priest/deacon before the plans are finalized.
During the Christmas and Easter seasons, the church is beautifully decorated and will remain during your wedding.
The church is open to florists one hour before your wedding time. If it is necessary for a florist to arrive earlier than that, they need to call the parish rectory (617-325-4865) on the day before to make arrangements.
The aisle at Holy Name is 125' long from the front door to the foot of the sanctuary. There are 31 rows of pews; and 14 rows of these pews are in front of the break.
Aisle runners are discouraged. The runner often becomes tangled and twisted on the floor of our church, and thus becomes a safety hazard for those in attendance. The use of runners dates back to a time when church floors were “dirt” floors.
The Altar Candles are lit for all weddings. For safety reasons, candles are not allowed on the pews; candelabras are not used.
Questions often arise in regard to the use of the wedding-unity candle. This candle, which has become somewhat of a custom in this area of the country, is not a part of the Catholic Marriage Rite. You are not required to have a unity candle during the wedding liturgy; but you may wish to provide one.
Wedding Processions may take various forms. Refer to the book Together for Life.
Receiving Lines are permitted at the back or outside of the church. However, they are permitted only with consideration of other liturgies that might be occurring on the day of your wedding. If your wedding is followed closely by another wedding or liturgy, a receiving line may be curtailed or may not be possible out of consideration for those who are following you.
Photographers and videographers are welcome to take pictures or videos inside of the Church. We ask them kindly not to interfere in the ceremony by becoming a distraction to you, your guests or the celebrant. For this reason, the photographer/videographer is not allowed in the sanctuary. If they choose to shoot from the choir loft, they are asked to check with the Cantor and the Organist. A good guideline to follow is that the photographer or videographer should not be in the line of sight of any of the guests. On the day of your wedding, the wedding coordinator will remind the photographer and/or videographer of our guidelines and explain how to obtain the best pictures according to how the celebrant will celebrate the ceremony.
The church is usually available following your wedding ceremony for additional pictures. This availability follows the same guidelines for receiving lines and we ask that this time be limited to no longer than 30 minutes.
Bagpipes Some couples hire bagpipers. We do ask that he/she remain outside the church. This affords a good vantage point from which to greet your guests as they arrive and to send them off as they go to your reception.
Confetti/Rice/Birdseed/Flower Petals We ask that you and your guests not use items such as confetti, rice, birdseed, flower petals, bubbles, etc. These items can create a slippery surface that puts guests at risk.
Wedding Banns are usually published in the parish bulletin on the three consecutive weeks immediately prior to your wedding. Announcement of the wedding banns is a long-standing tradition of the Catholic Church and complies with Canon Law. It affords the people of God in your parish community the opportunity to pray for you as you approach your marriage.