

– and nowhere in the rubrics does it say that we have to hold hands when we pray the Our Father.

This is why there are particular moments during the Mass when we kneel, parts when we stand, parts where we sit, etc. During the Mass, every gesture is regulated by the Church and its rubrics. There is nothing in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal that indicates that we should hold hands. We as Catholics are united by receiving Holy Communion, not by holding hands. Holding hands is obviously a distraction from that. There – during the Mass – is where we find our unity that is where we join ourselves to Christ and in Christ, through the common priesthood of the faithful. Therefore, they turn to the gesture of holding hands as a moment of communion in community prayer.ĭuring the Mass, we have two important moments: the Consecration and Communion. The reason is that Protestants do not have the Real Presence of Christ that is to say, they do not have real and valid sacramental Communion that joins them among themselves and with God. The practice of holding hands while praying the Our Father comes from the Protestant world. Some consider it more of an extension of the vows than a unity ceremony.These practices are not explicitly prohibited in the missal, but come from a Protestant tradition In this tradition, each member of the couple sits as the other removes their shoes and washes their feet from a small basin. The washing of feet: This ceremony is based on Biblical scripture John 13:2-5, in which Jesus demonstrates his devotion to his disciples and the humility necessary to serve by washing their feet.The other half of the couple braids the strands together to symbolize their relationship, and God’s position at the center of it. “God’s Knot” or “Cord of Three Strands:” In this unity ceremony based on Bible scripture Ecclesiastes 4:12, one member of the couple (traditionally the groom in heterosexual couples) holds a ring with three strings-one to represent the bride, one to represent the groom, and one to represent God-attached to it.Hand-fasting began as a secular Celtic tradition but is increasingly being adapted for Christian ceremonies. Hand-fasting: In this unity ceremony, cords or strips of fabric are wrapped around a couples’ joined hands in a literal tying of the knot.Other faith-based unity ceremonies include: The couple then uses their respective family candles to light a new flame together. A representative from each side of the couple (often their mothers) each lights a family candle to represent their side. A common unity ceremony is the lighting of a unity candle. It typically occurs after the exchanging of the vows, but the order can vary based on what feels right for the flow of the ceremony. The unity ceremony symbolizes the two members of a couple-and also the two families and communities of a couple-joining together as one. Roxy, who notes that the community vows tradition is becoming more common in both Christian and secular wedding ceremonies. “This replaces the objection-the ‘is anyone against this?’ bit,” says Rev. The minister will ask guests to communally respond with “we do” after the reading of community vows. Personalized vows can also be followed with “community vows,” in which the minister asks guests to pledge to support the couple in their upholding of these vows. The minister will either ask each member of the couple to repeat lines after them, or they will ask each person to respond with “I do” after they (the minister) completes a reading of vows.Ĭouples may choose to follow this with personalized vows, in which they make more specific promises to each other beyond the traditional ones offered by their officiant. The minister leads the couple in these vows.


The most sacred part of the wedding ceremony, the exchanging of vows is when the couple makes mutual promises to one another to uphold the sanctity of their marriage.
