Weddings at the Cathedral of Saint Paul
Welcome to the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Worcester. We are delighted that you have chosen this place for your wedding celebration. We are ready and eager to help you with musical selections for your wedding, and hope that you will find the experience rewarding. After making contact with the Music Director or parish Organist, you will be provided with a document containing the texts of approved musical selections, a CD of musical sample recordings, and a form to complete with your selections for the Wedding. Further information about the music for Catholic weddings follows here as well.
Church musicians earn their livelihood by ministering at the liturgies of the Church. In the event that you have a friend or family member whose musical participation in your event you desire, please be advised that you will still be obligated to pay the fee of the Organist and Cantor if they are present for any of the liturgy. Guest organists, in particular, must receive approval of the Music Director and the Rector of the Cathedral. Any additional consultations or rehearsals on the part of the organist before the day of the wedding are billed at the rate of $75/hour.
Overall Liturgical Considerations for the Catholic Weddings
The First Letter of Saint John states that “God is love.” As such, Christian marriage is considered a sacrament because the love of a married couple bears witness to God’s love for the world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this belief clearly: “Since God created man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves human persons. (CCC 1604).” Furthermore, since Christians believe in Jesus Christ as God incarnate (in human flesh), marriage is a sign of Christ’s love for his Church. As you plan your wedding liturgy you will find these beliefs mentioned throughout the prayers used during the wedding celebration. These theological or faith principles form the basis for the guidelines regarding what takes place during a wedding in a Catholic Church. Since marriage is a sacramental celebration of the Church, everything – including the music for your ceremony – must be in harmony with these beliefs.
A Catholic wedding is a public celebration of God’s love being made present to the world in the love of the couple who are exchanging vows with each other. The wedding is a sacramental liturgy and an act of public worship. You will be asked to select from certain prayers that have been created for the ritual, readings from Sacred Scripture, and liturgical music that will help those present to reflect on the meaning of Christian marriage.
As your wedding is a sacramental liturgy – an act of public worship – the music you choose must be music expressly written for that purpose. Liturgical music is written using texts from Sacred Scripture or the prayers of the Church. In some instances, the lyrics may be adapted poetically, but they nonetheless are appropriate for liturgy. Also, liturgical music is written to encourage the participation of the congregation at a liturgy. The hymnals that are usually used at Mass at the Cathedral contain numerous songs that are written for liturgical celebrations. In the packet that will be provided to you, you will find a list of liturgical songs that are appropriate for weddings. All of them are recorded on a provided sampler CD as well. If there is another song that you have heard at a Catholic liturgy that is not listed, you may ask the organist or the cantor about its use as well. Any sacred music that is not written for congregational participation should be used only at certain points in the liturgy, such as the prelude time before the ceremony begins, or as a vocal interlude that allows the congregation to reflect on the lyrics of the song.
The preceding paragraphs have described the music that is appropriate for your wedding liturgy. At this point it is important to mention music that is not appropriate for a Catholic wedding liturgy. Secular love songs from pop culture may have special meaning for you as a couple, but they should be reserved for your reception or your first dance. Since they do not speak of the religious beliefs connected to the sacrament of marriage, they are not appropriate for a wedding liturgy. On another level, they are not written for the participation of the congregation, which must always be respected in public worship. Ultimately, all your musical choices must be approved by the Rector of the Cathedral or the priest presiding at the wedding.
Music for the Rite of Marriage
Descriptions and Requirements
Prelude Music: Prior to the Wedding Liturgy the organist will play prelude music for about fifteen minutes. At any point during that time vocal pieces may be sung by the Cantor. Many couples have a specific vocal piece sung as the parents are being seated.
Processional: An organ march should be selected from the choices provided. If you have another selection you would like to hear, you must consult with the organist for clearance. Please note, there is only one procession, which includes all members of the bridal party and the bride. Therefore, only one march will be used for the procession.
Glory to God: In the recently revised Rite of Marriage, the singing of the Glory to God is prescribed. The organist can coordinate the singing of this hymn with you and the priest presiding at the wedding Mass.
Responsorial Psalm: Following the reading from the Old Testament, a Responsorial Psalm is sung by the cantor and congregation. This must be a setting of a text from the Book of Psalms as it is part of the Liturgy of the Word. A Responsorial Psalm has a refrain for the congregation to sing. Many settings of the choices appropriate for weddings are included in this packet.
Gospel Acclamation: Outside of the season of Lent a sung “Alleluia” precedes the reading of the Gospel. Three selections are included here, but any setting you hear at Sunday Mass may be used.
Preparation Hymn: A hymn may be sung during the presentation and preparation of the gifts. If desired an instrumental piece may be chosen for this moment in the Liturgy.
Eucharistic Acclamations: These acclamations include the Holy, Holy, Holy, the When We Eat This Bread, Great Amen, and Lamb of God. These acclamations are often unified with melodies by the same composer. The CD sampler contains three different settings for these congregational prayers.
Communion Litany: During Communion, a Litany should be sung. Ideally the lyrics of the song(s) chosen should deal with the meaning of Holy Communion. Any Litany you hear sung at Sunday Mass may be used. The selections included in the provided packet contain lyrics that address Christian love. Most of the songs included in the packet would also be appropriate during the Communion Rite. Please consult the suggested uses for each of the songs.
Recessional: Any of the marches listed in the packet of music titles provided to you may also be used here, but in general you wish to choose a piece that is lively and energetic as the bridal party leaves the church.
Ceremony information
Wedding Date:___________________________________
Wedding Time:___________________________________
Celebrant:____________________________________________________
Contact information
Bride and Groom Names:__________________________________________________________________________________________
Preferred contact phone:_________________________________________________
Preferred contact email:___________________________________________________
Number of Bridesmaids:__________ Number of Groomsmen:__________
Number of Flower girls:__________ Number of Ringbearers:__________
Other participants:____________________________________________________________
The above form should be printed, completed and returned to the Parish Office and/or Music Staff at your earliest convenience. Thank You!