In the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage between two Catholics normally takes place during Mass because of the connection of all the sacraments with the death and resurrection of Christ.

The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely expresses their consent. The Church holds "the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that ‘makes the marriage’" (Catechism, 1626). If there is no true consent, there is no marriage.

A couple wishing to marry should contact their parish priest one year prior to the anticipated date of the wedding. Couples are required to engage in a marriage preparation process provided or arranged by the parish. Such preparation allows the couple to come to a deeper knowledge of each other and of the sacrament they will receive, including the reasons for its indissolubility.

The essential rite of this sacrament for all three degrees consists in the bishop’s imposition of hands on the head of the ordained and his specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained.

It is desirable that the ceremony take place within the Eucharistic liturgy and that as many of the faithful as possible take part.

Origin

Frankincense is the main ingredient in the incense used in today's liturgies. It is resin produced by a family of desert trees that grow in southern Arabia, and is derived from sap that dries, forming crystalline lumps of an amber/gold color.

For Christians, it has a rich prayer and purification symbolism. From earliest Christian days, it has been associated with Christ, beginning with the magi gift (Matthew 2:10-11). Even before that, the Jews regarded its rich spicy scent as a pure offering, pleasing to God.

Why do we use incense?

We venerate an object or a person, or show honour by incensing.

We incense the altar, the book of the Gospels, the gifts of bread and wine, the assembly, and the body of the deceased during a funeral. Five grains of it can be deposited in the Paschal candle at the Easter Vigil, representing Christi's five wounds. The old blessing of incense included the prayer, "Be blessed by him in whose honour you will burn."

What is the symbolism of using incense?

1. Its burning represents zeal and fervour.
2. Its fragrance represents virtue.
3. Its rising smoke represents acceptable prayer, as noted in Psalm 141:2.

Crucifixes

A crucifix is a cross bearing the figure of the crucified Christ. This figure is called a corpus.

Medals

Medals are used to commemorate, memorialize, and inspire us. Typically, medals depict Our Lord, the Blessed Mother, or other saints.