Five couples marry in church

Knights organize Church wedding for civily married

- photo supplied Five couples who had been civilly married exchanged marriage vows at St. Joseph Basilica May 27.

By MARY ANN SOSA
Special to the WCR
Edmonton

On May 27, five couples exchanged marriage vows at St. Joseph's Basilica in Edmonton, officiated by three priests and witnessed by some 200 guests and supporters.

Father Joseph Vadassery, Father Nilo Macapinlac and Father Ted Wesolowski, chaplain of the Knights of Columbus Nazareno Council 12904, officiated the marriage vows of Buenaventura and Gilden Cainglet, Frederick and Ednalette Flores, Aniano and Josephine Fornelos, Emmanuel and Lolita Villanueva, and Terence and Rosemarie Yapp.

All five couples were already married in the civil courts. Together, they have raised happy families, showering their children with the love, security and affirmation that every child deserves.

Boundless blessings

In their hearts, however, they knew they had not fully tapped into the boundless blessings that God offers to married couples.

The Knights of Columbus Nazareno Council, an advocate of the Catholic family, recognized this need and undertook this endeavour to bring these five couples to a higher level of communion with each other and with God.

Catholics believe that marriage is a gift of God in creation and a means of his grace. A church wedding provides the couple an added dimension to the relationship - the union is blessed with God's presence and with it the assurance of his unwavering support and protection. A church wedding also provides the couple and their family a sense of belonging to a faith community ready to help and encourage them through the journey of family life.

After six months of preparation and coordination, the five couples were welcomed with a flower-festooned arch at the entrance of the church, and processed through two rows of honour guards from St. Michael Assembly.

A traditional Filipino wedding was celebrated, complete with the veil, cord and candle ceremonies. Later in the evening, a reception was held at St. John's Cultural Centre where family and friends enjoyed an evening of wedding festivities.

Each couple took turns in the cake cutting, which preceded the bouquet and garter throws. As the first dance music played, the brides and grooms took to the dance floor, resplendent with the joy of a blessed event.

Journey of sacred love

The evening marked the beginning of a new journey for the couples - a journey of sacred love and a future of abundant blessings that God, in his unconditional love and commitment, promises to bring.

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