Holy Matrimony is Christian Marriage, in which a man and a woman enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows. For more information on same-sex unions, scroll down to learn more about Holy Unions.

Marriage
"Should we be married in a church?" At this point, this may sound like an odd question. But we ask it now because a wedding in a church is not merely a festive and lovely occasion to which an imposing building lends dignity and grandeur. It is a service of worship in which a couple participates in a sacrament. They make their covenant before God and receive the power and blessing of God in the grace to keep their vows with fidelity and steadfast love all the days of their lives.

If you understand and seek to undertake marriage as a lifelong union supported by God's grace, blessed by the church, conformed to the Church's teaching, and lived out in the community of God's faithful people, then a marriage ceremony in a church is appropriate for you.

Getting Married at Trinity Church
Trinity Church is available for marriage ceremonies when at least one of the persons to be married is a member of the parish, or is an immediate family member of parishioners. For more information on Membership, click here.

In addition, the following conditions apply:

• One of the two persons to be married must be a baptized Christian.
• The form of service is according to The Book of Common Prayer.
• A priest on the staff of Trinity Church officiates at all weddings celebrated here, except in the most unusual circumstances. Visiting clergy can be invited to assist in the celebration at the invitation of the officiating priest and in consultation with the bride and groom.
• The ceremony must be attested to by two witnesses and conform to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the canons of the Episcopal Church.
• The bride and groom must enter into a pastoral relationship with the officiating priest at least six months prior to the wedding date. They will meet several times to prepare for the lifelong covenant of marriage and to plan the service. The couple will also be required to attend a marriage preparation weekend.
• When either one of the persons or both of them are divorced, the officiating priest must apply for the Bishop's permission to perform the marriage. This requires special premarital counseling by the officiating priest and the completion of application materials by both the bride and the groom. If either or both of the persons have been divorced twice, then special professional counseling (to be paid for by the couple) is required before the Bishop's permission can be given.

Dates and Times for Weddings and Rehearsals
At Trinity Church, weddings are celebrated at any time in the course of the year except during the last three weeks in December, during Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, or other times when Church events are scheduled.

Weddings normally take place on Saturdays, not before 2:00 p.m. and not after 6:00 p.m. Two weddings can be scheduled for any Saturday, allowing at least three hours between the two celebrations.

The wedding rehearsal is normally held on the Friday before the wedding between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and usually lasts one hour. All members of the wedding party must be in attendance and on time. The rehearsal will be conducted by the officiating priest. Private consultants hired by the bride or her family may participate only at the discretion of the officiating priest.

For more information about weddings at Trinity, please contact Lauren Lukason, 617-536-0944

Holy Union
In the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, The Blessing of a Holy Union service is public celebration of a commitment to a life together between two persons, at least one of whom is a baptized Christian, and both of whom desire to live out their commitment in a Christian community. In the service, a priest may bless a same-sex civil marriage or preside at and bless a same-sex union. In either case, the same liturgical rite is used.

In the presence of God and the couple's Christian community, the rite includes a declaration of the couple's intent to join their lives together and a celebration of their commitment to a life together. The rite also:

• recognizes the reality of the couple's relationship,
• confers the community's authority upon the couple to conduct themselves as formal and public participants in such a relationship,
• establishes a communal context of responsibility, accountability and privilege,
• and petitions God to allow the partners with all such grace and strength necessary to fulfill the vows and commitments being made.

At Trinity Church, a Blessing of a Holy Union service must be attested to by at least two witnesses and conform to the guidelines of the parish.

The service as a whole, and the vows in particular, are taken from A Rite for the Celebration of Commitment to a Life Together, a study document of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. No other forms are used at Trinity Church. For more information, contact Lauren Lukason, 617-536-0944.