See if there is a liturgical piece that expresses that same idea. Suggest using a few verses of a gathering song just prior to the procession, continuing with an instrumental of the song as the procession begins, and singing the remaining verses after the wedding party is in place within the worship space. Use more acclamations, especially during the rite of marriage. I ve used verse one of this piece after the vows, verse three after the rings, and verse four during any special customs. We used the whole piece as the gathering procession and the refrain alone as the acclamation during the rite of marriage.
Acclamations also work well during the nuptial blessing.
Participation, participation, participation. As in any party, there are times when we listen to someone sing a beautiful song, but more often there are times when we all sing together. In the next issue, we ll look at how to catechize through word and gesture. Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board .