The Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church Podcast

The Rite of Crowning (marriage) is introduced by an hour of the Divine Office, which forms the Service of the Word. Then the rite itself follows in three stages:

1. The Rite of Covenant, including the verbal consent of the groom and bride, the joining of their right hands and the priest's blessing;
2. The Blessing and the Giving of the Rings (which are placed on the left ring finger);
3. The Rite of Crowning and the Removal of the Crowns.

The first two stages, covenant and giving of the rings, are but a duplication of those performed in the betrothal rite. Originally, they did not belong to the Rite of Crowning itself...

Elements of special meaning and importance for Eastern liturgies abound in the texts of the Maronite rite: the invocation of the "name" of God, which is a precise cultural act of the Temple; the reference of the Trinitarian expression in which the Father "rules all", the Son "redeems all", the Holy Spirit "instructs all"; the extensive use of the "right hand" of God, which manifests the protective power of God; the many references to the marriage of the Fathers of Old, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are considered as the pioneers of the first covenant and whose marriage represented the prototype of the actual one; the use of terms such as, "shooro" (wall, tower of protection), "gzoro" (flock), "mashcan zabno" (tabernacle, dwelling place of the Lord)...

On the other hand, the themes expressed in the Maronite rite are all familiar to the Eastern liturgies. They stem from a basic theological vision, stressed briefly and soberly in the two tradional readings: marital love is at the image of Christ and his Church (Ephesians 5:22-33), and marital union is final as God's covenants are always final (Matthew 19:3-6).

The theme of Christ and Church is dominant. As a matter of fact, the liturgical text seems to be more concerned with the betrohtal of Christ and his Church than with the actual marriage of the couple in presence...

As far as God's Covenants are concerned, the permeate the whole liturgical celebration in the various aspects of their revelationqs: the "cosmic" covenant by which "heaven and earth were created"; the "scriptural" covenant contracted with the "fathers, kings, priests, prophets, apostles and holy women..."; the "mysterious" covenant in which Christ "sealed his nuptial pact with the Church" and "wrote it with his blood"; the "eschatalogical" covenant which was from the beginning and is the end and perfection of all others, and by which the crowning ceremony prepares, lives in the present times and leads the way to the second coming and the Kingdom.

Underlining these themes, there is at the center of the liturgy the idea of joy. The Rite of Crowning is, in fact, a celebration of joy. Joy is intended in the reference to "pardon of faults and forgiveness of sins", for joy is a fruit of purification and liberation; it is expressed in the call for happiness, prosperity and fecundity; it is mainly told in the many blessings that keep "showering" upon the couple during the celebration; it is finally brought by the "mysterious" presence of Christ, similar to this "physical" presence at the wedding of Cana of Galilee...

The Mystery of Crowning
According to the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church
Eparchy of Saint Maron
Office of Liturgy
Brooklyn, NY

This is the Rite of Betrhothal (engagement) according to the traditions of the Maronite Church. It takes place before the celebration of the Rite of Crowning (marriage).

Though Canonically independent of each other, betrothal and crowning from a liturgical unity. The Rite of Crowning liturgically is a continuation (in reality a definitive step, a climax) of the Rite of Betrothal, when blessed by the Church. Both take place in the presence of the Church, through the assistance of the minister, both rites represent a holy and definitive commitment, each in its own way.

The Rite of Betrothal includes three acts without introduction:
1. The Rite of Covenant (consent of the couple, joining of the hands and blessing by the priest);
2. The Blessing and giving of the Rings (on the right finger);
3. The Blessing of the Ornaments (cincture, clothing and jewelry) and Binding of the Couple.

In the current discipline, the Rite of Betrothal is ingnored. However, originally it reproduces the same meaning and effect of the betrothal as practiced in the Old Testament. The covenant and the giving of the rings in the betrothal represented then the definitive engagement of the couple. They were not simply considered as the sign of a promise the couple made to each other, nor as the pledge they were called to honor at a later time. On the contrary, they indicated the true beginnning of marriage itself - with only one exception, that is: the right to live together under one roof.

The Mystery of Crowning
According to the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church
Eparchy of Saint Maron
Office of Liturgy
Brooklyn, NY

The temporal cycle of the Maronite Church begins on the first Sunday of November. This Sunday and the following Sunday are dedicated to the Consecration and Decidation of the Church and, in a sense, form an introduction to the Season of Announcement and Birth of our Lord. Although these two Sundays are not directly attached to the liturgical cycle, they are celebrated during this period before the Season of Announcement begins because the Jewish people commemorate the rededication of the Temple during this time of year.

The first Sunday of November is that of the Consecration of the Church, and the second Sunday is that of the Dedication of the Church. It seems that this brief cycle of two Sundays was first celebrated in Jerusalem on the occasion of the dedication of the newly built Church of the Resurrection in the fourth century. However, these Sundays no longer commemorte the dedication or consecration of any particular church, but rather all churches and altars.

The feast of the Consecration of the Church is celebrated on the first Sunday of November and the Dedication on the following Sunday if there are eight Sundays between November 1st and the feast fo the Birth of our Lord. If November 1st falls on either a Monday or a Tuesday, the feast of the Consecration of the Church is alone observed. If, however, November 1st falls on a day other than Monday or Tuesday, both the Consecration and the Dedication are observed.