A Catholic Wedding and Benediction
Bernard is very concerned with the pre-marital preparations of a Catholic couple. They must fully understand the sacrament of marriage, “sufficiently instructed in the christian doctrine,” and willing to take the host during the “ritual” of marriage. There are no fewer than fourteen pre-requisites for Catholic marriage that Bernard lists, including “a solemn vow of chastity made in any religious order” or “crimes such as homicide.” Impotency is also an obstacle to marriage, because having children is the most significant aspect of Catholic marriage to Bernard. It is not until after the banns—the announcement made for three works in the church, allowing for any objections—and an understanding of the sacrament is reached that couples can get married.
The Clerks: “Clerks” are Bernard’s word for altar-boys, who play an important role in the ceremony by bringing up and holding “the holy water pot, the sprinkler, and the ring[s].” They also assist the priest with reading the various prayers. Picart illustrates not only the attentive clerks near the priest, but the wayward, kneeling one, who seems to be trying to pick up a fallen coin.
The Holy Water: Bernard’s writing of the Catholic wedding ceremony includes no less than five instances when the priest sprinkles something or someone with holy water. Historians have noted how new Protestants saw holy water as magical and therefore dangerous in this period, so its inclusion may carry on that theme.
The Vows: Unlike in the Jewish wedding ceremonies, where vows are not a traditional part of the service, Bernard includes a general description of vows here. He writes, “[the priest] addresses himself to the man and woman separately… and asks the man whether he will have such a one for his wife, and to the woman whether she will have such a one for her husband.” The importance of these vows is crucial; without the bride and groom’s “reciprocal consent,” Bernard writes, “the marriage would be null.”
The Benediction: Per Bernard, “the married couple must desire the priest to bless the marriage-bed… Among other blessings which are asked by the mediation of the priest who blesses the marriage-bed, is the following, that those who are to lie in it may increase and multiply.” Again, the significance of procreation trumps all else. For probably very good reasons, this type of benediction is no longer common in Catholic marriage ceremonies, and it is unclear how many common people took part in the ceremony during the period of Religious Ceremonies.