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bjmbrian
Guest
Does singing the Ave Maria and honoring Mary have liturgical significance? When did this start and why do we do it? Is it a requirement during a wedding?
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Love_Divine
Guest
I don’t believe it’s a requirement. I’ve never actually witnessed a bride show honour to Mary. I’ve heard Ave Maria at plenty of weddings, particularly protestants,which makes me believe that many people do so because they like the song and not do it to honour Mary.
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Pfaffenhoffen
Guest
It is just beautiful! Praising Mary, even if they do not know what they are doing, it is great!
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puzzleannie
Guest
it is not part of the rite of the sacrament of matrimony, nor part of the nuptial Mass, is a pious cultural custom in some places. The significance is honoring Mary and the bride should have a sense of imitating Mary in her role as wife and mother.
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Sarabande
Guest
As mentioned above, it is not actually part of the sacrament of marriage, but many brides (and even grooms) tend to incorporate the “optional” custom into their mass. At almost all of the Catholic weddings I cantor for in various states and dioceses, most of the couples choose to do this in praise and honour of Mary. It is usually done after the priest ends the mass and right before the recessional.
Actually, at yesterday’s wedding, the groom was Catholic whereas his bride was not. But he wanted to honour Mary himself, to which his new wife also wanted to as well. They both knelt down before the Blessed Mother during the “Ave Maria”.
I have noticed the “Ave Maria” used at more Protestant weddings that I’ve sung for in recent years. When working the the couples for these weddings, I do let them know the significance of the prayer within the music because certain denominations do not permit that, but they actually do not mind it. Some have even told me that it was a nice way of honouring the Mother of God. Others just think it is a beautiful piece of music. And on a rare occasion, some brides or grooms have mothers or grandmothers who are Catholic and want the piece sung at the wedding in honour of their mother or grandmother.
More Protestant ministers have also been allowing it. I think for some pastors, they don’t know the Latin, so they permit it, because they often permit typical “Catholic” pieces of classical sacred music in Latin, when they won’t permit a Catholic hymn or other piece in English. Other reasons I think they have become more “ecumenical” or also have the same mindset of some of the couples where they don’t believe it is a problem to honour the Blessed Mother in song as long as it isn’t portrayed as a “prayer”. And then there are some brides who were converts from Catholicism, but still would like to incorporate the prayer to the Blessed Mother in the wedding, so the pastor will allow it.
Actually, at yesterday’s wedding, the groom was Catholic whereas his bride was not. But he wanted to honour Mary himself, to which his new wife also wanted to as well. They both knelt down before the Blessed Mother during the “Ave Maria”.
I have noticed the “Ave Maria” used at more Protestant weddings that I’ve sung for in recent years. When working the the couples for these weddings, I do let them know the significance of the prayer within the music because certain denominations do not permit that, but they actually do not mind it. Some have even told me that it was a nice way of honouring the Mother of God. Others just think it is a beautiful piece of music. And on a rare occasion, some brides or grooms have mothers or grandmothers who are Catholic and want the piece sung at the wedding in honour of their mother or grandmother.
More Protestant ministers have also been allowing it. I think for some pastors, they don’t know the Latin, so they permit it, because they often permit typical “Catholic” pieces of classical sacred music in Latin, when they won’t permit a Catholic hymn or other piece in English. Other reasons I think they have become more “ecumenical” or also have the same mindset of some of the couples where they don’t believe it is a problem to honour the Blessed Mother in song as long as it isn’t portrayed as a “prayer”. And then there are some brides who were converts from Catholicism, but still would like to incorporate the prayer to the Blessed Mother in the wedding, so the pastor will allow it.
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Joannm
Guest
I honestly think a lot of people don’t know that the text is the Hail Mary. They just like it. Many popular singers have recorded it, some not even Christian.
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PatriceA
Guest
I had it as an option at our nuptial mass. But we used the Bach version, so no cantoring, as I laid roses at the statue of the Blessed Mother. Prayed for Mary to guide me as a wife and a future mother. It was an important part of our ceremony, at least for me it was. I had several people ask me if I was going to incorporate it into our day as we were planning the wedding, its very popular for Catholic brides in our area.
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ProVobis
Guest
I see that too. It seems ironic that way that works, doesn’t it? One of the Reformation themes was to vernacularize the liturgy and all Latin prayers but now, thanks to ecumenical efforts, the Protestants are the ones who are more comfortable with the Latin in certain cases. In fact, it was certain Anglicans (such as Agatha Christie) and other Protestants who plead the Pope to preserve the Latin Mass altogether. And he granted their wishes. Go figure.
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roadsend
Guest
I think both are true. Folks like the song AND wish to honor Mary.
I have never heard the Ave Maria at a Protestant wedding and have heard it at numerous Catholic weddings. In general terms, however, it seems like our local Episcopal Church uses more Catholic music than our Catholic Church does. I have also noticed during Holy Week, that even our local Lutheran Church seems to have more Catholic music than we do.
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formerlysure
Guest
Most of the Catholic weddings I have attended (dozens) have included the Ave Maria. Typically, the bride has a bouquet spefically made to leave at the feet of Mary, and during the song, walks alone to the statue of Mary, prays a moment, leaves the flowers (usually white roses) and then returns to her place beside her husband. One thing I like about this is that it focuses on the role the bride is taking on as a wife and potentially as a mother, which I think is increasingly important in this age of many spoiled, entitled brides who focus on the party and not on the ceremony nor marriage.
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zab
Guest
The bride carrying a bouquet of flowers to leave at the statue of Mary was custom that I always saw when growing up in the Midwest. And I have often seen it done in the NorthWest, too. At my wedding, I chose the song, “On the day O beautiful Mother” when I put the roses at the feet of the statue of Our Blessed Mother.
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Sarabande
Guest
The Bach/Gounod is a beautiful setting to the “Ave Maria”. It is not as popular as the Schubert, but I think it is just as beautiful. Did you have the organ or another instrument play Gounod’s melody over Bach’s “Prealudium” like this or with the voice?
youtube.com/watch?v=V-3P5Zmjhus
I’ve always loved this arrangement of the Bach/Gounod for guitar and voice:
youtube.com/watch?v=E0o9ku8yw4U
Yes, it is very popular here for Catholic brides as well. I sing for many Catholic weddings and I would say 9 times out of 10 they will incorporate some setting of the “Ave Maria”. Out of the 9 times, about 7 choose the Schubert, 1 chooses the Bach/Gounod and 1 chooses the Caccini. But at the parish where I often sing, they often choose the Caccini after hearing it to the point where I rarely sing the Schubert there anymore.
youtube.com/watch?v=AP_hs9lI4a0&feature=related
When I got married, it was also very important for me to have a special devotion to Mary. I used a setting by Gabriel Faure, mainly because I sang the Schubert so often and because the Faure is very simple and prayerful. Plus I LOVE Faure’s music in general.
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PatriceA
Guest
Just the organist play, no other instruments for the Ave Maria. I think picking out the music for our nuptial mass with the organist was one of my favorite parts of the wedding plans.The Bach/Gounod is a beautiful setting to the “Ave Maria”. It is not as popular as the Schubert, but I think it is just as beautiful. Did you have the organ or another instrument play Gounod’s melody over Bach’s “Prealudium” like this or with the voice?
youtube.com/watch?v=V-3P5Zmjhus
I’ve always loved this arrangement of the Bach/Gounod for guitar and voice:
youtube.com/watch?v=E0o9ku8yw4U
Yes, it is very popular here for Catholic brides as well. I sing for many Catholic weddings and I would say 9 times out of 10 they will incorporate some setting of the “Ave Maria”. Out of the 9 times, about 7 choose the Schubert, 1 chooses the Bach/Gounod and 1 chooses the Caccini. But at the parish where I often sing, they often choose the Caccini after hearing it to the point where I rarely sing the Schubert there anymore.
youtube.com/watch?v=AP_hs9lI4a0&feature=related
When I got married, it was also very important for me to have a special devotion to Mary. I used a setting by Gabriel Faure, mainly because I sang the Schubert so often and because the Faure is very simple and prayerful. Plus I LOVE Faure’s music in general.
We did have a bagpipe player for a few other songs in the mass, but that’s another story.
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Sarabande
Guest
Yes, I would say that planning the liturgy was our favorite part as well. There really is so much gorgeous music and wonderful readings for the nuptial mass.
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Sarabande
Guest
I wonder if that has more to do with the area. My area is heavily Catholic so there may be more Catholic influences in Protestant churches, which may add to why I do it so often for Protestant weddings. I know that one of the Lutheran churches in our city has a history of converts from Catholicism - mostly Italian men who married Lutheran women and then had their children raised Lutheran. Their services are extremely Catholic… where they receive communion every week kneeling at the altar rail and they get upset if the “Ave Maria” isn’t sung during special services or during weddings.
All of the high church Episcopal and Anglican churches in my area do a lot of Catholic music. Whenever I used to walk by one of the churches in the city, I’d look at their front board and see that they were singing Palestrina, Allegri, Victoria etc. and I’d be like, “Darn, if only I could hear that music at my parish!” At one Episcopal church near me, they have a weekly rosary group in the evenings. So, there is definitely devotion to Mary at least at that particular church.
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