The altar at Our Lady of Sorrows (Our Lady of Sorrows via Facebook)
July 16, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Nearly 30 couples will say “I do” in a joint wedding celebration at a Corona parish Saturday.
Twenty-eight love birds will be wed at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church during a special “United Weddings” ceremony at noon.
The ceremony is meant to be a celebration of love and new beginnings for both the couples and the parish itself, which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Lady of Sorrows lost more than 100 parishioners to the deadly virus, the pastor Father Manuel Rodriguez said.
Three priests, assigned to 9 to 10 couples each, will facilitate the marriages.
The entrances of the brides and grooms, the exchanging of the vows, the reception of consent and the signing of the acts of marriage will be done individually for each couple. Then, all 28 couples will join together as a group to exchange rings and receive a blessing.
Most of the soon-to-be newly-weds are from Corona and surrounding neighborhoods like Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Flushing.
The couples also range in age. Many are middle-aged, but there are also some younger and older, Rodriguez said.
The oldest pair, at 77- and 74-years-old, is a testament to the belief that it’s never too late for love.
Our Lady of Sorrows invited couples looking to get married to participate in the “United Weddings” celebration. All 28 couples went through a six-month preparation program — which included Catholic doctrine classes, spiritual retreats, individual follow-ups and rehearsals — ahead of Saturday’s ceremony.
The ceremony is the parish’s first joint wedding celebration — as well as the largest ever to take place among parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, Rodriguez said.
The United Weddings celebration begins at noon Saturday at at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, located at 103-11 37th Ave. in Corona.
Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, located at 103-11 37th Ave. (Google Maps)
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