First "Tridentine" Wedding at (Assumption) Grotto (MI) in 40 Years!

Te Deum ^ | January 29, 2008 | Diane K

[NYer]

An extraordinary wedding.....

On Friday, January 4th, at 4:00pm, Assumption Grotto was graced with the Sacrament of Marriage in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (EF) for the first time in 40 years. You may recognize it by another name, the so-called "Tridentine" or "Traditional Latin Mass" (TLM).

I did not post the photos sooner because I was unable to connect with the bride and groom to get their permission to share the pics online (and I did not want them to learn about them via the web!).

Kathryn & Thomas Hulett became husband and wife at this majestic celebration.


Clicking on any pic should enlarge it on your computer. Bloggers: feel free to post any pics you want, but kindly provide a link back to this post (click the time stamp below for the url).

An Unplanned Shoot
I had gone to take photos during what I thought was going to be the First Friday Adoration for the Sacred Heart, which normally takes place from 9:30am to 6:30pm each month. We have adoration daily, save Sundays in the convent chapel. I also knew the Christmas decorations would soon be coming down and had not been able to take many pictures.

What? A Wedding?
When I got there shortly after 3:00, the Blessed Sacrament had just been returned to the Tabernacle and preparations for the wedding were underway. I was short on time and was planning to leave before the wedding until........the altar cards came out.

I was already feeling bad because I missed a wedding between Christmas and New Years that I had been asked to shoot some months earlier. I hadn't committed, and never commit to weddings because I have many variables in my personal life, especially my mother's ill health, and I would not want to blow the only opportunity someone has to have pictures of such a special day.

What? A "Tridentine" Wedding?
Seeing those altar cards, my first plea to God was, "Oh Lord, don't do this to me - you know I won't be able to resist this". A short time later, I learned who was getting married. I did not know the bride, but I knew her father, Mike, who recently passed away after a long illness. I met him in the school hallway of Grotto about two years ago when, seeing my camera, he introduced himself and asked if I was the same Diane who was active on the web in Catholic forums and blogs. We had some good conversations about the faith and the liturgy.

That was it. I finally realized that Mike's Guardian Angel was working overtime along with mine to get me to stay. How could I walk out now? I asked the Blessed Mother for her assistance as I so often do when shooting anything sacred (and because I really have no idea what I'm doing). Below is the result of that prayer.

I did not find out until the sermon that not only did I capture this beautiful wedding, I captured a piece of history for Assumption Grotto. Deo Gratias!

You may have noticed that the bride and groom where exchanging vows at the beginning, rather than mid-Mass. I thought this was awesome.

One thing to note for couples considering a wedding in the Extraordinary Form: Start kneeling daily for longer and longer periods until you can do so comfortably for at least an hour. There was no place for chairs in the Sanctuary and from what I'm told, this is the way it use to be.

I am speaking from experience when I tell you that if you can only kneel for 5 minutes today, with time and practice, you can easily work your way up to an hour over a period of time. I recall my first days at Grotto where I use to break a sweat kneeling for just 7 minutes or so during the short Eucharistic Prayer in the Ordinary Form (or New Mass).There's one more thing about getting married at Grotto, either in the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form (and you get to choose): No one escapes the pre-Cana classes by Fr. Eduard Perrone, Grotto's pastor. If you want to understand the beauty of marriage in the context of theology of the body, you will have your fill.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

[NYer]

Assumption Grotto

[Pyro7480]

What a beautiful wedding! I’ve served a few “Tridentine” weddings over the past several years, and they’re always wonderful occasions.

[AnAmericanMother]

Wow! Just . . . wow.

No question that you KNOW you're married!

. . . and I notice that the bride has a little shawl over her shoulders for modesty's sake. It is VERY difficult to find a bridal dress these days that doesn't look like an extremely daring evening gown.

Fortunately we still have the double weight silk satin gown that my mother and I were married in, should my daughter want to marry somebody someday. It has very modest (if short) sleeves and a jewel neckline. AND a "chapel train" which is long enough for anybody . . . .

Maybe by the time marriage is on the horizon, our parish will be offering a Latin Mass. The ecclesiastical grapevine has rumors that one of our Parochial Vicars is studying with the local FSSP priest . . .

[netmilsmom]

Oh my! These girls got away with bare shoulders at the Grotto?

Their mothers are going to be kicked out of the Homeschool Club. Grotto is a beautiful place, the people are very devout, but let me tell you, some of them are borderline cult religious fanatics.

[blu]

That was beautiful! Thanks so much for posting. I’m pleased to see that the dresses covered their shoulders, looks like they decided against the “Oh, Mom, I wanna get married looking like a porn star” fashion that is so prevalent today.

[the lastbestlady]

Thanks so much for the awesome pics! I used to know Fr. Perrone when he pastor at St. Nicholas parish in Capac, Michigan. (He was there before he went to Grotto)

This does my heart good.

[AnAmericanMother]

Those are LITTLE girls. They don’t count. Note the scarves over the shoulders of all the GROWN girls . . .

[NYer]

the people are very devout, but let me tell you, some of them are borderline cult religious fanatics.

The sin of scrupolosity!

This extremist approach has been rampant for 2000 years. I was just reading about the Montanists who, with time, overstepped the boundary. Keep your sweet wits about you and you will avoid their sin of prideful arrogance. :-)

[kellynla]

Exellent!

Notice the Tabernacle is in the center of the altar;
as it should be!

I wonder if they moved it back or whether is was ever moved in the first place?

[ELS]

Those are LITTLE girls. They don’t count.

Of course they do. Besides, why would one want to teach them that it is OK to dress immodestly in God's house at any age? Our Lady at Fatima said the fashions of later times would offend her Son.

[Kolokotronis]

Now this is very nice. It brings back memories of my altar boy days, P...before you were born and in a more “ecumenical” time! :)

Its good to see that you Latins have rediscovered both the proper Western Liturgy and an appropriate way to celebrate the Mystery of Marriage (I’ll bet the priest didn’t skip the Credo).

[AnAmericanMother]

In a small girl, that is not immodest.

Girls (and boys) before puberty have always dressed differently from the 'grown' folks. For example, it has always been permissible for young girls to wear very short skirts (with tights of course) and short or no sleeves. At that age it's not considered a lack of modesty. The rite of passage used to be putting up the hair and letting down the hems, just like boys going into 'long pants'.

And I'm sure if the priest thought that pre-pubertal girls should be included in the rules, he would have spoken up.

[CTK YKC]

WOW tears in my eyes beautiful...

[netmilsmom]

Trust me, at the Grotto they count. Honestly, I won’t send my girls to mass without sleeves and my parish is known as Grotto North.

But we are not quite as, serious, to put it nicely. Our woman wear pants sometimes.

[netmilsmom]

>>The sin of scrupolosity!<<

Thank you so much! That about says it.

[netmilsmom]

The tabernacle was never moved at the Grotto. It has always been there.

Latin NO masses for the longest time as well. Now they have the TLM.

[netmilsmom]

As I remember, there is no A/C at the grotto. When you have kids swooning in the summer (and I have heard of this happening), it is time to rethink modest. I’m not saying shorts, flip flops or tee shirts, but when it is 95 degrees, sundresses should be allowed.

95 outside is 110 inside.

I solved the problem by buying little crochetted bolero jackets for my girls, but the Grotto is not in the best of neighborhoods. Some of those people can only afford the Walmart sundresses for their girls. They should not be looked down upon.

[Zetman]

Very nice !! What beautiful photos.

By coincidence, I also attended a Tridentine wedding myself this past weekend, in Oakland, California. Absolutlely beautiful. The children’s choir chanted the Mass (they are all home-schooled, and have been practicing together for several years now, so they are very good).

The kneeling issue was not as much of a consideration for the bride and groom at our wedding though. They had two regular chairs at the end of the aisle, about where the bride and groom are standing in the photos above. This allowed the bride and groom to sit at times at the wedding I attended.

I know what the author is saying about kneeling for long periods of time, though. I serve Tridentine Low Mass once a week, and for the first few months, my knees felt it afterwards!! However, I don’t notice pain in my legs as much as the heat. Kneeling for long periods of time causes strain in just about all of your muscles. Hence, when kneeling for long periods of time during the summer, and having to wear all of that clothing, I have sweat literally pouring off of me by the end of Mass. That is what I notice more than any leg pain. Hence, I would have felt even more sorry for this bride and groom had their wedding taken place in July or August!! It is not the pain in the legs so much as dealing with the rivers of perspiration!!

[AnAmericanMother]

You know, Episcopalians used to be (before the current unpleasantness) far more strict in matters of dress even than Catholics. When I was a little girl, there were boxes of lace doilies in the narthex for those who forgot to bring their veils. We always wanted to wear one too -- but they weren't for little kids, who went out of church to Sunday school in those days after the homily and before the Communion service began. You only wore a cap in church after First Communion, which was after Confirmation in those days.

But as far as dress goes, I would never, ever send my girl at any age to church without sleeves. If she wore a pinafore, she had a little blouse or turtleneck under it. No braids, and a bow in the hair. Even my Rebellious Teenage Son has always had to wear a collared shirt and no blue jeans for Mass.

But I don't think it's a modesty issue when they're little -- more of a 'respect for God's house' issue. Don't go to church looking like you're going to hang out and shoot pool . . . .

. . . the little flower girls don't look immodestly dressed, even though their arms aren't covered. Maybe the long skirts make up for the lack of sleeve? (and from the back it doesn't look like the gowns are low-cut, even assuming there was something to hide).