The Marriage Crucifix
/CARISSA PLUTA
The crucifix has long been a symbol of the sacrament of marriage, as it stands as the most perfect example of the sacrificial love and service husbands and wives are called to.
PHOTOGRAPHY: TRUTH AND BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY
In fact, St. Augustine went so far as to describe the cross as a “marriage bed [in which Christ] united himself with [His bride, the Church].”
More and more Catholic couples, including my husband and I, have decided to remember this meaningful image by incorporating the Croatian wedding tradition of the “Marriage Crucifix” into their wedding ceremonies.
This centuries old tradition is linked back to a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina called Siroki-Brijeg, which reportedly remains the only place in the world with a 0% divorce rate.
What is their secret to lasting marriages? Making the cross of Christ the foundation of their marriage.
When the couple approaches the altar the priest says: “You have found your cross. And it is a cross to be loved, to be carried, a cross not to be thrown away, but to be cherished." He then blesses the Crucifix.
During the exchange of vows, the groom holds the crucifix in his right hand and the bride places her right hand on the top of the crucifix uniting their hands together.
The couple unites themselves on the Cross, and they recite their vows over this visceral image of Love Himself.
Before they kiss one another, the couple first kisses the figure of Christ, the source of their love.
This tradition is called the Marriage Crucifix, rather than the Wedding Crucifix because it was meant to remind the couple of the covenant they entered into, not only during the wedding but throughout the rest of their time on earth.
My husband and I processed down the aisle after the ceremony with that crucifix in hand to begin our lives together and it now hangs in a central location in our home.
Before it, we beg God to make our hearts more like His and to make our marriage a more clear reflection of His sacrificial, life-giving Love.
While including this tradition in your wedding is not necessary to build your marriage on Christ, it can serve as a powerful reminder of the magnitude of God’s call to us in this vocation and the divine weight of our vows.
