22 couples tie the knot amid bombings

LO-OK, Lamitan, Basilan – In a mass wedding held on June 17, 22 couples, who had been previously living in, finally received God’s blessing through the holy Sacrament of Matrimony, despite the city’s being on high alert because of continued air strikes by government planes.

Solemnized by Fr. Raymond Osok, OFM, parish priest of Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, with Rev. Ben Tigullo OFM serving as deacon, the said ceremony is part of the annual fiesta celebration of this town on June 23 in honor of Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus).

Live-in for 20 years

In an interview, Osok shared: “Some of the couples are young who have lived-in together for 2 or 3 years either as live-in partners or through civil contract while others have lived together for more than 20 years with grown-up children already.”

During the Mass, Tigullo congratulated them for at last “they have finally decided to respond to God’s invitation to make their marriage more than just a contract but a holy sacrament.”

He added that marriage is “a tangible sign of God’s loving presence and grace”.

Traditional Filipino wedding

The parish with the support of all its active leaders – the members of the family life apostolate, catechists, the Parish Pastoral Council, chapel leaders, and the parish staff sponsored the said event. Mark Anthony Godoy, a local talent, decorated the church and the town’s covered-court, which doubled as the reception area, with colorful fabric and local flowers.

The event went on without any incident despite the sound of choppers hovering overhead and the din of bombs falling kilometers away. Twenty pieces of cake and forty glasses of wine, a lechon (roasted suckling pig), and other native delicacies also added to the atmosphere of a traditional Filipino wedding.

Brgy. Capt. Diosdado Ramos stood as the principal sponsor together with several others. CBCPNews