Seventeen couples exchanged marriage vows in a mass wedding at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Saturday.

Msgr. Julius Heruela, parish rector, officiated at the wedding called the “Kasalan ng Bayan” with Fr. Ferdinand Ferraren concelebrating.

He said the activity is done three times a year to encourage couples to get married in the Catholic Church to eliminate impediments like their children being unable to receive the Sacrament of Baptism.

Heruela said it is a standing Church policy that children of unwed parents cannot be baptized.

The parish holds the “Kasalan” that started three years ago, every February, June and November so couples who can barely afford a decent Church wedding can now receive the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony, he added.

Couples only have to pay minimal expenses like the publications of banns, while payment for the venue of the ceremony and other costs are waived.

Other parishes in the Diocese of Dumaguete also hold similar activities once a year to encourage parishioners to understand the importance of marriage and receive God’s blessings through the matrimonial sacrament.*JFP

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