It was not your ordinary wedding at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Westbury on Saturday, May 19, as Father Frank Gaeta presided over a marriage ceremony for seven couples. As part of the parish's Hispanic Ministry, the couples participated in a community-style wedding ceremony, exchanging marriage vows and receiving the sacrament of matrimony.

Most of the couples were immigrants from Latin American countries, and had already married civilly in their country of origin, or had been living together for years. For them, Saturday's service represented a sacred commitment and a reaffirmation of their promises of love.

"In many Latin American countries, if people wish to get married, they must get married civilly first, and then get married in the church," explained Manuel J. Ramos, head of St. Brigid's Hispanic Ministry, who along with his wife, Annie, and Sister Judy Mannix, helped the couples prepare for the sacrament. "Because they consider the church marriage such a sacred thing, many of them are afraid to do it, especially the husbands - they are afraid of the commitment."

Ramos noted that the couples who were married in the church Saturday represented a total of 104 years of married life. "The message is that this is something special, This is a message of love. This is something that we want the church to bless. And we want to profess it publicly," he said. "The focus is on the commitment, the sacredness of the union."

The multiple wedding service has become somewhat of a recent tradition at St. Brigid's, as the Hispanic community has grown within the parish. More than 600 parishioners currently attend the church's weekly Spanish language Mass. In a similar ceremony performed last year at St. Brigid's, five couples were married.

During weekly Mass, married parishioners who have not yet received the sacrament of matrimony are encouraged to do so, as well as prepare for other sacraments, such as baptism and communion.

"We encourage them to be married in the church," noted Ramos, adding, "We prepare them for matrimony, and also for other sacraments that they may not have received."

According to Ramos, couples have the option of a private wedding, but many choose to participate in the community-style ceremony, because they prefer the joint celebration.

"It's very special. We give them the option of getting married privately. Because they are older, the fact that they are a group makes it easier. It's the whole community celebrating," he noted. "The fact that it is a group allows for people to come forth, and not to be embarrassed, that they've been together for so long, and not married."

Receiving the sacrament of matrimony on Saturday were: Carolina Blanco and Jose Matias Blanco, Dionisia Canales and Joaquin Bonilla, Juana Flores and Enrique Franco, Araceli Benitez and Carmelo Perez-Arroyo, Zulma Santos Sosa and Saul Motoya, Maria Zavala and Jose A. Mejia, and Rosa Amelia Hernandez and Felipe Santiago Tercero.

The couples enjoyed not only the support of the parish community, but also their families. For one couple, Carolina and Jose Blanco, their children served as their sponsors. Maria Zavala and Jose Mejia, who received the sacrament of matrimony after being married by the state 33 years ago, received another gift that day. The mother of the bride had traveled all the way from El Salvador to be present for the ceremony.