Recalling the Three Couple Blessing

Young Whi Kim
December 2010

True Parents bless the marriage of Won-pil Kim and Dal-ok Chung, one of the three couples.

On April 16, 1960 (twenty-first day, third month of the lunar calendar) at 10 AM, the Holy Blessing Ceremony of the "three sons," that is, the Three-Couple Blessing Ceremony, for Won-pil Kim and Dal-ok Chung; Hyo-won Eu and Gil-ja Sa; and Young-whi Kim and Dae-hwa Chung was carried out at the headquarters church. Rev. Hyo-won Eu recorded in his diary that the ceremony corresponding to the "global wedding ceremony of the three sons" was carried out from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Director Kwang-yul Yu of the church's Cultural Department was the master of ceremonies for the first part of the ceremony, which was the Ceremony of the Restoration of All Things. True Parents ascended a platform and took their seats, after which representatives of the followers offered them a bow and presented them with gifts. Then Won-pil Kim read a congratulatory address with reverence, and True Parents gave the invocation of the blessing, which concluded the ceremony. Other than True Parents, twenty-one people were included in the ceremony program.

The second part of the ceremony; the Blessing Ceremony, was subdivided into two smaller ceremonies. The first of those was the Ceremony of the Restoration of the Children. The three sets of brides and grooms walked forward and stood in a row in front of True Parents, who conducted the ceremony from the platform. First, Rev. Hyo-won Eu read an oath and all the couples repeated it after him, following which True Parents led the couples in affirming their vows. True Parents then gave their benediction. The brides and grooms then withdrew in the order in which they had entered and the ceremony concluded with three cries of Hallelujah Amen, led by True Parents.

The second subdivision of the Blessing Ceremony was the main wedding ceremony. First, Father and Mother ascended the platform and in rhythm with the graceful melody hummed by a female choir, the couples came down the stairs from the second floor and stood in a row facing the platform. The grooms wore lily-white holy robes with flowers pinned to their chests and the brides wore beautiful coronets and held bouquets in their hands. After True Father spoke, Won-pil Kim and Dal-ok Chung asked for permission to marry. True Parents read their vows and the couple affirmed their vows. True Parents gave them a benediction. All present offered a bow. That bride and the groom then took a step back and offered three bows. The two then faced each other and exchanged rings, and then took another step back and offered a bow. Hyo-won Eu and Gil-ja Sa, and then Young-whi Kim and Dae-hwa Chung followed suit.

Then the three couples stood in a row again and listened to True Father. After Father finished speaking, all present applauded and True Parents gave the invocation of the blessing, with which the ceremony concluded.

A heavenly choir then sang a congratulatory song, "Festival of the Three Sons," following which True Parents sat down. Two poems marking the occasion were read and between the readings another song was sung. This was followed by three congratulatory speeches. True Parents then presented gifts to the brides and the grooms. Three elder members also offered wedding presents. The newly wedded couples then presented gifts to True Parents. Next, representatives of the general membership offered gifts to the couples. Lastly, the master of ceremonies read out congratulatory messages from the mission countries -- the United States and Japan -- and from all parts of Korea. True Father led everyone in three cheers of mansei and True Parents prayed. After group photos had been taken, there was a reception for all present to share the joy of this great day.

In the evening, True Parents danced with the three couples, and dined at the same table with them.

The blessing of the first three couples, on April 16, 1960, just five days after their own Holy Wedding, was the first that True Parents conducted for members.

Rev. Young-whi Kim's Testimony

When I came to the headquarters church in Seoul, I heard about the blessing. Mrs. Choi Won-pok told me, "Father would be very pleased if you were matched to Dae-hwa." It all happened so suddenly that I did not have any time to arrange my thoughts. Then True Father asked me, "Will you receive the blessing with Dae-hwa?" and I said yes. That's how we came to receive the engagement benediction. That conversation took place sometime late in the second lunar month, a day or two before True Parents' engagement.

True Parents' engagement ceremony was held on 3.1, and our engagement was announced on the same day. The members at the time were aware that True Father had to establish three spiritual children, and that he could only hold his Holy Wedding on the foundation of three son's having become engaged. Kim Won- pil, Hyo-won Eu, and I were chosen as those three spiritual children. Won-pil Kim had started a family and had a child. With Father's permission, Hyo-won Eu was already engaged. Only my wife and I were matched right before the Blessing Ceremony. Father said that Won-pil Kim and his wife were the Adam-type couple; Hyo-won Eu and his wife, the Noah-type couple; and my wife and I, the Jacob-type couple.

Originally, True Parents' Holy Wedding was meant to be held on 3.1 in 1960, but it was postponed until 3.16. Father handed out admission tickets, stamped with his seal, to those invited to attend the Holy Wedding. He told the recipients, "If you keep this ticket, even those bound for hell will go to heaven," which showed how much importance he placed on those tickets, and how he valued those people who were invited to the ceremony.

It was not a time when we could think about going on a honeymoon. Because we didn't have a room in which to live together, we rented as our bridal room a small room in the second largest church in Seoul, for which my mother, Kim Soon-hwa, was responsible. True Father, however, told us that it was too far away. He instructed us to live in Jeong-ok's Lee home, which was right beside Cheongpa-dong Church. Also, he told Lee, "Give them the main room," So we stayed in Mrs. Lee's main room. The home was a small thatched house adjacent to the headquarters church, but it had a wooden floor and an extra bedroom. From our first day as a married couple, we lived in Lee Jeong-ok's home, and she had to give us the larger room and sleep in the smaller one instead.

The thirty-three couples who were blessed in 1961 went through a forty-day period of sanctification and the three-day ceremony, but when we were blessed we didn't have these ceremonies.

All families need to have faith, hope and love, and they have the responsibility of fulfilling duties related to these three qualities. Just like any other couple, we three couples were responsible for practicing faith, hope and love, but because we were the first couples to be blessed, I believe we had a greater responsibility than others in these three areas.... The fact that people fell through love shows what a difficult thing love is. Since we were given this great responsibility, my wife and I also had our share of hardships. We had to go through a period of indemnifying love. Once we passed that stage, we had no further difficulties.

Having lived with my wife for a long time, I realize that she suits me best in all respects!