Holy Wedding Ceremony for 43,000 Couples Around the World

Celine Tardy
February 17, 2010

The "1.4 True Parents Cosmic Blessing Ceremony" was held at KINTEX, the Korea International Exhibition Center, located in Ilsan, South Korea, on February 17, 2010, the 4th day of January on the lunar calendar.

Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon were the officiators of the Inter-Religious Cross-Cultural Holy Wedding Ceremony, which was broadcast via the Internet to 192 nations. Including the 7,000 couples present at the event in Korea, a total of 43,000 brides and bridegrooms participated worldwide.

After an opening Blessing Address given by Dr. Hyung Jin Moon, the Unification Church's International President, special congratulatory prayers were given by leaders representing the world's major religions, including Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Islam, Shintoism, and Hinduism.

The minister representing the Lutheran Church from Iceland proposed that the coming together of two people from two different directions does not need to be the cause of conflict but rather can represent the merger of open-mindedness, mutual respect, and love. "Love is above all cultural differences," explained the Reverend. "It makes no distinction between different customs or religious traditions, knows no linguistic boundaries, and exceeds all borders. It has more value than any earthly belonging, and brings together men and women in both equality and happiness."

Representing the Islamic faith, the Muslim Counselor for Religious and Racial Harmony in the United Kingdom pointed out that "marriage and family are the first God-inspired institutions and are the cornerstone of society." He went on to convey to couples participating that "marriage is one of the holiest things we can do in our lifetime, and you are blessed here today in agreement with each other to live with love, peace, and harmony. That is what we are witnessing today."

Next was the anticipated entrance of the officiators, the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Moon, which brought applause from attendees and couples around the world. Affirmations of vows between couples were shared in which each pledged to God, with a resounding "Yes," to become an eternal husband and wife and to pass this tradition on to future generations. Next, the brides and grooms exchanged rings, followed by a proclamation of the Holy Blessing by the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Moon.

Coming from America, the Lovin' Life Ministries' Band then performed a beautiful rendition of the song "What a Wonderful World," originally written by Sam Cooke.

Final congratulatory remarks were given by the former prime minister of Guyana, the Honorable Hamilton Green, who stated that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has deeply affected both his life and human society with his guidance and has shown determination that has never decreased even at his 90 years of age. As he addressed Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon he acclaimed, "Father Moon, your great wisdom and gift to all humanity are your teachings of the sacred value of marriage and family. For this, you are indeed our True Parents."