Mass wedding at Madina Catholic Church

Twenty-six couples on Saturday exchanged vows in turns to solemnise their marriages at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church at Madina, near Accra.

The Vicar General Very Reverend Stephen Adu Kwanin of the Accra Archdiocese, who was the main celebrant, asked the newly wedded couples to solidify their marriages through trust, gentleness, open-communication and love.

Reverend Father Matthew Abucole, acting parish priest, said the mass wedding was organised by the Saint Francis Akan Society of the Madina Catholic Church in commemoration of its 25th anniversary this year.

He explained that such mass weddings enabled both the rich and poor to avoid expensive weddings, which dissipate their financial resources.

Mr. James F. Amuakwa, chairman of the Society, regretted that sometimes debts incurred after elaborate wedding celebrations resulted in the dissolution of marriages.

He said that the first mass wedding, which took place in 1994, involved 10 couples, while the second in 1996 involved eight couples.

The wedding rings were ordered by the parish priest, Reverend Father Koos Yamson from Netherlands and sold to the couples at a moderate price.

The marriage expenses were borne by the Society. The 26 wedded couples have been married for between eight and 38 years while their ages ranged from 34 to 67 years.