WOODSIDE — Love filled the air at Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians on May 24 as family and friends joyfully witnessed 15 couples unite in marriage.

Father Christopher O’Connor, who has served the parish for 11 years, said that officiating a group wedding was something he never anticipated. Still, he said, participating in such a meaningful occasion was deeply rewarding.

The wedding marked the first time in years some of the participating couples had fully participated in the sacraments.

“We were doing catechesis preparation each month with them, and then, the last two weeks have been spectacular for me because they’re all going to confession,” Father O’Connor said. “For some of them it’s their first time in 30 years, 25 years, 20 years.”

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The idea for the group wedding came about when Father O’Connor noticed some of his parishioners weren’t receiving Communion and learned that they hadn’t been married in the Church. He later stumbled on an article about a group wedding in Spain, which led to his decision to offer one at the Woodside parish.

“Being with them as they reconciled to the Lord and prepared to receive holy Communion for the first time in a long time to day at the wedding,” Father O’Connor said, has “been a major highlight for me — just walking with them. A lot of tears, a lot of anticipation, and gratitude.”

The Woodside parish hosted the group wedding ceremony during a Mass that also honored the feast of Mary. The celebration continued afterward with a reception to celebrate the couples and honor Mexican cultural traditions.

Rocio Jiminez said after the Mass that she and her husband, Arturo Torres, have been together since 1999. Jiminez, a lifelong Catholic, said she would bring Torres, who was evangelical at the time, to church with her when they were dating. She said it was important for her to be
married in the Church because she wanted to receive the sacraments that she felt would bring her closer to her faith.

She said she already feels a “big difference” now that she’s married. “For me, it’s what I always wanted,” Jiminez said. “I was close to the Church when I was young, and I [would] always say I’m going to get married … but sometimes, [life] doesn’t go the way that you want it.”

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The couple explained that they had held off on getting married for so long because Torres needed time to decide if he wished to join the Catholic faith. He said he’s “happy now” having become Catholic and marrying Jiminez in church.

For the two, and like many of the couples there, getting married at St. Mary’s Winfield, which the church is also known as, was a no-brainer. Jiminez said the family is originally from Long Island, and the couple considered moving back. However, they decided to remain in Queens because of their connection to the Woodside parish, which feels “like family” to them.

“I don’t want to move because I don’t want my kids to be away from this church,” Jiminez said. “Father O’Connor has a lot of activities for the young people, which I think is so good because they can keep going to church,”

Jiminez said. “I’m also happy to do my wedding here because it’s a big family, and I’m surprised by how everybody came to do this party for us.”

Father Rolvin Romero, a priest in the parish who attended the wedding, has held similar group weddings in the Philippines, his home country. Father Romero picked the parish feast day to celebrate the wedding because he wished to emphasize the collective support behind the sacrament.

“You see young people here — catechists, volunteers — [but] a lot of people were still asking, ‘How could we help?’ ” Father Romero said. “It highlights the community and the importance of living the community life.”

Cecila Gonzalez and Rodrigo Torres have been together 38 years, and getting married on the feast day made it that much more special for them, as they celebrated the patroness who has “guided” them throughout their lives.

“Given that it’s her feast day and that this parish is named after her, I hope and continue to pray that she continues to be that guide,” Torres said. “And now that we’re married, she’ll be able to intercede for us on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Their son, also named Rodrigo, said it was a “privilege” to witness his parents take a big step in their faith as best man. He said he was thankful to the parish for noticing a need within the community and creating a space where couples can receive the sacrament of matrimony.

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“God answers prayers,” the younger Torres said. “There were certain couples who were not approaching [Communion], and I think we noticed that and started praying. The perpetual adoration chapel downstairs has been a huge help for these couples, and I think they were able to hear God calling for them to be united in the sacrament of matrimony.”

In keeping with Mexican tradition, after they were married by Father O’Connor, the couples all knelt at their pew as two sponsors wrapped a “lazo” — a decorative rosary or a white rope — around them, which symbolizes their union and unbreakable bond. The couples wore their lazos throughout the Mass, where Father Romero, during his homily, reminded parishioners that the Eucharist is a powerful means of uniting the
couple with Christ.

He emphasized that receiving it reflects the couple’s desire to model their lives on Christ’s sacrificial love.

“The love between couples should be Eucharistic. In the Eucharist, they have the foundation of their married life, because the Eucharist is first a sacrifice, it is communion, and it is presence,” Father Romero said. “If they want to live faithfully their vocation, they have to learn and find it in the Eucharist.”