For possibly the first time in Perth in years, if not decades, the forgotten practice of the ‘rite of betrothal’ was brought to life at the engagement mass for James Chua and Lisa Aarts, featured on the front cover of this edition of The Record.
Father Joseph McShane FI celebrated the mass, and the rite of betrothal began with the priest bidding the couple to join their right hands while praying a promise of love, faith and loyalty.
The ancient tradition of the rite of betrothal followed.
After the prayer Father McShane took the two ends of his stole and in the form of the cross placed them over the joined hands of Mr Chua and Miss Aarts.
Holding the stole in place with his left hand he said “I bear witness of your solemn proposal and I declare you betrothed, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.”
As he pronounced the last words he sprinkled the couple with Holy Water.
The blessing of the engagement rings, which were sprinkled with Holy Water as well, followed this act and lastly Father McShane presented Mr. Chua and Miss Aarts with a crucifix.
The couple kissed the crucifix symbolising their desire to imitate Jesus’s act of self-offering on the cross. Mr Chua first met Miss Aarts at Campion College in Sydney on April 20th, 2011.
Distance could not keep them apart, when Mr. Chua moved back to Perth; they kept in touch over Skype and found that they shared similar interests.
“Lisa was studying Liberal Arts.” Mr. Chua said. “I am a high school Religious Education teacher so I appreciate philosophy, history literature and theology so we got along very well.”
As the months passed the couple realised that Skype wasn’t going to last forever, serious decisions had to be made if they were going to be together, so Miss Aarts moved to Perth to get to know Mr Chua better.
“We were not interested in dragging out a long distance relationship,” Mr. Chua said.
“We just wanted to know if we were called to marriage with one another. We agreed that ‘if we think this is God’s will then we will get married or we should be able to tell if its not right and Lisa will move back to Sydney’.”
It was definitely God’s will that the couple were meant to be. On their one-year anniversary Mr Chua proposed.
“I had spoken to her father several days before hand, got the ring and picked the spot” Mr Chua said.
At the end of the day on the harbour bridge Mr Chua got down on one knee and asked Miss Aarts to become his wife, which she gladly consented too.
The couple are excited and happy about their impending marriage and do not simply see it as a commitment to each other.
“Marriage is a commitment to follow Christ as well.” Mr. Chua said.
“We believe that God has put us together for a reason and a purpose. That is what we call a vocation – a calling from God.
We look forward to following that call to walk with God together and to see what he will give us, maybe a family and a way to continue to serve Him in the church and in our community.”