Announcing the Next Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony

The Unificationist wedding tradition, known as the Holy Marriage Blessing, is one of the greatest hallmarks of our faith and one of our most well-known traditions, gaining positive media attention in recent years because of its great depth and meaning. The Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony is a celebration of true love and a precious gift made possible by our True Parents, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. By participating in this ceremony, couples become part of a worldwide community of people striving to embody the true love of God and receive incredible blessings as they begin their journey as a married couple.

We are pleased to announce that True Mother will officiate a Marriage Blessing Ceremony in Chung Pyung, Korea on the morning of Tuesday, March 3, 2015. A simultaneous satellite broadcast of the ceremony in Korea will be available in the U.S. on the evening of Monday, March 2, 2015. All engaged couples, individuals participating in the matching and engagement ceremony presided over by True Mother (the Cheon Il Guk Matching), and married couples who have not yet received the Marriage Blessing from True Parents are invited to participate in this upcoming ceremony.

For complete information about participating in the upcoming Marriage Blessing Ceremony,visit the event page on the Blessing and Family Ministry website. This site includes information about how to make all the necessary preparations for participation in the ceremony– completing the online application, education requirements, scheduling a Blessing Interview, purchasing rings, the ceremonies in Korea and local areas, and more.

Attending in the U.S.

Couples who have been matched and engaged and couples who are married are invited to participate in the upcoming Marriage Blessing Ceremony at the main ceremony in Korea or by satellite at a local community ceremony in the U.S. All communities with at least one couple planning to participate in the Marriage Blessing are encouraged to begin organizing a local ceremony.

To support local communities in organizing and hosting a Marriage Blessing Ceremony, the National Blessing and Family Ministry (National BFM) is offering a series of Blessing Preparation Support Webinars for pastors, ministry leaders and ministry volunteers. All those who will be involved in the organization of a local Marriage Blessing Ceremony are encouraged to attend these webinars. The first Blessing Preparation Support Webinar for Pastors and Ministry Leaders will be held on Thursday, October 30 from 9:00 – 10:30 pm EDTand will include suggestions on:

 how to organize a local Marriage Blessing Ceremony

 financial and resource support offered by the National BFM

 how to support candidates in completing the online application

There will also be time for QandA.

In order to participate in the webinar, please pre-register here.

In addition to the webinars, resources for organizing a local Marriage Blessing Ceremony can be found on the Ministry Leaders Resources Section of the BFM website.

Each community will receive a subsidy for each engaged or married individual that participates in their local Marriage Blessing Ceremony to help cover the cost of ceremony-related expenses. The subsidy is a portion of each participant’s Marriage Blessing offering. Information about how to receive this subsidy will be explained in the Blessing Preparation Support Webinars.

Cheon Il Guk Matching and Engagement Facilitated by True Mother

True Mother will facilitate a matching and engagement (Cheon Il Guk Matching) a few days before the Marriage Blessing Ceremony in Korea. For more information about the Cheon Il Guk (Cheon Il Guk) Matching, click here. All those who have some level of interest in participating in this matching and engagement ceremony as well as their parents are encouraged to join an interactive webinar, the Cheon Il Guk Matching Orientation on Saturday, November 8, from 12:00 – 7:00 pm EDT.

We look forward to supporting individuals and families on their journey to the Marriage Blessing. Please do not hesitate to contact our national BFM team with any questions or concerns.

Cheon Il Guk Matching

What is the Cheon Il Guk Matching?

Before departing from this earth, True Father established the ongoing tradition of the Cheon Il Guk matching as a method for Unificationists to connect to their eternal spouse. During the Matching Ceremony, participants are responsible for finding and connecting to their spouse with the guidance of their Original Mind and the support of True Mother.

Purpose of the Cheon Il Guk Matching

From 2001 – 2012 True Parents worked to establish conditions to recreate the original standard of love and innocence prior to the human fall, a realm of absolute goodness under God’s dominion. Father prepared the foundation to launch an era of Heavenly authority on Foundation Day. The matching and Blessing of the purest young people under True Parents’ authority is one such condition, recreating the original standard of the Blessing. Father has referred to these couples as a “textbook” for the ideals of the Blessing.

Matching Method for the Cheon Il Guk Matching

In October, 2010 and again in March, 2012, Father and Mother presided over CIG matching ceremonies, but rather than recommend partners themselves, True Parents empowered and guided the candidates to identify their own future spouse. Father educated the participants on sensing and following their original minds, how to approach a prospective partner, and guided them throughout the process. He told participants that the process should happen naturally, and encouraged that if they felt uncomfortable, unclear or forced, they should feel free to withdraw and not participate. He also introduced a simple method of suggesting balanced or opposite characters, by having participants clasp their hands together and identifying whether their left or right thumb was naturally dominant.

In February 2013 True Mother presided over the matching process. She did not employ one specific method, but moved among the candidates giving encouragement and support. We anticipate that candidates will receive similar education and guidance during the February, 2014 ceremony. However, we are awaiting more detailed information and instructions.

Qualifications to be a Cheon Il Guk Matching Candidate

The Cheon Il Guk standard is designed to represent the ideal of innocent and pure Adam and Eve, prior to the fall. In order to qualify for the Cheon Il Guk Matching, you must meet all of the following qualifications:

1. Lineage: Must be a Blessed Child (born after your parents received the Blessing from True Parents) 2. Age: A minimum age of 20 (western age) on the date of the Blessing Ceremony, and a maximum age of 30 3. Purity: Never having kissed, dated, or made an exclusive romantic commitment to another person. Never having been matched before 4. Faith: Determination to keep a commitment to the Matching and Blessing with absolute faith. Dissolution of the Blessing is not an option. 5. Unity: Willing to receive the Blessing with someone from any race or nationality 6. Health: Those with no specific physical, developmental or psychological problems 7. Conditions: Having completes a 7-Day Fast specifically for this Matching & Blessing (even having previously completed a 7-Day Fast)

How To Apply for the Cheon Il Guk Matching

All CIG Matching participants must first complete the Matching Candidate Application, and then apply for the Blessing Ceremony.