Michelle Eileen Johnson and Andrew Lee Casad
4. August 2001

"A wedding is for a day, the Sacrament of Marriage is for a Lifetime."

Wedding Program  |  How We Met  |  Our Engagement  |  Wedding Photographs

Wedding Program:

If you would prefer, you can view our Wedding Program as an Adobe PDF, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader and allows for better printing quality.

Celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage of Michelle Eileen Johnson and Andrew Lee Casad

August 4, 2001

All Hallows La Jolla, California

 

Wedding Party

Maid of Honour	Best Man
Bridesmaids	Groomsmen

 

Celebrants

 

Lectors

 

Musicians

Welcome and Gathering

Preludes
     Ubi Caritas - Bob Hurd
     The King of Love - Traditional Irish Melody
     I Have Loved You - Michael Joncas

Processional
     Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire - J.S. Bach

Gathering Hymn
     Sing a New Song - Dan Schutte

Gloria
     Mass of Light - David Haas

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
     Tobit 8: 4 - 9
     You and I must pray and petition our LORD.

Responsorial Psalm:
     Psalm 34
     I Will Bless the Lord at All Times - Jeanne Cotter

Second Reading
     Romans 8:31b - 35, 37 - 39
     With GOD on our side, who can be against us?

Alleluia Verse
     Celtic Alleluia - Christopher Walker

Gospel
     Matthew 5:13 - 16
     Your light must shine in the sight of men, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in Heaven.

Homily

Rite of Marriage

Statement of Intentions and Consent

Blessing and Exchange of Rings

Lighting of the Unity Candle
     Love is the Sunlight - David Haas

Prayers of the Faithful

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Presentation of the Gifts
     Prayer of Saint Francis - Sebastion Temple

Sanctus
     Mass of Creation - Marty Haugen

Memorial Acclamation
     Mass of Creation - Marty Haugen
     LORD, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free, you are the Saviour of the world.

The Great Amen
     Mass of Creation - Marty Haugen

LORD's Prayer

Agnus Dei (Lamb of GOD)
     Mass of Creation - Marty Haugen

Communion Song
     Blessed Are They - David Haas/Michael Joncas

Meditation Song
     Exodus XV - Frank Gallio

Recessional
     Sing to the Mountains - Bob Dufford

Acknowledgements

Thank you to our parents for their interminable love. You have given us an example of the unconditional and faithful love that flows from God. Without you, this day would not have been possible.

Thank you to Father Cassian for the time you spent with us in preparing us to become the Sacrament of Marriage and in presiding over our administering of the Sacrament of Marriage.

Thank you to the entire Catholic Community at UCSD, especially Father Mark and Lynn for nourishing us in our faith and fostering a community where Christ's love could be known and shared.

The love shared by our bridesmaids and groomsmen has extended far beyond this wedding day and will continue to do so in years to come. Thank you for your support and faith.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our lectors and musicians for making the liturgical celebration of our sacrament a joyful occasion.

Thank you to our friends who have stood by us through all our years; we look forward to standing beside you and with you in years to come. We are grateful that you were able to be with us our wedding day, but thankful also for the friendship of those who could not join us.

Most of all, we would like to give praise and glory to our LORD who has not only blessed us abundantly, but brought us together and has made our union holy and sacred.

How we met:

At Freshman Orientation in June of 1997, both Michelle and I came to Earl Warren College at the University of California, San Diego with our mothers.  During this orientation our mothers somehow found one another and began to talk about Michelle and me.  Neither Michelle nor I knew each other but ended up eating breakfast with our mothers and consequently one another.  For the most part, Michelle and I just sat at the table while our mothers conversed.  When the school year began we occasionally saw one another in passing, however, we never talked.  All of that changed, as a result of Michelle and me both being active members of the Catholic Community at UCSD.  At the end of our first year, we were both asked to become Student Ministers.  The following year we were both busy in our roles of Student Ministry and as students.  We began to know each other much better and spend a little time together, mostly since we were in the same Organic Chemistry lecture and Michelle borrowed my Chemistry lab notebook from the previous quarter.  We both decided to go to a Halloween party at another Student Minister's apartment.  And fortunately, we decided to go together.  Prior to the party Michelle helped me get into costume, by painting my face like that of William Wallace in Braveheart. We both enjoyed the party a great deal, and enjoyed being with one another.  After we left the party we spent the majority of the rest of the night together talking and getting to know one another.  The following day we went to another Halloween party, again together, but in much different way.  Following that second party we again talked the night, but now away about what we saw developing between us.  From there developed the most amazing and loving relationship of my life.

How we became Engaged:

We both were studying abroad during our third year at university.  Michelle was studying at the National University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland and I was studying at Københavns Universitetet in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We had been planning a Winter trip together for a very long time.  We spent Christmas together with some friends in Buxtehude in Northern Germany, then set out to explore Germany, Switzerland, and Austria for the next three weeks.  When we were in Interlaken, Switzerland, we decided to rent some Toboggans and hit the slopes of the Eiger Run in nearby Grindelwald.  At the end of that day we shared a pot of Fondue in a Swiss chalet Restaurant Oberstuben in Grindelwald, during which time I proposed to Michelle with a diamond I had purchased in Antwerp, Belgium (world capital of diamond trade) prior to beginning our Winter trip. We then got the diamond mounted, together, by a goldsmith in Salzburg, Austria.