Marianne and Thomas James Peggie wedding April 29

A Polish wedding ceremony is filled with ritual and symbolism, and as the most significant moment in a Catholic couple’s life, it has a unique place in Polish Detroit.

We were fortunate enough to have been invited to join the celebration of Marianne and Thomas James Peggie in Detroit’s magnificent Sweetest Heart of Mary church.  Established in 1892, Sweetest Heart of Mary is one of the cornerstones of Detroit Polonia’s faith.

Among the ‘behind the scenes’ rituals were fortunate enough to witness was the ‘Blessing of the Parents’, in which the parents of both bride and groom recite traditional words of blessing and encouragement over the kneeling couple.

The wedding was presided over by Father Mark Borkowski.  Marianne was radiant in white, carrying pink flowers, which perfectly suited the church’s pink and cream color motif.   The spring sunshine, not always a given in Michigan, played a sensational role throughout the wedding, streaming in through the stained glass windows for which Sweetest Heart of Mary is justifiably famous.  Father Mark, before pronouncing the couple man and wife, said, “The unconditional love of Christ will be the foundation of your life together.”

Though embarking on this new life, the wedding bore all the hallmarks of sacred tradition which as effectively recalled the past.  Groom Tom Peggie, who is Scottish by derivation, seems to blend well with the heavy Polish culture which followed the couple from the altar, to the reception at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.  At the receiving line, the traditional bread and salt were blessed, symbolizing prosperity and health.  No Polish feast is complete without these most basic of foods, and it was understood that given such foundations, the future of Marianne and Tom’s marriage is on the firmest of ground.

Sweetest Heart of Mary Polish Catholic Church
4440 Russell St,
Detroit, Michigan 48207