Priest issues apology over viral Amlan wedding video

A video of a wedding that took place in Amlan, Negros Oriental has gone viral after the priest celebrant started the mass even while the bride was still walking towards the altar, according to a report on "State of the Nation."

The bride, Janice Seit Suelto-Sagario, said the priest started the ceremony because it was already late.

The wedding was scheduled at 8 a.m., last Saturday June 8, 2024.

But they were told by one of the lady wedding sponsors, who said she was informed by a worker from St. Andrew Parish that the time of the wedding was moved to 9:30 a.m.

The bride, in a social media post, said they learned that there was no change in their schedule when they arrived a few minutes before 9 a.m.

She said they were scolded by the parish staff for being late and that they were not given a chance to explain.

It was not easy to rush down the aisle with her wedding dress and that the mass started while she was still at the door of the church.

At the altar, they were also scolded by the priest who said that they thought that she had given birth because they did not make it on time.

However, the parish office said in a statement that there were no changes in the scheduled activities of the church on that day.

"This is unfortunate since there was no instruction at all from anyone in the Parish Office that there are changes in the schedule since there was a scheduled Funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. of that same morning," said parish priest, Msgr. Albert Erasmo Bohol, in a statement.

"Parish Office staff believe that the lady sponsor may have misread the dates written on the bulletin (board), which she perused the night before," he added.

The priest continued to preside over the wedding even if the entourage arrived later than the expected time.

"Despite the fact that they were late by an hour, still our Assisting Priest celebrated the Mass out of charity to the couple. But he had to hurriedly make some adjustments, by starting when he saw the bride at the Church entrance, and after sending word to the bereaved family waiting outside the Church that there is going to be a delay in the Funeral Mass and to please wait until the wedding is over," Bohol said.

The parish apologized to the bride and the groom and their respective families, who were offended with the incident.

They also apologized to the bereaved family that was affected by the delay.

The bride and groom are scheduled to wed again on June 17, 2024. — BAP, GMA Integrated News