Prayers for same-sex marriages

Same-sex couples can have a prayer ceremony with a pastor or other parish employee and guests.

Praying for and with the married couple is a custom in which Christians pause under the accepting and loving eyes of God in all life events. In the prayer, the congregation thanks God for his love and the gifts of life and asks the married couple for the strength to respect one another. The ceremony can be organised in a suitable venue according to each parish’s practices. For more information, contact your parish.

The prayer ceremony does not follow an official formula: the pastor or another parish employee can either write the prayers or use materials from the Church’s tradition, and the couple can plan the ceremony together with a parish employee.

For more information, you can also contact Christian LGBT organisations:

• Yhteys-liike, a solidarity and support group across church borders
• Arcus, LGBT minorities working and operating within the Church
• Malkus Helsinki, the Christian group of Seta: LGBTI Rights in Finland in the Helsinki region
• Malkus Turku, the Christian group of Seta: LGBTI Rights in Finland in the Turku region