Wedding of Daty Hickman and Adam Mobley, remarks of officiant.

Wedding Remarks.

Rev. Dr. Paschal Baute at the marriage ceremony of grandson Adam Mobley and Katie Hickman, July 24, 2010. 7:30 p.m., Wilmington. Delaware.

“Native people everywhere invited their ancestors to their meetings as they believed they owed their lives to their accentors.

So we invite the spirits of these grandparents to be present: Bill and Helen Hickman, Joe and Liz Strickland, Vince and Joan Zecca and Elmer Mobley, to add their blessings.

We are the reason they lived. Our parents, grandparents, ancestors crossed oceans, climbed mountains , fought battles, waged wars --so they we their children might have a leg up, a hand up in life. We are their gift of life, gift of love to the world.

We are the invention of our parents’ love story: created, original free and undeserved. Through countless previous generations, we are so gifted.

Now Katy and Adam come together in marriage to celebrate their love, to create their own story, no longer a chapter in their parents story, but beginning an entirely new story.

Who dares to speak of the mystery of love? Poets, wisdom teachers, philosopher, song writers, theologians. One thing they agree on is the nature of this mystery is unconditional love for us humans.

Right now, this Mystery is not elsewhere but right here, between Adam and Katie, in this love now in their hearts, and which they are embracing and vowing to be faithful to, for the rest of their lives.

This is why this moment is such a sacred, holy and awesome act. Now with the blessings of ALL present, we proceed...” (vows)
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Footnote: Adam asked me to include or use a story in my remarks at the wedding. The above was my response.

To be able to officiate at my grandson’s wedding, in Wilmington, Delaware, 81 years after I was born and baptized in this city, was an incredible blessing. Here is where I began life and began my journey of faith. My father was a newly minted physician just graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, beginning his year of internship. Hahnemann is now Hahnemann University Hospital affiliated with Drexel University. We moved to Kentucky when I was a babe in arms when my father discovered that the state of Kentucky did not require an internship for licensure and went to Lebanon where I was raised until boarding school during my high school years. He began his practice there in the depths of the depression. It took him 15 years to pay off his medical school debts.

After an incredible faith journey that included 16 years as a Benedictine monk, ordained as a Catholic priest, service with all four branches of the U. S. Military, coaching on three levels, marriage in midlife with a terrific woman with whom I am still in love with, and several careens, three childrens dn three grandchildren, I was able to return to the city where I was born and baptized. The faith journey has included a Masters at Loyola of Chicago, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, altering several books and hundreds of papers, and some 45,000 hours of listening as a professional psychologist. I am blessed beyond all recognition and all deserving.

Meister Eckhart said that if the only prayer we ever say is “that you, lord,” maybe that is sufficient. Thank you, Lord.

One other amazing happening. Steve and Sarah were sure, long before modern sonograms, that their first born would be a girl. They had decided they would name her "Katie."

Now, by an amazing series o coincidences, they have their Katie Mobley as beloved member of their family. This family, all of us, are incredibly blessed. Thank you, Lord.