The blessing was carried out by Bishop Denis Nulty.
A Westmeath bride was blessed at the Shine of the holy relics of Saint Valentine today.
Mullingar's Orla Gavin and her husband to be PJ Corcoran receives the blessing from Bishop Denis Nulty.
They met the night before the first day of college in the ‘Stables Club’ at the University of Limerick,
Following today's blessing, Accord, which runs the marriage preparation courses, released new figures that shows 4,590 couples applied for the programme last year.
Speaking at the event, Bishop Denis Nulty said "over the years thousands of couples like Orla and PJ have come for a blessing, to light a candle, to leave behind an intention. I often think at the Shrine here we concentrate too much on the relics and miss the quiet witness of the many couples who come here from all over the world with their own story of love, of joy, of hope for a brighter future. The sacrament of marriage reassures every couple that God will never leave them. This joy is what we are celebrating this day that He is always by our side. Choosing to celebrate the sacrament of marriage is a profound decision in the life of a couple."
Orla says her favourite thing about her fiancé is his kindness, while he described her caring nature as his favourite quality.
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