An Example of Inculturation of the Catholic Church in South India: The Case of a Nuptial Mass

In the mid-20th century, the Catholic Church faced a devastating crisis, influenced in part by secularism. Taking the situation seriously, the Church ultimately made the drastic decision to undertake reform to overcome its stagnation. The Church convoked the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as “Vatican II,” to undertake this reformation.Following Vatican II, the Catholic Church embraced the phenomenon of “inculturation” to allow the faithful to understand the message of God in a local context. The Catholic Church thus allows local churches to celebrate the liturgy with elements of local culture included in the official procedure. Today, local churches accommodate local cultural elements in celebration of the liturgy with official permission from the Catholic authority.This paper focuses on the sacrament of marriage, performed in a local church in India, as an example of inculturation following Vatican II. Samples were collected from field research conducted from 1999 to 2003 in Tamil Nadu, South India