2012 Marriage Blessing Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Happy 10th anniversary to the thousands of couples around the world celebrating their Marriage Blessing! On March 24, 2012, the first international Marriage Blessing ceremony was held at the newly opened Cheongshim World Peace Center in Korea. Officially titled the “Blessing Ceremony in the Era to Open the Gates to the Victory, Liberation, and Completion of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind,” the event gathered over 20,000 Unificationists from 54 countries. More than 2,500 couples participated as newlyweds and 1,100 couples reaffirmed their marital vows. 

The ceremony was broadcast live by satellite in a hundred countries, while another 92 nations held their own local Marriage Blessing with previously recorded materials. This particular Blessing sparked widespread interest due to the impressive new venue and participation of so many young Unificationists. News outlets from around a hundred countries covered the ceremony. The BBC aired a largely supportive special in Britain called “Married to the Moonies,” which followed three British youth and their partners as they prepared for and participated in the Marriage Blessing. A variation of the BBC program, called “Getting Married to the Moonies,” aired in the United States and followed three Americans and their partners. This Marriage Blessing was also the last ceremony conducted by True Parents before True Father’s ascension in September 2012.