Kennedy Wedding to be remembered on Sept. 12 at St. Mary’s Church (Photo courtesy of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library, Boston)

Good morning, Newport! 👋 Today is Thursday, September 11, the 254th day of 2025. There are 111 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

St. Mary’s Church will commemorate the 72nd anniversary of Sen. John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding today with two presentations recreating their Sept. 12, 1953, ceremony at the historic Newport church.

The “Return to Camelot: The Kennedy Wedding Remembered” presentations at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. will feature vintage film clips, live organ music and hymns from the original wedding ceremony, and the “first dance” played at the reception at Hammersmith Farm, Jackie’s childhood summer home in Newport. The 30-minute programs commemorate the day when the future 35th president, then 36, married the 24-year-old photographer.

An estimated 750 to 800 guests, including diplomats, senators and social figures, attended the original ceremony at St. Mary’s Church on Spring Street. Archbishop Richard Cushing of Boston performed the rites and read a blessing from the pope. Outside the church, approximately 2,000 spectators gathered to see the couple. An additional 400 to 450 guests attended the reception at Hammersmith Farm.

St. Mary’s Church, established in 1828 as Rhode Island’s oldest Catholic parish, is housed in a Gothic Revival building dedicated in 1852 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Following today’s presentations, visitors may tour the church and view pew No. 10, where Jack and Jackie attended Mass during their Newport visits. The kneelers used during their nuptial ceremony remain in the church.

No reservations are required for today’s presentations, and doors open at 1:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. A free-will offering will benefit the St. Mary’s Hot Lunch Program, which serves community members in need three Wednesdays each month.

The church is wheelchair-accessible with free parking available in lots accessed via William Street. For more information, contact the Parish Office at (401) 847-0475 Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., or email StMarySecretary12@gmail.com.

In 1961, the couple became the youngest president and first lady in American history.

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Ryan Belmore is the Publisher of WhatsUpNewp.com. An award-winning publisher, editor, and journalist, he has led our local independent online newsrooms since 2012.