777-Couple International Blessing Ceremony

(October 21, 1970, Jangchung Stadium, Seoul)

46th Blessing Anniversary to the 777 Couples blessed on this day, October 21st, in 1970! 💝

True Parents presided over the first truly international Marriage Blessing Ceremony when they blessed 777 couples on October 21, 1970. As part of the 430 Couples Holy Marriage Blessing in 1968, True Parents blessed 43 non-Korean couples overseas in 1969. For the 777 Couples Holy Marriage Blessing, participants came from 10 nations to Korea. The Marriage Blessing was conducted at Seoul’s Changchung (Metropolitan) Gymnasium in the presence of over 15,000. True Father stated that this was the last Marriage Blessing that he would conduct “before globalizing my mission.” He noted that the 777 Couples Holy Marriage Blessing was the seventh following True Parents’ Holy Wedding. This Marriage Blessing lay the foundation for the Unification movement to work on the worldwide level. “What belongs to Korea,” he said, “can now belong to the world and vice versa.”

The 777 Couples Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony, held on October 21, 1970 in Korea, was the last Holy Marriage Blessing Ceremony conducted by True Parents in Korea before the globalization of the Unification Church. Through the this  Marriage Blessing, True Father began a significant tradition of interracial and intercultural marriages. True Father has referred to the this Marriage Blessing as the foundation for connecting the people of the world together, and “marks the beginning of a new era transcending races and tribes. From that time, the Unification Church began its work worldwide” (10.14.1978).

True Father brought together people from ten different nations for the this Marriage Blessing Ceremony. Originally, True Father’s goal was to bless in marriage a total of 777 couples, but the actual total was 791 couples. He ended up engaging more than the original goal of 777 because a few couples might not have made it on the day of the Marriage Blessing Ceremony due to illness or military service. In order to ensure that they did not fall short of the promised number, he ended up blessing in marriage a total of 791 couples.

Here are True Parents words about this blessing from p. 344 of Chambumo Gyeong, and p. 20 - 21 of the edition at the link below:

The 777 Couples: Opening the era of the international Blessing

The International Marriage Blessing Ceremony of 777 Couples was held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul on October 21, 1970. There were 790 couples from ten nations participating, with 539 couples from Korea, 235 couples from Japan and 16 couples from Europe and America. After the ceremony, the brides and bridegrooms rode in a convoy of 42 buses through downtown Seoul. True Parents said that the 777 Couples Blessing signified the expansion of the marriage Blessing to the world.

1. In 1969, I blessed the 43 Couples as representatives of all the world's nations. The 43 Couples are the global-level counterpart of the 430 Couples on the national level. All the tribes in Korea received the grace of entering the realm of heaven, and that is the internal foundation for all peoples in the world to enter that realm. Once these relational standards are connected, the tribes of the external world can connect to the Korean people, who have set the standard of indemnity in the internal world. On this foundation, we entered the age of international marriage. The Korean members will no longer belong just to the Unification Church of Korea on the level of an ethnic group; they will be members of the global
Unification Church. By the same token, the German Unification Church members, for example, will not belong to the Unification Church of Germany on the level of that ethnic group; they will go beyond that and enter the realm of Unification Church membership on the world level. It is the age of a federation based on international marriage. We are entering this age, the age of international marriage, and it began with the 777 Couples as its foundation. (100-033, 1978/10/04)

2. The world will enter the realm of the fortune of the Unification Church and begin a gradual shift. That is why on October 21, 1970, I was able to conduct the first international marriage Blessing ceremony, the Blessing of 777 Couples. Now everything is coming to us on the world level. Before this Blessing, True Parents went overseas to conduct the Blessing. We could not bring the couples to Korea and bless them here. Now, however, we can. People from ten nations participated in the ceremony. Through this the path by which any country can return to God was completed based on the ideal of the family. At that time it became possible for the world's fortune to enter the realm of the fortune of the Unification Church. (055- 171, 1972/05/07)

3. True Parents had couples from ten nations participate in the 777 Couples Blessing Ceremony in 1970. They represented the world, indemnifying the number 10. By this we can organize a new tribe on the world level, based on the family. Since some of the couples were matched internationally, the tribe we are organizing is an international one. In short, we have established a standard by which we can organize a new tribe on a transnational scale. Had we not done so, no one other than Koreans would be able to join this movement. If we were to go forward prioritizing the Korean people, we would not be an international movement. By doing what we've done, however, we have opened up a path beyond the level of one ethnic people. Christianity had created a worldwide foundation. These 777 Couples were formed as a people in front of the providential Will, to represent that lost world-level foundation. They are a people formed to pay indemnity. (054-297, 1972/03/26)

4. Through the 777 Couples Blessing, we built a bridge by means of which all peoples in the world can enter heaven. This providential work was fulfilled centering on ten nations. The 43 Couples were also from ten nations. There had to be at least ten nations. The 777 Couples Blessing was a worldwide declaration that opened the gates through which these ten nations can travel back and forth horizontally and these families can go anywhere without hindrance. Three sevens make 21. We restore through indemnity the critical moment of the sorrow of the numbers 3 and 7 through the 21-year course so that we can free ourselves from Satan's accusation, based on the spiritual and physical worlds and on man and woman. The foundation of these ten nations frees all blessed families across the world from the realm of accusation. The 777 Couples embody this foundation. Now that this work is done, what belongs to Korea belongs to the world, and what belongs to the world belongs to Korea. (058-061, 1972/06/06)

5. The 777 Couples need to stand in the vanguard for three years. They have to fulfill their final mission. Until now, blessed families have never been in such a situation. Now that the Blessing is being held across boundaries, God's wish is coming true on this earth. Cain and Abel must unite as one and go from the individual to the family, tribe, people, nation and world. For us to progress through these stages, Cain and Abel need to be victorious. That is a fundamental rule. Therefore, you need to offer sacrifices for the
sake of the world. When every nation does this, world unity will come automatically. My work today is based on this strategy. (055-108, 1972/04/29)

http://truelove.org/csg2/CBG/ChambumoGyeong-04.pdf

“You, the 777 Couples, are worthy of our pride. Thus, you should stand at the forefront as we enter the 1980s and take pride in bequeathing our tradition to all families. Who among you will assume such a position? By doing so, you will reach out to the world. You are the couples representing the tribes of the world.”
– True Father's words on October 25, 1980