“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 (10.26.1980)
October 21, 1970
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.
The Significance of the 777 Couples Marriage Blessing in True Father’s Words
What is the significance of the 777 Couples? Their wedding was the last one I conducted while my work was based in Korea. Through this Unification Church Marriage Blessing in 1970, the many races of the world were connected to heaven. Then what was the result of the 777 Couples Marriage Blessing? By bringing together many families and tribes of the world today and connecting them to heaven, I opened the global gate through which any family, tribe, and people can form a relationship with God. By entering through the gate of the 777 Couples Marriage Blessing and following the path leading from there, all people can go to heaven. That gate is now open. This Unification Church Marriage Blessing in 1970 was thus the last of its kind held before the providence reached its present global dimension. (2.29.1972)
The 777 Couples, formed by young men and women from ten nations, were blessed in marriage in 1970 in order to create new families and new tribes based on God’s love, transcending national boundaries and racial differences in pioneering the way of His will for the world. Thus, a new global nation was being prepared for Christ at his Second Advent, as well as the requisite personnel who could serve any nation and any citizenry in accordance with his plan. (1978.10.22)
The 777 Couples represent the whole world. The three sevens refer to formation, growth, and completion. I prepared the global family structure for us to enter the transracial era by blessing in marriage the 777 Couples in 1970. (1.2.1975)
