Am I Married?

[cfrudorf]

I am a cradle-Catholic, who fell away from the Church for several decades. During this period of my life, I married a woman in a civil ceremony, who today professes to be an adherent to a sect of Buddhism (Falun Gong). In 2000, I was moved by the Spirit to return to the Church. I went to the neighborhood Church and made a full confession of my sins, at the end of which Father Jim exhorted me to attend Mass and take Holy Communion. I have not failed to attend Mass and am ever thankful for having been moved to return to the Church. Since the birth of my daughter, who is baptized, I have taken an increasing interest in the Church. My having attended 12 years of Catholic school, but being of an age that betrays my not having been systematically educated in the faith, I am fairly ignorant. So, as a result of recent inquiries, this question presents itself: Am I married?

Carl

 

[1ke]

cfrudorf:

I am a cradle-Catholic, who fell away from the Church for several decades. During this period of my life, I married a woman in a civil ceremony, who today professes to be an adherent to a sect of Buddhism (Falun Gong). In 2000, I was moved by the Spirit to return to the Church. I went to the neighborhood Church and made a full confession of my sins, at the end of which Father Jim exhorted me to attend Mass and take Holy Communion. I have not failed to attend Mass and am ever thankful for having been moved to return to the Church. Since the birth of my daughter, who is baptized, I have taken an increasing interest in the Church. My having attended 12 years of Catholic school, but being of an age that betrays my not having been systematically educated in the faith, I am fairly ignorant. So, as a result of recent inquiries, this question presents itself: Am I married?

Carl

Carl, You are certainly married from the perspective of civil law. From the church’s perspective you are also married but not in a Sacramental marriage.

You, as a Catholic, were bound by the Church’s Canon Law at the time you married. As a baptized Catholic you married with what is called “lack of form” because you married outside the Church without a dispensation to do so. You also married a non-Christian (I’m assuming that your wife is not baptized). Therefore you also have what is called a ‘disparity of cult’.

That does not mean that you cannot approach the church and ask to have your marriage blessed. However, because you are married to a non-Christian, I would suggest you talk to a priest on this subject-- I am not 100% on all the details when the case is a Catholic married to a non-Christian via a civil ceremony. And, of course your wife would need to be involved also.

A priest will be the best source of information.

 

[JDS2oo6]

Carl,

Yes you are married…both in the legal and Christian sense.

Read 1 Corinthians 7:12-14. St. Paul is pretty much directly talking to you in this passage about marriages in which there is only one believing (Christian) spouse.

And above all else, love your wife and pray pray pray and pray…ask others to pray for her. Fast and sacrifice.

My prayers will be with you, Carl.

God Bless,

-Joe

 

[cfrudorf]

Thank you. My Pastor is out of town until next week. I intend to speak with him when he returns. My most immediate concern is whether I may go to Communion.

This weighs heavily on my conscience.

Carl

 

[1ke]

cfrudorf:

Thank you. My Pastor is out of town until next week. I intend to speak with him when he returns. My most immediate concern is whether I may go to Communion.

This weighs heavily on my conscience.

Carl

Yes, as you have already indicated you have gone to confession and therefore you are certainly able to take Communion.

 

[smlflwr]

Carl, I just came across your message of “am I married?” today. Altho it was written some time ago, I hope you might see my reply. I was most interested in the fact that your wife is a practitioner of Falun Gong. I wonder if she still is? You are the first Catholic minded person I have run into, who is married to a practitioner. I also am married to one. This has caused some difficulties and I am curious if the same applies to you.

 

[ack]

The poster has not visited this forum in four and a half years, and it is very unlikely that he even remembers what CAF is anymore.

(Just throwing that out there before a bunch of people start replying to this thread without looking at the date…)

Carl, I just came across your message of “am I married?” today. Altho it was written some time ago, I hope you might see my reply. I was most interested in the fact that your wife is a practitioner of Falun Gong. I wonder if she still is? You are the first Catholic minded person I have run into, who is married to a practitioner. I also am married to one. This has caused some difficulties and I am curious if the same applies to you.

 

[Thomas63116]

The OP is probably long gone and not likely to reply to this very old thread. But seeing it for the first time today left me with a question.

The OP (a non-practicing Catholic) married a non-Christian woman in a civil ceremony. He then returned to the Church, went to confession and was urged to begin receiving the Sacraments regularly. He was told that his marriage is valid, and that there is no impediment to him receiving the sacraments.

Based on other threads that I have read here at CAF, I understood that the Catholic Church considers its members to be bound to follow canonical form in contracting a marriage. Thus, a Catholic who married in a civil ceremony without receiving an appropriate dispensation would be considered to be in a presumptively invalid marriage. Unless refraining from marital relations, that person would be urged to refrain from communion until the marriage could be convalidated.

Do I have something wrong? Does the fact that the OP’s spouse is not Christian change something? I’d appreciate any clarification.

 

[Phemie]

His marriage isn’t presumed valid due to lack of form. Whoever answered him when he was here was wrong.