Becoming Catholics and already married....

[TDolina]

Hi, my husband and I have decided to begin our spiritual journey together, we both come from very opposite backgrounds and we’ve decided to be Catholics, together. We are super excited and we can not wait. However I have a question about our marriage. We were married at a civil ceremony by the county. Once we both go through the RCIA classes. Are we able to get married by the Catholic Church or renew our vows so that we can be recognized by the Church as well?

Thank you so very much for your time,

Tracey

 

[Reuben_J]

Hi, my husband and I have decided to begin our spiritual journey together, we both come from very opposite backgrounds and we’ve decided to be Catholics, together. We are super excited and we can not wait. However I have a question about our marriage. We were married at a civil ceremony by the county. Once we both go through the RCIA classes. Are we able to get married by the Catholic Church or renew our vows so that we can be recognized by the Church as well?

Thank you so very much for your time,

Tracey

Welcome to the Church and to the Forum.

You already have a natural marriage. During your Baptism or anytime thereafter, you can have your marriage blessed or convalidated. You will be as good as a married Catholic couple having been married in the Church.

God bless you on your journey to the Church.

 

[pablope]

Hi, my husband and I have decided to begin our spiritual journey together, we both come from very opposite backgrounds and we’ve decided to be Catholics, together. We are super excited and we can not wait. However I have a question about our marriage. We were married at a civil ceremony by the county. Once we both go through the RCIA classes. Are we able to get married by the Catholic Church or renew our vows so that we can be recognized by the Church as well?

Thank you so very much for your time,

Tracey

Welcome to Rome…and we all here will be praying for both of you.

I suggest you consult with your parish priest right away and inform him of the situation that way, he is aware and could advise you accordingly. Nothing is more beautiful than having your Marriage blessed by the Church.

 

[Linda_Marie]

Not only may you, you MUST have a Sacramental Marriage. This happens sometime after you receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion). Soon after, preferably.

Every one’s marital situation is different so it is important to discuss this with your priest now to make sure there are no impediments to receiving Marriage as a Sacrament.

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

Talk to the Priest, As I maybe very wrong But it is my understanding that if neither you nor your husband were catholic that the Church already reconizes your marriage a valid.

 

[anjoh66]

Not only may you, you MUST have a Sacramental Marriage. This happens sometime after you receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion). Soon after, preferably.

Every one’s marital situation is different so it is important to discuss this with your priest now to make sure there are no impediments to receiving Marriage as a Sacrament.

As far as i know there is a possibillity and most likely preferable that the marriage takes place before the sacraments of initiation.

Catechumens are entitled to catholic marriage and funeral if such a need should occur.

 

[anjoh66]

Talk to the Priest, As I maybe very wrong But it is my understanding that if neither you nor your husband were catholic that the Church already reconizes your marriage a valid.

This is also a most likely possibillity as they are not bound by canon laws before they become catholics and thereby the marriage most probably will be accepted as valid.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Hi, my husband and I have decided to begin our spiritual journey together, we both come from very opposite backgrounds and we’ve decided to be Catholics, together. We are super excited and we can not wait. However I have a question about our marriage. We were married at a civil ceremony by the county. Once we both go through the RCIA classes. Are we able to get married by the Catholic Church or renew our vows so that we can be recognized by the Church as well?

Thank you so very much for your time,

Tracey

edit:

Should have been more specific. If you are non-Christians, then your marriage is a valid natural marriage which will be Sacramentalized when you are Initiated (baptized, confirmed and received Communion).

If you are validly baptized Christians, you will need convalidation. This will also be done during your reception into the Church which is likely at Easter Vigil (could be another date, depends on the pastor).

 

[ConstantineTG]

As far as i know there is a possibillity and most likely preferable that the marriage takes place before the sacraments of initiation.

Catechumens are entitled to catholic marriage and funeral if such a need should occur.

You cannot receive any of the 6 other Sacraments if you have not been baptized. If the OP hasn’t been Baptized, they cannot be Sacramentally married. If they have had a valid marriage, it will be Sacramentalized instantly during the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

This is also a most likely possibillity as they are not bound by canon laws before they become catholics and thereby the marriage most probably will be accepted as valid.

Correct. I have been working with RCIA for many years. If neither party is Catholic any marriage fulfilling the requirements of Canon 1057 is valid until proven otherwise.

Can. 1057 §1. The consent of the parties, legitimately manifested between persons quali-fied by law, makes marriage; no human power is able to supply this consent.
§2. Matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which a man and a woman mutually give and accept each other through an irrevocable covenant in order to establish marriage.

If either, or both parties are Catholic then they are bound by Church Law as well as Divine Law Can.

1059 Even if only one party is Catholic, the marriage of Catholics is governed not only by divine law but also by canon law, without prejudice to the competence of civil authority concerning the merely civil effects of the same marriage.

If both parties have been baptized their marriage is a sacrament.

Can. 1055 §1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.
§2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament.

otherwise it is a natural, non-sacramental, marriage
Note there is an exception for Orthodox, who are bound by the rules of their Church.

 

[1ke]

Hi, my husband and I have decided to begin our spiritual journey together, we both come from very opposite backgrounds and we’ve decided to be Catholics, together. We are super excited and we can not wait. However I have a question about our marriage. We were married at a civil ceremony by the county. Once we both go through the RCIA classes. Are we able to get married by the Catholic Church or renew our vows so that we can be recognized by the Church as well?

Thank you so very much for your time,

Tracey

Well, basically, what you have gotten so far on this thread is a mish-mash of information and most of it is not correct.

Whenever there is a marriage situation, you really need to talk to your priest to make sure all the details are covered.

Here are some **general **guidelines to help you:

(a) If neither of you has any prior marriages/divorces in your past or any other impediments to a valid marriage (in general this is things like force, close blood relation, psychological problems, etc), and neither of you were baptized or received into the Catholic Church at any point in the past, then your marriage via a civil ceremony is 100% valid right now.

(b) If one or both of you is unbaptized right now, your valid marriage is called a “natural marriage.”

(c) At the moment you are both baptized, your valid marriage becomes a sacrament.

(d) If you are determined to have a valid marriage per my (a) above, then you do not take any steps to get married in the Catholic Church-- you’re already married. However, the priest can give you the Nuptial Blessing from the Marriage Rite if you ask him. That would be a nice thing to do.

(e) If for some reason you are not in a valid marriage right now, per my (a) above-- like if one or both of you have a marriage/divorce in your past-- then you need to talk to your priest and there will have to be action taken to work out your freedom to marry (annulment, etc) to enter the Church and convalidate your marriage. There are various avenues for this depending upon your baptismal statuses, details of the prior marriages, etc. These are details to discuss with your priest if they apply to you.

HTH.

 

[Linda_Marie]

There is more canon law concerning Marriage than any other Sacrament. It is a complicated area since so many variables may be present.

As I said, everyone’s situation is different so you need to consult your priest. There may be impediments which will need to be cleared up before you may receive Marriage as a Sacrament.

In my case, having gone through this myself, our marriage was deemed valid, but it was not Sacramental. It did not become ‘instantly’ Sacramental when I was Baptised, Confirmed and received First Holy Communion.

Marriage is a separate Sacrament which must be received as soon after the Sacraments of Initiation as possible.

 

[1ke]

It did not become ‘instantly’ Sacramental when I was Baptised, Confirmed and received First Holy Communion. Marriage is a separate Sacrament which must be received as soon after the Sacraments of Initiation as possible.

This is not a true statement.

Can. 1055 §1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.

§2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament.

A valid natural marriage becomes a sacrament **by the very fact **of both parties being baptized.

 

[anjoh66]

You cannot receive any of the 6 other Sacraments if you have not been baptized. If the OP hasn’t been Baptized, they cannot be Sacramentally married. If they have had a valid marriage, it will be Sacramentalized instantly during the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation.

I didnt say it will be a sacrament but catechumens are entitled to marriage according to catholic rites.

1. Marriage of Catechumens

When a Catholic marries a catechumen, a dispensation for disparity of worship is necessary for validity. The marriages of catechumens whether with other catechumens or with baptized Christians or even non-Christians, should be celebrated at a Liturgy of the Word and never at a Liturgy of the Eucharist.

 

[Linda_Marie]

This is not a true statement.

Can. 1055 §1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.

§2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament.

A valid natural marriage becomes a sacrament **by the very fact **of both parties being baptized.

At any rate, it may be received after the Sacraments of Initiation. They generally call it a Renewal of Vows in the Church and it is a formal blessing of your marriage. I had understood that it was not automatic, so I guess I was misinformed.

So the answer to the OP’s question is ‘Yes’, but circumstances must be investigated to confirm that a valid marriage exists before it can be blessed by the Church.

Before I was Baptised, my dh and I had to answer all the questions just as if we were requesting marriage for the first time in the Church. what was it, around 3 pages of questions; things like ‘do you intend to deny your spouse children?’ and, ‘have you been previously married?’

Mine was wonderful. I told some of my friends from my prayer group. They, unknown to me, organised a ‘wedding reception’ for us at the parish hall. They even had a bouquet for me, plus a wedding cake and everything.

 

[1ke]

At any rate, it may be received after the Sacraments of Initiation. They generally call it a Renewal of Vows in the Church and it is a formal blessing of your marriage. I had understood that it was not automatic, so I guess I was misinformed.

The priest may give the couple the Nuptial Blessing. This is not a renewal of vows, nor does it make the mariage valid or a sacrament.

So the answer to the OP’s question is ‘Yes’, but circumstances must be investigated to confirm that a valid marriage exists before it can be blessed by the Church.

No, this isn’t true. There is no investigation. And, the Church doesn’t have to bless anything.

The couple can ask for the nuptial blessing if they want-- but they don’t have to and it has no impact on validity or sacramentality.

Before I was Baptised, my dh and I had to answer all the questions just as if we were requesting marriage for the first time in the Church. what was it, around 3 pages of questions; things like ‘do you intend to deny your spouse children?’ and, ‘have you been previously married?’

I don’t know what your priest was doing, unless you had a situation in which your marriage was not valid and required convalidation. This is not the situation the OP is in. None of these questions are relevant to a couple already validly married.

Mine was wonderful. I told some of my friends from my prayer group. They, unknown to me, organised a ‘wedding reception’ for us at the parish hall. They even had a bouquet for me, plus a wedding cake and everything.

Sounds like perhaps you had a different situation than the OP.

 

[Linda_Marie]

The OP’s question was whether they could have their marriage blessed or otherwise recognised by the Church. I answered with my experience. It was not my intention to lead anyone astray or give them incorrect information. I apologise.

 

[paulp1002]

First of all, welcome!! I was curious about the OP’s question, so I asked my Priest at my local Parish after my class last night.

What he explained was as long as you or your husband were not baptized Catholic, then your Natural Marriage will become validated when you guys are officially welcomed into the Church as Catholic members.

However if at least one of you were baptized Catholic even as a child, then your marriage would need to be convalidated. This has to do with Marriage being one of the 7 Holy Sacraments of the Catholic Church

This is the short to the point answer. If you would like this explained in detail, then I would recommend talking with your Priest. After one of your RCIA classes would be a great time, since the RCIA classes is there to answer these types of questions…

 

[TDolina]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions. I appreciate all the advice and help.

God Bless