Can baptisms and weddings take place during Sunday Mass?

[DL82]

One thing I have noticed in the Catholic Church is that most people have their babies baptised in a separate service of baptism, often on a Saturday, with only family and friends in attendance. Depending on the parish, sometimes these are announced to the congregation at Sunday Mass, sometimes not.

When I grew up in the Church of Scotland, baptisms always took place during the Sunday service - in a way, this seems much friendlier, as it is part of the celebration of the parish community. I’m aware that, in the Church of Scotland in the past, people also used to get married during the Sunday service, because, again, a wedding was seen as part of the parish community’s business.

I’m guessing the reason for Catholic baptisms and weddings to be separate from Sunday Mass began with the Latin Mass as it was before Vatican II - people wanted the baptism to happen in English, and the rubrics of the Mass were very rigid, so they had to be baptised outside the celebration of the Mass. Today, it’s probably more because many people are not close to their parish community, and want a ‘personal’ service rather than something to which there will be hundreds of uninvited guests.

Is it possible to be married, or have your child baptised, during the celebration of an existing Sunday Mass?

 

[Jennifer_J]

Yes, to baptism–our parish schedules both baptisms during Mass or after Mass, depending on what the couple wants. Weddings–I’m not sure. I’ve never seen a Catholic wedding on Sunday during a regular Mass time, it would be an extra Mass that day. Or maybe just a ceremony and not a Mass?

 

[jlhargus]

One thing I have noticed in the Catholic Church is that most people have their babies baptised in a separate service of baptism, often on a Saturday, with only family and friends in attendance. Depending on the parish, sometimes these are announced to the congregation at Sunday Mass, sometimes not.

When I grew up in the Church of Scotland, baptisms always took place during the Sunday service - in a way, this seems much friendlier, as it is part of the celebration of the parish community. I’m aware that, in the Church of Scotland in the past, people also used to get married during the Sunday service, because, again, a wedding was seen as part of the parish community’s business.

I’m guessing the reason for Catholic baptisms and weddings to be separate from Sunday Mass began with the Latin Mass as it was before Vatican II - people wanted the baptism to happen in English, and the rubrics of the Mass were very rigid, so they had to be baptised outside the celebration of the Mass. Today, it’s probably more because many people are not close to their parish community, and want a ‘personal’ service rather than something to which there will be hundreds of uninvited guests.

Is it possible to be married, or have your child baptised, during the celebration of an existing Sunday Mass?

JL: In my parish most if not all baptism are done at Saturday evening mass or Sunday. Adults are all baptized during Holy Saturday mass

 

[SMHW]

At my parish it is not unusual for baptisms to take place during a Sunday Mass. (…although the majority of baptisms take place shortly *after *the last Sunday Mass.)

I only know of one marriage that took place during the course of a Sunday Mass. There was an older couple, both widowed, who had been very active in parish ministries. (That was how they met.) Since almost all their friends were involved in parish ministry they decided that getting married during a regular Sunday Mass and having a reception in our Parish Center afterward was the ideal way to go.

 

[MarkThompson]

Weddings and baptisms can both take place during an ordinary, regularly-scheduled Sunday Mass. I’ve been to both. Baptisms are, in my experience, common, and I’ve known churches where they’ll regularly be done at, say, the 10:15 Mass on the first and third Sundays of the month. Weddings are rare, mostly because people generally don’t want to get married during an ordinary Mass, and probably also because pastors realize that a regular congregation doesn’t want to sit through the wedding of two random people (though the rite itself doesn’t take very long). But there’s nothing to prohibit it as a matter of principle.

 

[Phemie]

Weddings and baptisms can both take place during an ordinary, regularly-scheduled Sunday Mass. I’ve been to both. Baptisms are, in my experience, common, and I’ve known churches where they’ll regularly be done at, say, the 10:15 Mass on the first and third Sundays of the month. Weddings are rare, mostly because people generally don’t want to get married during an ordinary Mass, and probably also because pastors realize that a regular congregation doesn’t want to sit through the wedding of two random people (though the rite itself doesn’t take very long). But there’s nothing to prohibit it as a matter of principle.

I know that in Canada, while not prohibited, Sunday marriages are strongly discouraged.

Truly, the typical wedding circus is not conducive to a Sunday parish Mass setting. OTOH, show me a couple who would be happy to process in with the priest, sit in the pews and not have Mass be all about them and I’ll show you a rarity whose marriage ceremony would be a pleasure to witness at the Sunday Mass.

Baptisms in our parish are always during Mass. They are usually celebrated at the Sunday Mass, either Sat. evening or Sunday morning but, occasionally, we’ve had them at a weekday Mass either because one of the parents was non-Catholic and felt more comfortable at a less crowded Mass or dad was either a shift worker or distance worker who couldn’t be there on the weekend.