Can Catholic get married to non-catholic in Anglican church?

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Eli_Lu

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My wonderful boyfriend and I are both very strong in our faith…the only issue is that we are not of the same faith. I am a cradle Catholic, and he has been a Baptist all his life and until recently planned on becoming a minister and then Navy Chaplin. However, off and on he would talk about how he doesn’t believe in everything his church teaches, nor mine, but I’m ok with that.

It’s more difficult for others to accept the fact that we have every intention of seeing this thing through (we want to get married some day!) despite our religious differences.

In addition he would mention that he could “go Anglican” someday. Being someone who is spiritually sound in her faith I always took that as a sign that he wasn’t quite sure where he stood in that way. It wasn’t until last night that we were talking and he mentioned that he might want to be an Anglican priest (he still plans on becoming a Chaplin). I wasn’t too surprised. I was very proud though, as I always am of him. It’s a big step to even consider joining another faith and admitting that you might not be in the one you agree with.

Anyway, a long backstory to my question: If/when we get married can we get married in an Anglican church and still have it be recognized by the Catholic Church? If so, how difficult would it be?

Thank you in advance for your comments. I deeply appreciate it. My faith and God, and the man I want to marry some day are the most important things in my life and I will not neglect or sacrifice any of those if I can. God bless!
 
A Catholic is bound to marry in a Catholic Church. However, under certain circumstances, the priest may petition the bishop for a dispensation. Marry a non-Catholic would be one of those circumstances. You still will be expected to complete all the marriage prep.

In your case, there may be an issue. If you are marrying a person of another faith that intends to be a minister, it pretty much a guarantee that any children resulting from the marriage will not be raised Catholic. You will need to discuss this matter with your pastor.
 
I was afraid of that. Raising the children will be the hardest part, we both know that. But we also know that God is bigger than us and our problems and he led us to it, so he’ll lead us through it. I will definitely talk to my priest about it in the future. Thank you!
 
All of these issues will come up as part of the marriage preparation process.
 
It’s not impossible, but it happens on a case-by-case basis and with the proper dispensation from the local bishop. So, yes, talking to your priest is where you need to start.
 
My husband is Catholic. I’m not Catholic and we got married at my church and his church gave us the OK. So, I know it can be done. You just need to talk to your priest about your intentions.
 
Oh, thank you so much! I guess I knew it was possible but it just feels good to know someone who’s been in that situation. I don’t feel so alone 🙂
 
TheWarriorMonk said:
A Catholic is bound to marry in a Catholic Church. However, under certain circumstances, the priest may petition the bishop for a dispensation. Marry a non-Catholic would be one of those circumstances. You still will be expected to complete all the marriage prep.

In your case, there may be an issue. If you are marrying a person of another faith that intends to be a minister, it pretty much a guarantee that any children resulting from the marriage will not be raised Catholic. You will need to discuss this matter with your pastor.
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In regards to the children ,the Church values the membership of her members,so the Catholic partner is obligated to do everything in his/or her power to raise the children Catholic.The Church wants to insure that the children have an anthentic Christian education and upbringing.
 
awantz said:
My husband is Catholic. I’m not Catholic and we got married at my church and his church gave us the OK. So, I know it can be done. You just need to talk to your priest about your intentions.
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It’s my understanding that if a Catholic wishing to marry in a non Catholic Church or even in at the justice of the peace you have to have a dispensation from the local diocesan bishop in order for the marriage to be valid in the Church’s eyes.Catholics are forbidden to have two religious ceremonies.
 
Eli_Lu said:
I was afraid of that. Raising the children will be the hardest part, we both know that. But we also know that God is bigger than us and our problems and he led us to it, so he’ll lead us through it. I will definitely talk to my priest about it in the future. Thank you!
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In order to receive permission for mixed marriage and a dispensation from form to marry a non-Catholic, the Catholic must promise to raise any children they have in the Catholic Church. This is a solemn obligation.

I hope your determination to “see this through” does not blind you to the fact that perhaps “seeing it through” is not the best course.

Dating is a period of discernment. Many times we find that our differences are too great to overcome to proceed to marriage. That is a blessing. Marrying a non-Catholic who has serious designs on being a minister will create a lot of conflict not only in your marriage but potentially with his own congregation.
 
Bryan_Greenlee said:
It’s my understanding that if a Catholic wishing to marry in a non Catholic Church or even in at the justice of the peace you have to have a dispensation from the local diocesan bishop in order for the marriage to be valid in the Church’s eyes.Catholics are forbidden to have two religious ceremonies.
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We obviously got a dispensation. I said that the original poster should talk to their priest. That is the first step in the process of getting a dispensation. We didn’t have two weddings, just the one.
 
awantz said:
We obviously got a dispensation. I said that the original poster should talk to their priest. That is the first step in the process of getting a dispensation. We didn’t have two weddings, just the one.
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Oh,I’m not questioning anything you have stated,I’m just clearify things for other people who may or may not understand.
 
With proper dispensation you could be married in an Anglican church. My concern is that regardless of how spiritually mature you are…your boyfriend seems a bit wishy-washy. He doesn’t believe what the Baptists teach but remains in the church…could go Anglican…why? Believe me, FROM EXPERIENCE, the religious issues need to be carefully and thoughtfully resolved BEFORE marriage.
 
Eli_Lu said:
My wonderful boyfriend and I are both very strong in our faith…the only issue is that we are not of the same faith. I am a cradle Catholic, and he has been a Baptist all his life and until recently planned on becoming a minister and then Navy Chaplin. However, off and on he would talk about how he doesn’t believe in everything his church teaches, nor mine, but I’m ok with that.

It’s more difficult for others to accept the fact that we have every intention of seeing this thing through (we want to get married some day!) despite our religious differences.

In addition he would mention that he could “go Anglican” someday. Being someone who is spiritually sound in her faith I always took that as a sign that he wasn’t quite sure where he stood in that way. It wasn’t until last night that we were talking and he mentioned that he might want to be an Anglican priest (he still plans on becoming a Chaplin). I wasn’t too surprised. I was very proud though, as I always am of him. It’s a big step to even consider joining another faith and admitting that you might not be in the one you agree with.

Anyway, a long backstory to my question: If/when we get married can we get married in an Anglican church and still have it be recognized by the Catholic Church? If so, how difficult would it be?

Thank you in advance for your comments. I deeply appreciate it. My faith and God, and the man I want to marry some day are the most important things in my life and I will not neglect or sacrifice any of those if I can. God bless!
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You can marry a non-Catholic Christian. It is called mixed marriage. You need permission to do this. If you don’t get permission your marriage would be illicit. It would still be valid. However, I wouldn’t recommend you get married illicitly. It wouldn’t be the best start to married life.

Marrying outside the Church would render your marriage invalid. You can get a dispensation from canonical form. What I find lacking from your post is whether you’ve ever discussed with your boyfriend the possibility of getting married in the Catholic Church.

If you were given permission to marry a non-Catholic Christian you would have to promise to maintain the Catholic Faith, promise to have any children baptised Catholic and to raise and educate them in the Catholic Faith.

It doesn’t bode well that your prospective husband can’t seem to decide which denomination he wants to belong to. Likewise although he might want to be a minister he needs to have a genuine vocation and have it tested.

It would be a good idea for you to give serious consideration to all these facts. What effects will all this have on your Catholic Faith?
 
Bergon said:
You can marry a non-Catholic Christian. It is called mixed marriage. You need permission to do this. If you don’t get permission your marriage would be illicit. It would still be valid. However, I wouldn’t recommend you get married illicitly. It wouldn’t be the best start to married life.

Marrying outside the Church would render your marriage invalid. You can get a dispensation from canonical form. What I find lacking from your post is whether you’ve ever discussed with your boyfriend the possibility of getting married in the Catholic Church.

If you were given permission to marry a non-Catholic Christian you would have to promise to maintain the Catholic Faith, promise to have any children baptised Catholic and to raise and educate them in the Catholic Faith.

It doesn’t bode well that your prospective husband can’t seem to decide which denomination he wants to belong to. Likewise although he might want to be a minister he needs to have a genuine vocation and have it tested.

It would be a good idea for you to give serious consideration to all these facts. What effects will all this have on your Catholic Faith?
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I don’t agree that his indecision about denomination is a problem - he may be on a journey to the Catholic church. But I think it might be wise to wait a little while until he has a better handle on where he’s going.

Have you thought about sharing the Catholic faith with him? Has he read ‘Rome Sweet Home?’ I think I would make that a condition of marriage.

Good luck to you! It’s wonderful that you have found a man of faith to share your life with.
 
DAML72 said:
I don’t agree that his indecision about denomination is a problem - he may be on a journey to the Catholic church.
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The OP appears to want to marry outside the Church. Why would she want to do this? She doesn’t know in which Protestant denomination to marry because her boyfriend can’t decide in which denomination to settle. It would be much better if she were considering marrying in the Catholic Church. Protestants often don’t mind in which denomination they marry. This gentleman might consider his girlfriend and marry in the Catholic Church.
 
Yerusalyim said:
With proper dispensation you could be married in an Anglican church. My concern is that regardless of how spiritually mature you are…your boyfriend seems a bit wishy-washy. He doesn’t believe what the Baptists teach but remains in the church…could go Anglican…why? Believe me, FROM EXPERIENCE, the religious issues need to be carefully and thoughtfully resolved BEFORE marriage.
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Having been raised as an Anglican ( Episcopal) , I wonder if he is searching for a way of accomadating almost all of your beliefs without “yielding” to Rome. That was a concern of mine before I finally decided to enter the Church. Perhaps asking him what beliefs he sees in the Anglican Church that attracts him would be a good starting point. And while it would not lead to being a Chaplin, a permanent deaconate would be a possibility IF he can fully embrace your faith.
 
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