Can Catholic weddings be performed on Sundays?

[FAB]

We would like to get married sooner than later (we’re both 40 and want to increase our chances for babies . But if we wait the minimum 6 months only, there are no Saturdays left at any parishes. So we started considering Sundays, but were told that Catholic weddings on Sundays are verboten. That was confusing because we’ve attended them both recently and in the distant past, though in a different diocese. Is it a diocesan rule or something else? Can you clear up the confusion? Thanks.

Yes weddings can be done on Sunday. The Readings and liturgy however have to be for that Sunday, you cannot choose your own.
I have witnesses a number of weddings on a Sunday afternoon between masses. Talk to the priest or deacon, they may take into consideration your request.

Dcn Frank

 

[Joe_5859]

We got married on a Sunday, with a mass that was not an ordinary parish mass; so it is definately possible.

One possibility for the priest saying it is not posisble is that a priest is only allowed to celebrate mass a certain number of times each day. I think twice for a Sunday is the limit, but someone will have the reference I’m sure. A mass with the marriage may or may not count towards this limit.

All the best

Martin

From Canon Law:

Can. 905 §1. A priest is not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist more than once a day except in cases where the law permits him to celebrate or concelebrate more than once on the same day.

§2. If there is a shortage of priests, the local ordinary can allow priests to celebrate twice a day for a just cause, or if pastoral necessity requires it, even three times on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

We must keep in mind, there’s a lot more going on than just this one canon and some of it depends on what rules the local bishop has established.

Of course, if the OP was open to having a wedding ceremony without the Mass, then this wouldn’t be an issue at all.

 

[Sarabande]

Although Sunday Catholic weddings aren’t common, they do occur. Actually, I’ve cantored a lot more on Sunday afternoons within the last couple of years at a few of the parishes in my diocese. What seems to be happening from speaking with couples is that the couples and their families are working on tighter budgets. Many vendors offer discounts for Sunday weddings.

The other thing that I’ve seen at one particular parish is that their Saturday wedding slots are often taken up. (They do weddings almost every weekend during the “wedding season” - April through December.) So the priest will make allowances for couples in order for them to not have to wait until the following year to get married. Friday weddings at some of these parishes that allow Sundays are practically impossible because the parishes are in the city, work traffic is impossible to go through and then the couples will also have to pay for the guests’ parking and/or transportation from the reception venue to the church. Those weddings very often start late (sometimes a half hour late) because of the bridal party getting stuck in traffic and in those old churches there is no place for the bridal party to get ready in order to avoid that. So, parishes would prefer them to occur on the weekends when you don’t have to deal with that.

 

[eamonnroma]

I agree with the posts saying that a wedding can be celebrated on virtually any day except for certain liturgical constraints such as Holy Week.

What a wonderful day to marry and to celebrate a new life with God.

In Italy Sunday weddings are the norm.

 

[Martin15]

From Canon Law:

Can. 905 §1. A priest is not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist more than once a day except in cases where the law permits him to celebrate or concelebrate more than once on the same day.

§2. If there is a shortage of priests, the local ordinary can allow priests to celebrate twice a day for a just cause, or if pastoral necessity requires it, even three times on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

We must keep in mind, there’s a lot more going on than just this one canon and some of it depends on what rules the local bishop has established.

Of course, if the OP was open to having a wedding ceremony without the Mass, then this wouldn’t be an issue at all.

Thanks Joe

 

[porthos11]

Of course marriages are allowed on Sundays. What is forbidden is the nuptial Mass, which simply means the Mass celebrated will be the Sunday Mass with the Sunday texts and readings; the only difference will be the nuptial blessing after the Lord’s Prayer.

 

[Sarabande]

Of course marriages are allowed on Sundays. What is forbidden is the nuptial Mass, which simply means the Mass celebrated will be the Sunday Mass with the Sunday texts and readings; the only difference will be the nuptial blessing after the Lord’s Prayer.

Yikes! Then all of the wedding masses I cantored on Sundays were doing it wrong because the priests allowed all of the couples to use nuptial mass readings and not the readings of the day.

 

[porthos11]

Yikes! Then all of the wedding masses I cantored on Sundays were doing it wrong because the priests allowed all of the couples to use nuptial mass readings and not the readings of the day.

Not necessarily. The pastor is allowed to change I believe one reading to match that (grain of salt; I’m not absolutely sure) of the nuptial Mass. But the propers, collects, etc. would be that of Sunday.

Now I think an exception is allowed but I’m not certain of the circumstances.