The short answer is “Yes, but…”I have heard that at a local Catholic parish a Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion is going to perform a Catholic marriage.
I know that Priests and Deacons can do this and that in fact it is the couple who marry each other. But can a lay person minister at a Catholic wedding.
The only place in the US where I have heard that this permission has been granted are the Alaskan dioceses, due to the vast distances involved.Can. 1112 §1. Where there is a lack of priests and deacons, the diocesan bishop can delegate lay persons to assist at marriages, with the previous favorable vote of the conference of bishops and after he has obtained the permission of the Holy See.
That is correct. The Code of Canon Law that I quoted is for the Roman Church, as you are aware, the Eastern Churches have their own Code, and there is no such provision.This only applies to Latin members marrying other Latin members. If it’s 2 Easterners or one Easterner marry a Latin, a duly authorized priest MUST be present for the blessing for VALIDITY.
Even in the case of Alaska, there are many Eastern Catholics and Russian Orthodox, so it probably wouldn’t apply.
Just to add to Phemie, it has nothing to do with being an extraordinary minister of holy communion. Any lay person suitable to represent the church could be delegated by the bishop.The short answer is “Yes, but…”
It has to be in a situation where no priest or deacon is available and won’t be for the foreseeable future. The Bishop can appoint a lay person to witness the exchange of vows and prepare the couple.
It happens at various times in my diocese where a few of the parishes have no Pastor, are quite isolated and not easily accessible.
Can. 1112 §1. Where there is a lack of priests and deacons, the diocesan bishop can delegate lay persons to assist at marriages, with the previous favorable vote of the conference of bishops and after he has obtained the permission of the Holy See.
§2. A suitable lay person is to be selected, who is capable of giving instruction to those preparing to be married and able to perform the matrimonial liturgy properly.
Can. 1113 Before special delegation is granted, all those things which the law has established to prove free status are to be fulfilled.
If you are a sedevacantist there would be no marriage allowed to take place. Don’t the couple have to be faithful Catholics. Sedevancatists are in a state of mortal sin and reject the Pope.The ONLY two situations I can think of where that is EVER allowable is
a) if you live somewhere far off with NO Catholics anywhere.
or
b) If you are a sedevacantist.
Other than that, so any normal rank and file Catholic in America, NOOOO.
Well, no, it would only be that you live where there is no Catholic priest or deacon anywhere close. We have a Catholic parish that sees a priest at Easter and Christmas. The Bishop has appointed someone to be the Church’s witness for a marriage ceremony before. She was the Pastoral Assistant who lived in the community.The ONLY two situations I can think of where that is EVER allowable is
a) if you live somewhere far off with NO Catholics anywhere.
Other than that, so any normal rank and file Catholic in America, NOOOO.
Well yes, I was merely making a point about :If it were the apocalypse, sure, be married by a layperson.If you are a sedevacantist there would be no marriage allowed to take place. Don’t the couple have to be faithful Catholics. Sedevancatists are in a state of mortal sin and reject the Pope.
This is not a case of choosing between a priest and a lay person, it’s a choice between getting married and not getting married.Why on earth would you chose a lay person to witness your wedding rather than a priest?! You can’t have Mass at your wedding, and you don’t get a priest’s stole wrapped around your hands as you exchange vows…
They reject, for example, that Pope Francis is really the Pope. That puts the sedevacantists in a state of mortal sin.Well yes, I was merely making a point about :If it were the apocalypse, sure, be married by a layperson.
But. Some reminders…
They are not in mortal sin, they accept the papal doctrines, thus are not heretics.
If you mistake the papal status due to trying to preserve a good Faith, it is not sinful.
And there were saints at times who were not sure who the true popes were.
It happens, in the rural diocese in Africa that I go to, it is not uncommon for consecrated hosts to be sent to a parish outstation on a regular basis.How is it that there is a priest available to consecrate the Hosts to even HAVE EMHCs but cannot witness the wedding. There is something that does not pass the smell test here.
How do these people fulfill their obligation to go to mass on Sunday?We have a Catholic parish that sees a priest at Easter and Christmas.
Wow!! We have absolutely no business making a blanket statement like this.Sedevancatists are in a state of mortal sin …
If it’s impossible to attend Mass, there is not obligation to attend.How do these people fulfill their obligation to go to mass on Sunday?
But we are not talking about these extraordinary circumstances. We are talking about a parish in the UK in 2015. A EMHC should not be doing this, period. There is something wrong here.It happens, in the rural diocese in Africa that I go to, it is not uncommon for consecrated hosts to be sent to a parish outstation on a regular basis.
So they have lay lead communion services at times where a priest is not available.
That said, the priest would be there at least monthly to baptize and witness weddings. The priest might be 4 hours away via bike and can only cover so many outstations at a given time.
On my first trip last year ( I went twice), my pastor was asked to cover an outstation. While he was out there, he baptized 40, confirmed 2 and witnessed the marriage of 4 couples.
That said, that is semi remote, I imagine that there are locations, even in the US, that can be reached only by plane, and I can see those areas seeing a priest even more infrequently than the monthly visits to the outstations in Tanzania.
But even then, Holy communion can be brought in via by any lay person on any inbound flight, so it would always be available.
I would agree. I wonder what areas in the UK would see a priest so infrequently that a wedding could not be scheduled.But we are not talking about these extraordinary circumstances. We are talking about a parish in the UK in 2015. A EMHC should not be doing this, period. There is something wrong here.