Canon Law (Deacon)

[Hien]

1. When can a permanent deacon not preside at a wedding in and/or outside the Catholic Church?
2. Is there a time when a permanent deacon can but should not preside at a wedding in the Catholic Church?

Would you provide the ref. of Canon Number please?

Thanks and Godbless
Hien T.

 

[1ke]

**1. When can a permanent deacon not preside at a wedding in and/or outside the Catholic Church? **

In the Catholic Church:
Can. 1111 §1. As long as they hold office validly, the local ordinary and the pastor can delegate to priests and deacons the faculty, even a general one, of assisting at marriages within the limits of their territory.

§2. To be valid, the delegation of the faculty to assist at marriages must be given to specific persons expressly.

If it concerns special delegation, it must be given for a specific marriage; if it concerns general delegation, it must be given in writing.

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.

Outside the Catholic Church:

I have no idea what you would mean by this. A deacon may not witness a marriage “outside the Catholic Church”.

2. Is there a time when a permanent deacon can but should not preside at a wedding in the Catholic Church?
When he does not have faculties to do so, see above.

 

[triumphguy]

My brother is a deacon in Montreal.

He can only preside at weddings in the parish he is assigned to, and then only in the Church itself. He is not allowed to marry someone in a park or any other building or location.

If there is a mass the priest usually presides.

Also he cannot perform purely civil marriages, or marry those who are unable to marry in the Church.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that a deacon may only preside at the wedding of a Western/Latin Catholic. If an Eastern Catholic is involved the sacrament must be witnessed by a priest.

 

[dochawk]

Note that a deacon may only preside at the wedding of a Western/Latin Catholic. If an Eastern Catholic is involved the sacrament must be witnessed by a priest.

Close. In the West, the priest is a witness, and the couple are the ministers of the Sacrament. In the East, the priest is the minister of the Sacrament, not the couple. The priest confers the crowning in matrimony. A while back, there was a deluge of annulment cases due to deacons attempting to witness marriages involving Eastern Catholics . . . . hawk

 

[joanofarc2008]

1. When can a permanent deacon not preside at a wedding in and/or outside the Catholic Church?
2. Is there a time when a permanent deacon can but should not preside at a wedding in the Catholic Church?

Would you provide the ref. of Canon Number please?

Thanks and Godbless
Hien T.

Are you still doing your homework on the forums?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Close. In the West, the priest is a witness, and the couple are the ministers of the Sacrament. In the East, the priest is the minister of the Sacrament, not the couple. The priest confers the crowning in matrimony. A while back, there was a deluge of annulment cases due to deacons attempting to witness marriages involving Eastern Catholics . . . . hawk

Thanks for the correction. I knew that but for some reason got the wrong word, and the distinction is critical.

 

[Lapey]

My brother is a deacon in Montreal.

He can only preside at weddings in the parish he is assigned to, and then only in the Church itself. He is not allowed to marry someone in a park or any other building or location.I didn’t realize there was a difference between USA and Canada. There is the requirement of “delegation” whether the presider of the marriage is a priest or a deacon; any time a cleric witnesses a wedding outside of his assignment it is required to get the delegation from the pastor of the territory you would be visiting. Without this delegation the marriage would be invalid. So my question for you is, are priests and deacons prohibited from operating outside of their assigned area even with delegation?

If there is a mass the priest usually presides.This is correct, however the deacon if so requested by th ecouple would preside over the nuptuals. One other thought, a communion service for a wedding without a Mass is not allowed. In other words, I cannot preside over a wedding that includes a communion service just because I am not a priest. If the ceremony is to include communion it must be in a Mass. That may be particular to my home diocese, but I do not think so.

Also he cannot perform purely civil marriages, or marry those who are unable to marry in the Church.