Civil Marriage and RCIA

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cccw2009

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My husband and I got married through the justice of the peace. He’s Catholic and I’m not and I would like to attend RCIA this fall but am afraid that our marriage would prevent me from doing so. Will I be able to attend RCIA or do I have to get my marriage recognized first or can I have it recognized while in the middle of RCIA? I really am looking forward to becoming a member of the Catholic Church so I’m praying that my situation won’t hold me back. I emailed my parish back in May and hadn’t gotten any response at all so I called the office and was told to call back in August. Not much helpful at all!

Thanks to all!
 
The best thing would be to talk with your pastor to get information specific to your situation.

If you were asking me I would tell you that you could go ahead and start RCIA. But I would also explain to you that you need to see the pastor as soon as possible and start making arrangements for the convalidation of your marriage. Your marriage would have to be straightened out before you could come into the Church, though it could turn out that everything happens in close proximity. We had someone a year ago who had her first confession in the morning, marriage in the afternoon, and confirmation and First Communion the next day. Talk about sacramental graces!
 
Cccw2009
Things are being mixed here, anybody can attend RCIA unless they are disruptive. Office trouble is standard not the exception. Here is a typical easier way 1) contact the RCIA director, coordinator, or team member ask them to help you enroll in RCIA, and give you contact information to the marriage ministry (not minister). Then sit down with a member of the marriage ministry and look at past marriages etcetera…, then look at 1) Radical Senate - the church acknowledges your marriage, 2) convalidation the church blesses your marriage.

Not to get confused you cannot receive a catholic sacrament until the marriage issue is resolved. Whether this is a small issue or a large issue is based on several factors which the marriage ministry is handles regularly.

hope that helps
 
cccw2009 said:
My husband and I got married through the justice of the peace. He’s Catholic and I’m not and I would like to attend RCIA this fall but am afraid that our marriage would prevent me from doing so. Will I be able to attend RCIA or do I have to get my marriage recognized first or can I have it recognized while in the middle of RCIA? I really am looking forward to becoming a member of the Catholic Church so I’m praying that my situation won’t hold me back. I emailed my parish back in May and hadn’t gotten any response at all so I called the office and was told to call back in August. Not much helpful at all!

Thanks to all!
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It will soon be August so keep calling at least once a week until you get an appointment with the priest. You have to speak with him first. Your Catholic husband is bound by Catholic law on marriage, so you are not validly married. Before he can return to the sacraments, and before you can be received into the Church, that has to be rectified. Assuming neither of you has any previous marriages that is a rather simple process, which will involve some formal preparation suited to your personal needs. You can participate in RCIA while this is going on, and you will find it all comes together, but the first step is an interview for both of you with the pastor.

Welcome home, and you find, as most couples do, this is much simpler than it seems at first.

We had to couples last year who had marriages convalidated, received sacraments, and one partner became Catholic, all in a one-week time frame.
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful answers! My husband and I don’t have any previous marriages so thankfully that’s not a problem. I’ll call the office sometime next month and set an appointment with the priest or whoever I need to meet. I’m glad that I can still attend RCIA. I’m really hoping that I can be received at Easter Vigil 2011 but I have so much to learn, but I’ll see! If I can’t be received in 2011, at least my marriage will be acknowledged and my husband can receive communion. Just looking on the bright side:)
 
If I’m not mistaken, you should also only live together as “brother and sister” (no sexual intimacy) until the marriage is convalidated, because your husband should have received a dispensation/permission to marry you from the bishop first.

Or am I mistaken in my theology? Anyone know for sure?

Anyways, I’m thrilled to hear that you want to enter the Church! Welcome! 🙂
 
suissemissed said:
If I’m not mistaken, you should also only live together as “brother and sister” (no sexual intimacy) until the marriage is convalidated, because your husband should have received a dispensation/permission to marry you from the bishop first.

Or am I mistaken in my theology? Anyone know for sure?

Anyways, I’m thrilled to hear that you want to enter the Church! Welcome! 🙂
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Some advise that but it is not a Church teaching
 
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