Convalidation Question

[Eringreene161]

Due to a tremendous amount of family strife my husband (not affiliated with any religion) and I decided to call off our wedding and elope. It is still important to me for the marriage to be recognized within the Church and incorporate God fully into this marriage. My family will be together for Easter, is it possible to have a convalidation during the Vigil Mass? We have completed our pre-Cana requirements and wanted to field the question here before approaching our parish priest (who is aware of the family discord but not our legal ceremony).

 

[maryjk]

Due to a tremendous amount of family strife my husband (not affiliated with any religion) and I decided to call off our wedding and elope. It is still important to me for the marriage to be recognized within the Church and incorporate God fully into this marriage. My family will be together for Easter, is it possible to have a convalidation during the Vigil Mass? We have completed our pre-Cana requirements and wanted to field the question here before approaching our parish priest (who is aware of the family discord but not our legal ceremony).

Unless one or both of you are entering the Church, I would be surprised if your pastor would agree to it.

Our Vigil Mass is already almost 3 hours long. To add a wedding to that would be just too much.

It would be different if it was the only or first chance you would have to be married, but that isn’t the case.

 

[1ke]

My family will be together for Easter, is it possible to have a convalidation during the Vigil Mass?

Performing marriages is expressly forbidden on Holy Saturday (Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts, no. 75). The Vigil is technically the end of the Triduum and the start of Easter. However, the dominant sacraments to be celebrated at the Vigil are the baptism, confirmation, and communion of catechumens and possibly also the confirmation of candidates. It is likely your pastor will be unwilling or unable to accommodate performing a marriage at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Masses with everything else that takes place already on this holy day.

But you can ask.

We have completed our pre-Cana requirements and wanted to field the question here before approaching our parish priest (who is aware of the family discord but not our legal ceremony).

You need to approach your pastor ASAP as there will be additional paperwork and preparation he must do in order to proceed with a convalidation. His timeline and your timeline may not be in alignment. Lent and Easter are very busy times for pastors.

 

[RedSparklyShoes]

If it’s so important to be married in the church to you, but the family is causing you grief, why not a small private ceremony with your witnesses in the church after Easter? Why elope?