Convalidation

[phoage]

I have been away from the church a long time but I am back now and am trying to be a good Catholic. While I was away, I got married and had children who have since grown and left home. I am in the process of getting my marriage convalidated. We have all the required paperwork and have been to the required seminar/class for convalidation. I still have a question.

Please understand this is asked for information only. I have been studying hard but I have neither come across the answer to this nor have been able to find it. The convalidation class would have been the ideal time to ask it but I did not think of it until afterwards.

I understand that the Church considers matrimony a sacrament, and I understand why. In our class, we were told that matrimony is a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. The celebrants are the man and woman while the priest is a witness for the Church of the exchange of vows. In our class, it was explained that the Church believes that many couples married outside its auspices have a real covenant with each other, especially long married couples.

My wife and I have been married 37 years and we would no more think of separating than we would of murdering our children. Even without a church wedding, I believe that I am married until death do us part and anything else, the Lord would have words with me later.

Now the question; What is the convalidation going to do for us? I realize I am overlooking something. I have missed something somewhere. I am not disagreeing with any of the laws of the Church or the necessity of convalidation. I just don’t understand it and would like an explanation.

 

[puzzleannie]

INow the question; What is the convalidation going to do for us? I realize I am overlooking something. .

in the case of a long-standing union like yours, yes quite likely there is a covenant relationship between the two of you, but now you are acknowledging several things that you understand and accept separately–the sovereignty of God of marriage, the God-given authority of the Church over all the sacraments including marriage, the reason marriage is a sacrament, and the notion of convenant itself–and putting the pieces together. You are now bringing the essential third party into the relationship in a formal and public way, in accord with the laws of the Church–God.

 

[Just_Lurking]

Imagine that the police came to your door today, and told you that the person who officiated at your wedding 37 years ago was an imposter, and that because of his (or her) fraud, you weren’t legally married at the time, and you still aren’t legally married today.

What would that mean for your 37 year relationship? It still happened. There was love, and a family, and all the good things that come with marriage, even if the legal paperwork wasn’t there.

What would that mean for right now? You would probably want to go out and remedy the situation, by getting married and doing it right this time.

You are in the same situation, but instead of the police and legal problems, you have the Church and canon law problems.

 

[diggerdomer]

I have been away from the church a long time but I am back now and am trying to be a good Catholic. While I was away, I got married and had children who have since grown and left home. I am in the process of getting my marriage convalidated. We have all the required paperwork and have been to the required seminar/class for convalidation. I still have a question.

Please understand this is asked for information only. I have been studying hard but I have neither come across the answer to this nor have been able to find it. The convalidation class would have been the ideal time to ask it but I did not think of it until afterwards.

I understand that the Church considers matrimony a sacrament, and I understand why. In our class, we were told that matrimony is a covenant between a man, a woman, and God. The celebrants are the man and woman while the priest is a witness for the Church of the exchange of vows. In our class, it was explained that the Church believes that many couples married outside its auspices have a real covenant with each other, especially long married couples.

My wife and I have been married 37 years and we would no more think of separating than we would of murdering our children. Even without a church wedding, I believe that I am married until death do us part and anything else, the Lord would have words with me later.

Now the question; What is the convalidation going to do for us? I realize I am overlooking something. I have missed something somewhere. I am not disagreeing with any of the laws of the Church or the necessity of convalidation. I just don’t understand it and would like an explanation.

As a Catholic, one is bound by the Church’s teaching on the Sacrament of marriage. For a Catholic, this means observing the proper form for marriage. If you were away from the Church when you got married and did not observe this form, your marriage would not be considered valid. By convalidation, your marriage, presuming no other impediments or problems, will be fully valid and sacramental. That’s a good thing.

 

[phoage]

Thank you all for the explainations.