Different versions of Matrimony?

[Esperance]

I was at a Catholic wedding recently and there was no Eucharist celebrated. The ceremony consisted of the readings, an extended homily and exchange of vows. One person was a Catholic, one was unbaptized. Is there different levels of celebrating marriage in the Church, and if there is what is the criteria to determine which is appropriate?

 

[T.A.Stobie_SFO]

It is preferred that the sacrament be celebrated as part of a mass, but the couple can request that it not be. This usually only occurs when one family is not Catholic.

 

[James0235]

T.A.Stobie:

It is preferred that the sacrament be celebrated as part of a mass, but the couple can request that it not be. This usually only occurs when one family is not Catholic.

And just a minor correction. Since it was mentioned that one of the parties was unbaptized then there was not sacrament at all.

James

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

If one of the people is not Baptized there can not be a nuptual Mass. The Sacrament of Matrimony can take place in several different forms.

 

[YinYangMom]

Br. Rich SFO:

If one of the people is not Baptized there can not be a nuptual Mass. The Sacrament of Matrimony can take place in several different forms.

Wow.
So is the sacramental part of the vows obligatory only for the baptized one then?
I didn’t realize a Catholic sacrament could take place without the parties involved being Catholic.
I mean, I know there are many interfaith marriages, I just never really thought about the ‘sacramental’ part of that for the party not-Catholic.

Man, the more threads I read the more I get because there’s so much I don’t know after all these years!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Remember to maintain the difference between Non-Catholic and *not Baptized. *They are two different things and have two different effects. A Sacramental Marriage can only take place between two Baptized persons and may take place within a Catholic Mass. If either person is not Baptized no Sacrament takes place and the Marriage cannot take place within a Mass. If the non-Baptized person at a later time receives Baptism the Marriage at the moment of their Baptism becomes Sacramental.

 

[YinYangMom]

Br. Rich SFO:

Remember to maintain the difference between Non-Catholic and *not Baptized. *They are two different things and have two different effects. A Sacramental Marriage can only take place between two Baptized persons and may take place within a Catholic Mass. If either person is not Baptized no Sacrament takes place and the Marriage cannot take place within a Mass. If the non-Baptized person at a later time receives Baptism the Marriage at the moment of their Baptism becomes Sacramental.

Oh, ok. Thanks for the clarification.

If either person is not Baptized no Sacrament takes place and the Marriage cannot take place within a Mass.

So in the case of this original poster who attended a ‘Catholic’ wedding between and Catholic and a non-baptized person…while it took place in a Catholic church…that explains why it wasn’t a mass service…but it looks like it wasn’t sacramental either?

Doesn’t that mean, then, that the two are living in sin…yet doing so under the ‘guise’ of legitimacy since the ceremony was performed in a Catholic church?

If the non-Baptized person at a later time receives Baptism the Marriage at the moment of their Baptism becomes Sacramental

Now you’ve lost me. If by one person not being baptized prevented the marriage to be sacramental in the first place…how does it become sacramental later if the original ceremony itself was not?

Why would a Catholic priest agree to marry the two in the church as opposed to a non-sacred location if the marriage was not going to be sacramental?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

A Marriage between a Baptized and a non-Baptized person or between two non-Baptized persons is a valid Marriage even though it is not a Sacrament at that time. A priest is required to be a witness for the Catholic party to marry. Unless the bishop dispenses with that requirement. For the Catholic it may still be a spiritual event, although not a Sacrament.

 

[YinYangMom]

Br. Rich SFO:

A Marriage between a Baptized and a non-Baptized person or between two non-Baptized persons is a valid Marriage even though it is not a Sacrament at that time. A priest is required to be a witness for the Catholic party to marry. Unless the bishop dispenses with that requirement. For the Catholic it may still be a spiritual event, although not a Sacrament.

Ok, then with this couple…say, one day the non-baptized person converts to catholicism…are they then required to have another ceremony to validate the marriage and make it a sacrament at that time? Or is that just an option for them to go through another ceremony. I may have answered my own question since you already stated it was a ‘valid’ marriage - just not a sacramental one…so what do couples do to make it sacramental later? You mentioned earlier that it just ‘happens’ by default when the non-baptized person gets baptized…but what if he/she is baptized in a Protestant faith?

And in the meantime…should the marriage fail (God forbid) and they end up divorced…the baptized person is free to marry sacramentally later without having to go through an annulment?

This is all fascinating stuff! I’m probably irritating you, huh? I don’t mean to, honest.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

“So what do couples do to make it sacramental later?”

Nothing is necessary as long as the Marriage was valid to begin with. The act of receiving Baptism by the non-Baptized person is what allows the Marriage to become Sacramental. A renewal of vows would be optional. They may also request a Nuptual Blessing which would not have be given at a non-Sacramental marriage.

“You mentioned earlier that it just ‘happens’ by default when the non-baptized person gets baptized…but what if he/she is baptized in a Protestant faith?”

A long as they are validly Baptized it matters not where.

“And in the meantime…should the marriage fail (God forbid) and they end up divorced…the baptized person is free to marry sacramentally later without having to go through an annulment?”

Many people mix Sacramental and Valid. An annulment determines the validity of a marriage not if it’s a Sacrament. It must be valid in order to be a Sacrament. A Catholic (or for that matter any Baptized person) who is validly married cannot enter into another Marriage while their first spouse is still alive.