Family member is a Universal Life Minister/Catholic

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Subiaco

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And it is a woman that was raised Catholic till the age of seven. Went through First Comminion and Confirmation ( She is 74 now) She became a Universal Life Minister about 30 years ago. She has married someone last year under this “minister” Status.

She also still considers herself Catholic. Believes that she doesn’t have to go to Mass that she can pray anywhere etc.

My question is in becoming a ULM did she excommunicate herself ? Or her actions marrying someone?

Or can she just go to confession and just exponge the whole thing? Not that she has expresed any remorse. But when I mentioned she might have she looked a bit shocked that she might have done something to not be Catholic anymore.

Thanks! Subiaco
 
Subiaco said:
And it is a woman that was raised Catholic till the age of seven. Went through First Comminion and Confirmation ( She is 74 now) She became a Universal Life Minister about 30 years ago.
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Universal Life? I heard that is a rip off. Term Life is better.

Sorry…I couldn’t avoid the punning. Please forgive. 🤷
 
Excommunicated? Not until the bishop or pope does so. Has she made an error and potential a grave sin? Yes. First off, the marriage ceremony itself is very much a sacrament, and shouldn’t be performed lightly. As Catholics we don’t see it as something that just anyone can or should do, but should be done by the ordained. Now could they still be married? Maybe. They would need to have it blessed by the church to be sure, though that’s another topic altogether.

She has definitely gone against church teaching, and should indeed go to confession and talk to a priest about it. Not to mention all the masses she has likely missed over these years because she feels that the Eucharist (Mass) is not necessary. That alone is a grave sin. She is not excommunicated, but she’s definitely in danger of mortal sin.
 
If this is the same “religion” I heard about you can get ordained online. A man jokingly had his cat ordained on there. I know in Michigan if you are ordained online the marriage is legal but if she’s marrying people that would be a gross violation of the faith.

I don’t think there’s an automatic excommunication but if she persisted and was reported to the Bishop she would probably incur excommunication–but you have to KNOW you are committing an excommunicatable offense, or at least that’s what I’m told–how could any practicing (or former practicing) Catholic NOT know that getting ordained online and officiating at weddings would be wrong?

Lorrie
 
Irishgal49 said:
If this is the same “religion” I heard about you can get ordained online. A man jokingly had his cat ordained on there. I know in Michigan if you are ordained online the marriage is legal but if she’s marrying people that would be a gross violation of the faith.

I don’t think there’s an automatic excommunication but if she persisted and was reported to the Bishop she would probably incur excommunication–but you have to KNOW you are committing an excommunicatable offense, or at least that’s what I’m told–how could any practicing (or former practicing) Catholic NOT know that getting ordained online and officiating at weddings would be wrong?

Lorrie
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Well, if she was only raised Catholic until the age of 7 as the OP said, I can see how she might not know this. If she’s 74 now that was an awful long time ago.
 
Assuming that neither half of the couple is Catholic (or if dispensations have been granted), I don’t think there’s anything in church teaching which would forbid her from performing marriages. The ordination is another issue, although since it just involves a couple of clicks on a webpage it’s a very different situation from her becoming a Lutheran priest or a rabbi or something.
 
DhuAlQarnayn said:
Assuming that neither half of the couple is Catholic (or if dispensations have been granted), I don’t think there’s anything in church teaching which would forbid her from performing marriages. The ordination is another issue, although since it just involves a couple of clicks on a webpage it’s a very different situation from her becoming a Lutheran priest or a rabbi or something.
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Your comment made me think. Would this situation be any different from say, a Catholic justice of the peace marrying couples?
 
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