Franciscan Brothers' Rights

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engaged92008

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Hello,
Are Franciscan Brothers allowed to perform valid Catholic wedding ceremonies?

Thanks
 
I know of a Chaplain who, on his organization’s website, states he is an “Ordained Franciscan”… what does that mean? The organization helps veterans and military families by performing wedding ceremonies in any location, since often, these couples do not have the luxury of time or of being able to book a church.

So, does it sound legit?
 
If he says he’s ordained, I would assume it means he’s also a priest. (He could be a deacon, but I’m guessing not).
 
engaged92008 said:
I know of a Chaplain who, on his organization’s website, states he is an “Ordained Franciscan”… what does that mean? The organization helps veterans and military families by performing wedding ceremonies in any location, since often, these couples do not have the luxury of time or of being able to book a church.

So, does it sound legit?
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guess it depends on the organization. the military has chaplains for this purpose, and canon law directs all priests to facilitate marriage preparation and not to unduly delay weddings of military personnel being deployed, migrants and couples in similar situations. He cannot witness marriages with permission of the local bishop in any case.
 
Keep in mind that a priest or deacon who is not the pastor of one of the people being married would need the pastor’s permission to witness a wedding. The pastor has primary responsibility for the spiritual well-being of his “flock.”
 
So not just any priest has the right to perform a wedding? He has to have permission of another priest? That seems odd…
 
PhilotheaZ said:
Keep in mind that a priest or deacon who is not the pastor of one of the people being married would need the pastor’s permission to witness a wedding. The pastor has primary responsibility for the spiritual well-being of his “flock.”
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There is an Archbishop over all Catholics in uniformed military service. The diocese basically has no boundaries. Priests and Deacons operate under this Archbishop and do not need permission from local bishops in matters pertaining to military personnel. It is possible for a Bishop to under certain circumstances to grant permission to a properly trained lay person to witness Marriages for the Catholic Church. I do not know however if this is the case for the military Archdiocese which is world wide.
 
engaged92008 said:
So not just any priest has the right to perform a wedding? He has to have permission of another priest? That seems odd…
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Let me explain. When my grandmother died, we had her funeral Mass at her parish in South Austin. However, given the fact that I was not particularly pleased with the way the pastor handled my stepgrandfather’s funeral, I asked my parochial vicar from my diocese to celebrate the Mass.

My diocese had to send a letter to the Diocese of Austin indicating that my PV was indeed a priest of good standing in my diocese.

Now, if your wedding is going to be held outside of the Church (outdoors, at the ranch you spoke of in another thread), you need to get permission from the Bishop of Austin. Did any of the places I suggested work for you?
 
yes, thanks. We registered at St. Ignatius Parish and are going to be participating in the Sponsor Couple Marriage Prep program through St. Austin’s.

I found this Chaplain service that often performs weddings at Chapel Dulcinea (the free chapel in Hays County) close to the ranch. When I contacted them, the Catholic Chaplain said he is ordained Franciscan, and as such, is allowed to perform Catholic Weddings. He said he travels and performs weddings all over, not just in churches and not just at Chapel Dulcinea.

How does one go about “getting the Bishop’s permission” for these things? Or would the Brother do that?
 
engaged92008 said:
yes, thanks. We registered at St. Ignatius Parish and are going to be participating in the Sponsor Couple Marriage Prep program through St. Austin’s.

I found this Chaplain service that often performs weddings at Chapel Dulcinea (the free chapel in Hays County) close to the ranch. When I contacted them, the Catholic Chaplain said he is ordained Franciscan, and as such, is allowed to perform Catholic Weddings. He said he travels and performs weddings all over, not just in churches and not just at Chapel Dulcinea.

How does one go about “getting the Bishop’s permission” for these things? Or would the Brother do that?
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Glad to see you took my advice. Talk to your pastor and explain your plans. Why not ask him to celebrate the liturgy? Since you are already registered in the parish, why not use what you already have? Or, if you wish, call St. Austin’s, since you are doing your preparation there.

I would also cnotact the Chancery and ask the status of this little chapel and see if it checks out okay. If you are getting married outside of the church (the sacred space), you do need permission from the bishop. Look at this way. You wouldn’t think of giving birth to a baby (or having surgery, for that matter) outside of the hospital, right? The same principle applies to celebrating the sacraments in the place where tehy were intended to be celebrated. I hope this helps.
 
I’m actually in favor of home births… but that’s another topic.

I just registered this week, I do not have a relationship with the pastor at St. Ignatius to ask him to perform our wedding outdoors.

Chapel Dulcinea is a FREE wedding chapel, and according to their website, and people I’ve talked to at work, they’ve had plenty of Catholic weddings there.

There ARE ways to have Catholic weddings outdoors, despite what many people on this forum may think.

God created nature and is present everywhere… and there are apparently more than a few Catholics in Austin who feel the same way! 🙂
 
engaged92008 said:
So not just any priest has the right to perform a wedding? He has to have permission of another priest? That seems odd…
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It’s not unreasonable. The pastor is responsible for personally preparing couples for marriage, for assuring that Catholics are confirmed before marriage, and for investigating to see that there are no impediments to the marriage. (See the Code of Canon Law, # 1063 and following.)

It is quite natural that permission would be sought for someone other than the pastor to officiate at a wedding, so that none of these necessary things are circumvented. A pastor cannot carry out his duties if he is “out of the loop.”
 
engaged92008 said:
I’m actually in favor of home births… but that’s another topic.

I just registered this week, I do not have a relationship with the pastor at St. Ignatius to ask him to perform our wedding outdoors.

Chapel Dulcinea is a FREE wedding chapel, and according to their website, and people I’ve talked to at work, they’ve had plenty of Catholic weddings there.

There ARE ways to have Catholic weddings outdoors, despite what many people on this forum may think.

God created nature and is present everywhere… and there are apparently more than a few Catholics in Austin who feel the same way! 🙂
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But you still wouldn’t have your appendix removed while under a tree, right?

Here is the section from Redemptionis Sacramentum that applies to the locatoin of the celebration of the Sacraments:
  1. The Place for the Celebration of Holy Mass
    [108.] “The celebration of the Eucharist is to be carried out in a sacred place, unless in a particular case necessity requires otherwise. In this case the celebration must be in a decent place”.197 The diocesan Bishop shall be the judge for his diocese concerning this necessity, on a case-by-case basis.
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[109.] It is never lawful for a Priest to celebrate in a temple or sacred place of any non-Christian religion.
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I do not know if you are going to have a full Mass or just the Nuptial liturgy, but, either way, if you are not going to be using an approved location, you do need permission from the bishop. That is how these Catholics get permission.

Please understand that I am happy that you’ve come this far. But, there are still some details that need to be ironed out and the location (if it’s apart from the church) is a big factor. Just as you took care into selecting your reception area, the space where the Sacrament will be confected requires that same attention.
 
No, I’m not going to have a mass, so that rule would not apply.

Again… how does one “get permission from the bishop” I’m thinking I can’t just call him up and ask… there’s got to be some long drawn-out process… right?
 
engaged92008 said:
I know of a Chaplain who, on his organization’s website, states he is an “Ordained Franciscan”… what does that mean? The organization helps veterans and military families by performing wedding ceremonies in any location, since often, these couples do not have the luxury of time or of being able to book a church.

So, does it sound legit?
Click to expand...
Far from sounding legit, it smells fishy.

Before doing anything, I would strongly advise you to contact your own diocese and ask them if this “chaplain” is indeed a Catholic priest. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of instances lately of people who are not Catholic priests (or priests who have been removed from public ministry for some reason) claiming in newspapers and websites that they are Catholic priests and can perform sacraments in lieu of the proper pastor.

Ordained members of religious communities (like the Franciscans) can indeed perform valid Catholic marriages, but as a general rule, they don’t go around advertising that or seeking-out people for their services. That’s what makes this thing sound suspicious.

If the diocese has not given them faculties (think of it as a license) to minister to Catholics, then they aren’t Catholic priests/deacons, they are imposters looking to make money from people who don’t know any better. They might not even be Franciscans, but just people who have decided to advertise themselves as such.

It could be legit, but only the diocese can answer that.
 
engaged92008 said:
No, I’m not going to have a mass, so that rule would not apply.

Again… how does one “get permission from the bishop” I’m thinking I can’t just call him up and ask… there’s got to be some long drawn-out process… right?
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You start with your pastor. He can help you secure any necessary permissions for anything that is out of the ordinary. It’s his job to help prepare you for marriage and for the wedding ceremony. Talk to him first and let him do his job.
 
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