Having marriage blessed

[sariejack]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I attended RCIA together last year and joined the Catholic church last Easter. Prior to our conversion, we were Methodist. However, when we got married 20 years ago, we were not married in a church. We were married in a civil ceremony.

Now that we are celebrating our 20th anniversary and since we are now both Catholic, we would like to have our marriage blessed. I’ve been looking online to see if that is something we can do, but all the information I’ve found is for lapsed Catholics or Catholics who marry Protestants. What’s the form for former Protestants married in a civil ceremony who are now happy Catholics?

Thank you.

 

[1ke]

My husband and I attended RCIA together last year and joined the Catholic church last Easter. Prior to our conversion, we were Methodist. However, when we got married 20 years ago, we were not married in a church. We were married in a civil ceremony.

You had no obligation to marry in a church. Your marriage is valid.

Now that we are celebrating our 20th anniversary and since we are now both Catholic, we would like to have our marriage blessed.

It is certainly possible for you to receive the nuptial blessing, since you have not yet received this blessing. This is a prayer prayed over the couple, usually during the nuptial mass.

But, I hope you are not seeking a blessing because you believe your marriage is not valid or somehow “less” than a Catholic marriage. It is valid, and a sacrament.

I’ve been looking online to see if that is something we can do, but all the information I’ve found is for lapsed Catholics or Catholics who marry Protestants.

Right, and that is not a blessing, that is a convalidation-- the making of an invalid marriage into a valid marriage by exchange of consent. It is the wedding.

What’s the form for former Protestants married in a civil ceremony who are now happy Catholics?.

There isn’t one, because your marriage is already valid.

However, as I mentioned, you can certainly ask your pastor for the nuptial blessing, and I think your 20th wedding anniversary is a fine occasion for that blessing!

 

[sariejack]

Does it matter if one of us were not baptized at the time we were married? We did not know, until we went through RCIA and had to provide written proof of our baptisms, that my husband had never been baptized. Total shock for us. We thought his parents had taken care of that when he was a baby.

Thank you!

 

[1ke]

Does it matter if one of us were not baptized at the time we were married?

No.

Your marriage, while one of you was unbaptized, was valid and what the Church calls a natural marriage.

We did not know, until we went through RCIA and had to provide written proof of our baptisms, that my husband had never been baptized. Total shock for us. We thought his parents had taken care of that when he was a baby.

Thank you!

Now that you are both baptized, your marriage is valid and a sacrament. It became a sacrament when your husband received baptism.

 

[Casilda]

Sariejack, talk with your priest about that.

 

[clem456]

I have a friend with a similar question.
The man is or has already gone through an extremely difficult divorce. Not sure where that process is exactly. The divorced couple has lost the home and all.

He has a 17 year old daughter that needs a home. She literally has no place to stay. He is living in a dive apartment and Mom is living with a boyfriend. He was hurt at work and cannot provide much more on his own.

He wants to marry the woman he has been dating for some time to give the daughter a clean, safe, and stable two parent home.

He wants to be married in the Church. Not possible.
He will however get married civilly. Done deal, he is going to be married at the courthouse and will not be talked out of it.

He wants to know how to get right with the Church down the road. Is that a matter of having the marriage blessed after the civil fact?

 

[1ke]

He wants to know how to get right with the Church down the road. Is that a matter of having the marriage blessed after the civil fact?

He needs to go talk to his pastor.

 

[Vico]

I have a friend with a similar question.
The man is or has already gone through an extremely difficult divorce. Not sure where that process is exactly. The divorced couple has lost the home and all.

He has a 17 year old daughter that needs a home. She literally has no place to stay. He is living in a dive apartment and Mom is living with a boyfriend. He was hurt at work and cannot provide much more on his own.

He wants to marry the woman he has been dating for some time to give the daughter a clean, safe, and stable two parent home.

He wants to be married in the Church. Not possible.
He will however get married civilly. Done deal, he is going to be married at the courthouse and will not be talked out of it.

He wants to know how to get right with the Church down the road. Is that a matter of having the marriage blessed after the civil fact?

They must both be free to marry in order to have a convalidation (marriage blessed). A convalidation is a new marriage. The Church would need to determine if they were both free to marry, so the priest could explain that clearly to him.

 

[clem456]

He needs to go talk to his pastor.

That’s what I advised his father (grandpa). He went to talk to Father.

The son is possibly rushing into this in an effort to be a good father.
They need prayers. The daughter is a beautiful and talented 17 year old girl who is at an obviously pivotal time in her life.