I've been invited to an invailid wedding

[jrnami]

I started my new job over a year ago and right away I was befriended by a girl in my small department. She is getting married and is very excited by it, she invited me and I sent in my rsvp. She is not Catholic, but her fiance is and they’re getting married in a Protestant Church. No problem there, the Church recognizes these unions. The issue is that her fiance has been married before and has been divorced, without his previous marriage being declaired null. This then makes this not a valid union.

I am really good friends with her and everyone in my department, everyone is going. I don’t want to be considered the unsensitive stick in the mud, but I have religious convictions and I cannot make myself look like I am endorsing something I do not believe in. I talked to my Pastor today and he said I should not go to the ceremony, but I should go to reception and wish her well. The difficult thing is how should I go about it, the ceremony and reception are this Saturday. She is taking Thursday and Friday off this week. Should I approach her sometime this week and tell her, “I’m sorry, but because of convictions I cannot go to the ceremony, but I will be able to attend the reception.” Or should I just not say anything, not go to the ceremony; go to the reception and if she asks why I didn’t go to the ceremony, then I’ll tell her.

I am thinking it would be better to tell her before hand so that way a scene will not be made at the reception. I am praying that she’ll understand and see that I am trying to be respectful. I should have just not have rsvped.

St. Thomas More, pray for me!

I think you should be low key and just go to the reception. I doubt if she’ll be worried about your attendance at the actual wedding, I wouldn’t make this day about you and your opinions.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Protestant marriages are not sacramental. Of the seven sacraments, only Protestant baptisms are valid.

So you’ll go to a Protestant or non-Christian wedding because it’s an issue of ‘freedom to marry’ – as long as they do it in a church?

Not so. If you look into Church teaching, you’ll find Mosher is precisely correct.

 

[mosher]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Protestant marriages are not sacramental. Of the seven sacraments, only Protestant baptisms are valid.

So you’ll go to a Protestant or non-Christian wedding because it’s an issue of ‘freedom to marry’ – as long as they do it in a church?

What are you talking about? Any marriage between two baptised if validly contracted is sacramental. Just because they don’t necessarily recognize it as a sacrament does not mean that it is not.

 

[chewchoo]

i my situation, i have an invalid wedding invitation for the end of this month.
my question is, should i just decline, with no real reason?
should i decline and present them with some information on the church’s teaching?

 

[jrnami]

i my situation, i have an invalid wedding invitation for the end of this month.
my question is, should i just decline, with no real reason?
should i decline and present them with some information on the church’s teaching?

Maybe just check off the “No I will not be attending” box on the RSVP.

 

[lsu]

Don’t gp this wedding is about your friend not you.

And for sure don’t attend the reception because if you can’t attend wedding you don’t need to go to reception.