Marriage at a courthouse and its validity

[1ke]

I do not think so, please recheck your sources. A Catholic can get a dispensation these days to marry in a Protestant ceremony (God forgive us) with a Catholic Bishop, Priest or Deacon present.

Ken

The question to which I was responding did not ask about a dispensation. The question was referencing a Catholic who “decides” they aren’t Catholic any more abd gets married without a dispensation.

I answered the question that was asked with accurate information.

 

[Titus]

Originally Posted by kleary forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons/viewpost.gif
If a Catholic goes and gets married via a judge at a courthouse it is indeed an invalid marriage because the Catholic MUST obey the laws of the Church in regards to the Sacrament of Matrimony. He cannot deviate from them and do otherwise for any reason whatsoever, even if his girlfriend is pregnant and needs medical benefits from his employer.

Even if the “marriage” goes 10 years and many children it is still invalid because the Catholic must have a Bishop, Priest or Deacon present at the Sacrament in order for it to be valid.

That’s not true. He may receive a dispensation from the competent ordinary to get married in another ceremony.

Please cite Canon Law or Church teaching in this regard. You sound like my brother’s parish that says they often give advice and permission to couples to go get married civilly and then come back to get the marriage blessed. I know they can “get married in another ceremony” but they need a requirement of a Bishop, Priest or Deacon present. An example is for a wedding between a Catholic and Protestant done in a Protestant Church with the Protestant minister officiating- it is valid as long as witnessed by a Bishop, Priest or Deacon and the dispensation from the Bishop is granted.

Ken

Indeed you are right- I omitted the extra necessity of the presence of a clergyman! Thanks.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Hi,

I have a questiom.

Can a priest marry someone on a beach or does it have to be in a church.? If it has to be in a church–why?

Also, just curious— I was married in an Episcopal church-- is my marriage considered valid before the eyes of God?

 

[1ke]

Can a priest marry someone on a beach or does it have to be in a church.? If it has to be in a church–why?

To be married in a place other than a parish Church or oratory (an oratory is a private chapel or other church that isn’t a regular parish church, for example a chapel on a Catholic college campus or the diocesan Cathedral) requires a dispensation from the Bishop and must be for a very serious reason.

So, no, a priest cannot marry a couple on the beach.

Why? Because Marriage is a Sacrament of the Church and as such is to be celebrated within the Liturgy, in the Church, in the manner set out by the Church in Canon Law.

Also, just curious— I was married in an Episcopal church-- is my marriage considered valid before the eyes of God?

If neither you nor your spouse had a prior bond (a previous marriage to a still-living spouse) then yes.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

To be married in a place other than a parish Church or oratory (an oratory is a private chapel or other church that isn’t a regular parish church, for example a chapel on a Catholic college campus or the diocesan Cathedral) requires a dispensation from the Bishop and must be for a very serious reason.

So, no, a priest cannot marry a couple on the beach.

Why? Because Marriage is a Sacrament of the Church and as such is to be celebrated within the Liturgy, in the Church, in the manner set out by the Church in Canon Law.

If neither you nor your spouse had a prior bond (a previous marriage to a still-living spouse) then yes.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.
Thankfully this is a first marriage for both of us.