Marriage Banns. Help!

[LizzieM]

I wa out of town this weekend and I checked the bulletin for this past weekend just a minute ago. I am getting married November 7 so the first of my marriage banns should have been listed. They weren’t and by the time I called only one person was there and she knew nothing about it . Now I am terrified they won’t or can’t do the wedding. Reassure me- or give me the bad news

 

[kage_ar]

I’ve been Catholic for a decade, I have never read Marriage Banns in the bulletin or heard them read at a Mass.

I think that is an old tradition that has long gone away.

 

[daeve]

I would call again first thing in the morning. Even if someone knows the exact, correct answer, your parish is the only place you can really find out what will happen.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

Call the rectory during the week and speak to the secretary. She will help you. I guess your parish posts them, or you wouldn’t be nervous.

 

[Kit15]

My parish totally *forgot *to put my banns in the bulletin…and then they forgot the second one after we reminded them.

But we got married anyway.

 

[JustAnotherThou]

I haven’t seen marriage banns in YEARS like 20 at least

I bet they still let you get married

 

[BrokenFortress]

They still post them in the bulletins at my Parish. But I agree, I would just keep calling until you talk with someone who does know what you’re talking about.

If it was a mistake on the part of whoever made the bulletin, I can’t imagine they won’t let you get married just because of that. Especially when many Parishes seem to no longer put them in the bulletins…

 

[beckers]

I’ve been Catholic for a decade, I have never read Marriage Banns in the bulletin or heard them read at a Mass.

I think that is an old tradition that has long gone away.

Our church reads the banns right after the homily for three weeks striaght. I like it alot!

 

[Phemie]

If done they are supposed to be spoken, not simply published. But like most posters here I’ve not seen/heard banns in years – except for the one time that another parish asked us to post banns two years ago for someone who was baptized in our parish. Absolutely nobody knew who the person was. That wasn’t surprising as we have served the Catholic population of a Military Base for decades so people come and go from this parish oftentimes without ever making themselves known to other parishioners – I was one such for three years back in the late 70s, nobody knew me when I returned in the late 90s.

 

[puzzleannie]

the process of obtaining affidavits of free status has replaced the practice of publishing banns in most places, simply because it is no longer true that usually the bride and groom have both been members of the parish all their lives, and very few people even know who they are, so the purpose of banns–uncovering any previous marriage–is no longer served. No assuming you have complied with everything in your marriage preparation (and paid your deposit for use of the Church) this would not prevent your wedding on schedule. The person to call is the person in charge of your marriage preparation. The secretary or person who types the bulletin only has the information that has been given to her.