Marriage blessed by The Church

[bellasdad]

Hi, I am seeing a Christian woman that could lead to marriage. I am not sure about what it would take for me to remain a practicing Catholic and be married to her. I f a priest isn’t present at the ceremony can our union still be blessed by The church?

Oh she attends a no denominational church. She is not anticatholic by any means, what would our options be?

 

[edward_george]

As a Catholic, you are bound by what’s known as “canonical form,” meaning you are obliged to marry before a Catholic priest or deacon with proper jurisdiction or delegation and in a Catholic ceremony. You may be dispensed from canonical form if the situation calls for it, e.g. if your non Catholic fiancée had some issue with getting married in the Church. You must both also be free to marry, with no prior bond with a person who is still living. You should call your parish priest and ask what to do next.

Fr ACEGC

 

[1ke]

Hi, I am seeing a Christian woman that could lead to marriage. I am not sure about what it would take for me to remain a practicing Catholic and be married to her. I f a priest isn’t present at the ceremony can our union still be blessed by The church?

Oh she attends a no denominational church. She is not anticatholic by any means, what would our options be?

So, have you approached your pastor to ask him about marital preparation? He can answer all these questions and more.

 

[Crusaderbear]

So, have you approached your pastor to ask him about marital preparation? He can answer all these questions and more.

Best approach. Generally, having it celebrated by both a priest and her minister keeps everyone happy. My wife is Episcopalian until this Saturday Night!

 

[Gorgias]

Generally, having it celebrated by both a priest and her minister keeps everyone happy.

Except that, generally, this form is considered invalid by the Church.

[user]edward_george[/user] has it right. A Catholic person’s options, for a valid marriage to a baptized non-Catholic Christian, are:

• Marriage in a Catholic Church, officiated by a priest or deacon.
• Dispensation from the requirements of ‘form’, and marriage before a non-Catholic minister

What the OP mentions – having the marriage “blessed by the Church” – is something that people say when what they really mean is:

• A Catholic priest is present at the wedding, but is not the presider. (This isn’t valid unless the dispensation has been received.)
• A Catholic priest later blesses the couple (or their rings). (This doesn’t create a valid marriage, either.)
• Later, maybe a year or more after the marriage, the couple decides that they want their marriage to be valid in the Church. At that time, they approach a priest, who goes through the whole pre-marital preparation with them, and then performs an actual marriage ceremony in the Church, through which they are validly married. (This does create a valid marriage in the Church’s eyes.)

My wife is Episcopalian until this Saturday Night!

Congratulations! Blessings to you both!

 

[tseleehw]

I was in a similar situation as yourself. I was not married in a Catholic church or by a Catholic priest but I received a dispensation to do so. See your priest and he can guide you through the process. It varies from diocese to diocese.

In my case, we met with the priest and filled out some forms that are required for the dispensation (permission for a mixed marriage, dispensation from Canonical form, etc.). We then went through the normal pre-cana class that was done at my parish that all couples do when getting married at that Church. To complicate things even more, our marriage was taking place in another state and diocese from the one where we lived, so I had to also write a letter to the diocese where the marriage was taking place and get their permission as well. My priest gave me the address, I wrote the letter, got one back a few weeks later saying there was no objection, and that was that.

It’s a little more complicated but it can be done.

 

[Phemie]

I was in a similar situation as yourself. I was not married in a Catholic church or by a Catholic priest but I received a dispensation to do so. See your priest and he can guide you through the process. It varies from diocese to diocese.

In my case, we met with the priest and filled out some forms that are required for the dispensation (permission for a mixed marriage, dispensation from Canonical form, etc.). We then went through the normal pre-cana class that was done at my parish that all couples do when getting married at that Church. To complicate things even more, our marriage was taking place in another state and diocese from the one where we lived, so I had to also write a letter to the diocese where the marriage was taking place and get their permission as well. My priest gave me the address, I wrote the letter, got one back a few weeks later saying there was no objection, and that was that.

It’s a little more complicated but it can be done.

In our diocese that is done by the priest. The couple usually comes to him telling him their plans of marrying in another parish, in which case they’ve already been in touch with the priest who will be witnessing their vows.

If the order that’s in the Prenuptial Investigation is followed it goes like this:

• Pastor fills out all the pre-nuptial investigation forms and the request for permission for the couple to marry outside the parish.
• Entire booklet is photocopied for our file and the original is forwarded to our Bishop for his consent.
• Bishop signs the consent and forwards booklet to the priest who will be receiving the Exchange of Consent.
• If this is within our diocese it’s all good. If it’s outside our diocese, the priest then forwards the booklet to his Bishop for HIS permission to celebrate the marriage.
• Bishop signs the papers and returns them to the priest.
• Priest witnesses marriage then forwards a notification of marriage to the baptismal parish of the Catholics and to our parish if we are not the baptismal parish of either the bride or the groom – which is often the case.

 

[Phemie]

In our diocese that is done by the priest. The couple usually comes to him telling him their plans of marrying in another parish, in which case they’ve already been in touch with the priest who will be witnessing their vows.

If the order that’s in the Prenuptial Investigation is followed it goes like this:

• Pastor fills out all the pre-nuptial investigation forms and the request for permission for the couple to marry outside the parish.
• Entire booklet photocopied for our file and original is forwarded to our Bishop for his consent.
• Bishop signs the consent and forwards booklet to the priest who will be receiving the Exchange of Consent.
• If this is within our diocese it’s all good. If it’s outside our diocese, the priest then forwards the booklet to his Bishop for HIS permission to celebrate the marriage.
• Bishop signs the papers and returns them to the priest.
• Priest witnesses marriage then forwards a notification of marriage to the baptismal parish of the Catholics and to our parish if we are not the baptismal parish of either the bride or the groom – which is often the case.

 

[tseleehw]

In our diocese that is done by the priest. The couple usually comes to him telling him their plans of marrying in another parish, in which case they’ve already been in touch with the priest who will be witnessing their vows.

If the order that’s in the Prenuptial Investigation is followed it goes like this:

• Pastor fills out all the pre-nuptial investigation forms and the request for permission for the couple to marry outside the parish.
• Entire booklet is photocopied for our file and the original is forwarded to our Bishop for his consent.
• Bishop signs the consent and forwards booklet to the priest who will be receiving the Exchange of Consent.
• If this is within our diocese it’s all good. If it’s outside our diocese, the priest then forwards the booklet to his Bishop for HIS permission to celebrate the marriage.
• Bishop signs the papers and returns them to the priest.
• Priest witnesses marriage then forwards a notification of marriage to the baptismal parish of the Catholics and to our parish if we are not the baptismal parish of either the bride or the groom – which is often the case.

Strange, I was told to write a letter myself, which I did. A priest was not required to witness our marriage, either (I asked about this and was told explicitly that it was not required). I do also remember that after the marriage that I had to provide my parish with a copy of our marriage license. That was the end of it though, as far as stuff that I had to do. I assume they forwarded something to my baptismal parish about my marriage, though I don’t know for sure.

 

[Phemie]

Strange, I was told to write a letter myself, which I did. A priest was not required to witness our marriage, either (I asked about this and was told explicitly that it was not required). I do also remember that after the marriage that I had to provide my parish with a copy of our marriage license. That was the end of it though, as far as stuff that I had to do. I assume they forwarded something to my baptismal parish about my marriage, though I don’t know for sure.

Oh, you don’t have to have a priest if you have a dispensation from canonical form.

Yes, if you get that dispensation from form it becomes your responsibility to inform your parish that the marriage has taken place and then the priest has the responsibility of informing your baptismal parish.