Marriage blessing?

[coco2]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

 

[Phemie]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

I know a couple in the same situation and I’m still wondering the same thing. Nobody has been able to answer my question either.

 

[coco2]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

 

[Beryllos]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment.

Oh dear, a marriage of three? There ought to be a rule against that!

 

[YADA]

Originally Posted by coco2 View Post
I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

Oh dear, a marriage of three? There ought to be a rule against that!

 

[Jeanne_S]

If the divorced person was not Catholic, but then married a Catholic,without converting to the faith,then a marriage convalidation,for the sake of the Catholic partner would in fact then allow that person to receive the Eucharist.

 

[Starrsmother]

Oh dear, a marriage of three? There ought to be a rule against that!

LOL! That’s how I read it too! We always said that once gay marriage was legalized that this would be the next step!

 

[thistle]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

A priest told me this is not permitted. How can there be a blessing for the couple when one of them is still married to someone else?

 

[Starrsmother]

A priest told me this is not permitted. How can there be a blessing for the couple when one of them is still married to someone else?

A blessing is only that–a prayer asking for God’s grace and help for that person or couple. If a priest wanted to go to a prison and bless Charles Manson, he could certainly do so. Maybe it would help.

 

[Phemie]

If the divorced person was not Catholic, but then married a Catholic,without converting to the faith,then a marriage convalidation,for the sake of the Catholic partner would in fact then allow that person to receive the Eucharist.

In the situation I’m aware of, one day they can’t receive Communion, the next day they can and he can join the Knights of Columbus. But there is no convalidation recorded and they are told that they still have to get married in the Church.

People who knew them and were aware of why they hadn’t been receiving Communion and why he couldn’t join KofC certainly wondered what had changed since they hadn’t married. Nobody could or would tell us what this ‘blessing’ was. I always thought that if there was a possibility of scandal, even those who are living as brother and sister should receive Communion somewhere where their marital situation is not known.

Of course it was none of our business.

 

[Lapey]

In the situation I’m aware of, one day they can’t receive Communion, the next day they can and he can join the Knights of Columbus. But there is no convalidation recorded and they are told that they still have to get married in the Church.

People who knew them and were aware of why they hadn’t been receiving Communion and why he couldn’t join KofC certainly wondered what had changed since they hadn’t married. Nobody could or would tell us what this ‘blessing’ was. I always thought that if there was a possibility of scandal, even those who are living as brother and sister should receive Communion somewhere where their marital situation is not known.

Of course it was none of our business.

This in bold^^^

No one but the pastor and the couple know what their situation is. Pray for them and our priests. Also for ourselves to be able to avoid gossip and judgement when it is not our place to do so.

 

[1ke]

While these Catholics may have married outside the Church to divorced people without annulments, it is possible in the intervening years the non-Catholic applied for and received a decree of nullity, dissolution of the bond, pursued a lack of form or ligamen case based on their first spouse’s situation, or their first spouse died, allowing the Catholic to convalidate the marriage.

When people say someone had their marriage “blessed” they typically mean they had a convalidation. A convaliation requires freedom to marry. Freedom to marry means that they resolved the prior marriage situation.

So, in charity, we presume that the bishop knows what he is doing.

 

[deewing64]

My present husband and I were married in a Protestant Church because our annulments were not through yet and got our Marriage blessed when they did come through in the Catholic Church. We had our witnesses come to be included in the ceremony also. That has been 21 years ago and I receive the Sacraments.

 

[1ke]

this is a duplicate thread.

 

[thistle]

A blessing is only that–a prayer asking for God’s grace and help for that person or couple. If a priest wanted to go to a prison and bless Charles Manson, he could certainly do so. Maybe it would help.

The OP is talking about a marriage blessing for the couple. That cannot be given because they are not validly married while one of them is still married to someone else.

 

[1ke]

A blessing is only that–a prayer asking for God’s grace and help for that person or couple. If a priest wanted to go to a prison and bless Charles Manson, he could certainly do so. Maybe it would help.

The Nuptial Blessing cannot be given to an invalidly married couple. Any type of general blessing given over two people who are not validly married is imprudent, but certainly possible.

Neither a general blessing, nor the Nuptial Blessing if illicitly given, can change the canonical status of an invalidly married couple allowing them to receive communion.

What people often called “getting the marriage blessed” is in fact a convalidation. This is a canonical marriage and this does change the status of the couple. To do so requires freedom to marry. So, what we presume is that the couple in question pursued the proper channels within the Church but simply chose not to broadcast it to others.

 

[Bergon]

I know two Catholics who married a non-Catholic who was previously married and they were not given an annulment. They were not married in the church, but later got some type of “blessing ceremony” from a priest or Bishop. They both say they can receive communion because of this blessing. How can this be?

We don’t know the circumstances of this situation. The way you’ve worded your post it sounds as if two Catholics have married one non-Catholic. As neither the Church permits such marriages and as most civil jurisdictions don’t we can infer that this is not what you intended to mean. To know the answer you would really need to go back to them and ask them exactly what they mean by “blessing”. Whatever prevented their original marriage might have been resolved. They may then be free to marry. Their situation in the Church might have been regularised by the process called convalidation. Many people who have had their marriage convalidated describe the liturgy that’s celebrated as a “blessing”. But, as I said earlier, you’d have to go back to this couple and ask for clarification. Anyone else can only guess what might have happened.

 

[coco2]

Sorry for the grammatical errors in my original post.

One of the people I am talking about is a friend, so I am not making assumptions about the circumstances. She has been wringing her hands about being married to a man who didn’t get an annulment. This woman goes to communion, however, because a priest (who was a good friend of the family) gave them a “blessing” ( her words) that she says allows her to receive communion. However, the marriage isn’t a good one, and she doesn’t want her husband to open up the annulment case again, because she wants to be free to marry in the Catholic Church if they divorce.

She is always crying on my shoulder about this. She went to another priest who told her, she shouldn’t have been given that blessing ceremony and needs to get an annulment. He informed her she needs to stop Communion. However, the priest who gave the blessing, still gives her communion. She basically doesn’t tell anyone her situation, but is always asking my advice. I don’t ever know what to tell her anymore. This has been going on for 2 decades.

If I have made any other grammatical errors, feel free to poke fun at me. But please answer if you know. I have not heard of these “blessings” before.

 

[coco2]

Sorry for the grammatical errors in my original post.

One of the people I am talking about is a friend, so I am not making assumptions about the circumstances. She has been wringing her hands about being married to a man who didn’t get an annulment. This woman goes to communion, however, because a priest (who was a good friend of the family) gave them a “blessing” ( her words) that she says allows her to receive communion. However, the marriage isn’t a good one, and she doesn’t want her husband to open up the annulment case again, because she wants to be free to marry in the Catholic Church if they divorce.

She is always crying on my shoulder about this. She went to another priest who told her, she shouldn’t have been given that blessing ceremony and needs to get an annulment. He informed her she needs to stop Communion. However, the priest who gave the blessing, still gives her communion. She basically doesn’t tell anyone her situation, but is always asking my advice. I don’t ever know what to tell her anymore. This has been going on for 2 decades.

If I have made any other grammatical errors, feel free to poke fun at me. But please answer if you know. I have not heard of these “blessings” before.

 

[Starrsmother]

Sorry for the grammatical errors in my original post.

One of the people I am talking about is a friend, so I am not making assumptions about the circumstances. She has been wringing her hands about being married to a man who didn’t get an annulment. This woman goes to communion, however, because a priest (who was a good friend of the family) gave them a “blessing” ( her words) that she says allows her to receive communion. However, the marriage isn’t a good one, and she doesn’t want her husband to open up the annulment case again, because she wants to be free to marry in the Catholic Church if they divorce.

She is always crying on my shoulder about this. She went to another priest who told her, she shouldn’t have been given that blessing ceremony and needs to get an annulment. He informed her she needs to stop Communion. However, the priest who gave the blessing, still gives her communion. She basically doesn’t tell anyone her situation, but is always asking my advice. I don’t ever know what to tell her anymore. This has been going on for 2 decades.

If I have made any other grammatical errors, feel free to poke fun at me. But please answer if you know. I have not heard of these “blessings” before.

Sounds like a sad situation. Yes, priests do give bad info sometimes. She probably might as well go for the annulment if her husband brings it up again—or maybe not. If she’s been living in a sorry marriage for 20 years and griping about it but not doing anything to get out, it doesn’t sound like it actually matters, as I doubt she’s serious abut leaving the man. She may just be one of those people who need someone’s shoulder to cry on but really don’t want advice or plan to make anything different or better and they have no intention of taking any advice given. We all know someone like that. I’d be as nice to her as I felt I could handle when it came to listening to her woes–but when the constant dumping got too deep for me, not be afraid to back out. Usually you aren’t really going to be able to help someone like this and it can get you down after while. No, of course she shouldn’t be going to communion and no, a “blessing” can’t possibly suffice–and I’m sure she suspects/knows this in her own mind and just chooses to ignore it. The priest is the bigger issue–if he’s out advising others this way, someone needs to speak with his bishop.