Marriage convalidation and RCIA

[anjoh66]

Hi!
Me and my wife are married according to the civil laws of Peru, there you must first marry civil before you can marry by the church. We had never opportunity to marry by the church when i was there.

Now, i am on my way to become a catholic and the priest in our parish thought we could wait until i finish my rcia and is in full communion with the church to have a religious wedding.

There is some things i was thinking about related to this. According to another priest i had contact with said that the marriage is not accepted by the church but can be convalidated.

The questions is as follows

1. Am i able to be accepted fully into the communion with the church and be baptized and recieve the eucharist if the marriage is not convalidated?
   I guess it must be convalidated before the time of my baptism?
2. How is a convalidation conducted? Is it just like a wedding or is it something different?

3.Are my wife able to recieve her eucharist before the convalidation?

4.If we convalidate before my baptism, will this marriage be counted as a sacrament? i guess at least not for my part.

1. Will the marriage convert into a sacrament for me also after my baptism or must it be redone? no sacraments can be recieved before the baptism which is the door to all other sacraments.

6.My wifes parents wants us to make the ceremony in Peru but we will not be able to go back in some 3 years, can the marriage be convalidated here in my country and then hold a ceremony again when we go back to Peru?

 

[Phemie]

I’m assuming that your wife is Catholic.

A convalidation is a wedding. As far as the Church is concerned you are not married so you will speak your vows in front of a priest or deacon and two witnesses and will then be in a valid marriage.

No, the marriage will not be a sacrament until you are baptized, since a non-baptized cannot receive a sacrament, but the minute you are baptized it becomes a sacrament and you and your wife receive all the graces that go with that.

No, your wife should not receive Communion before your convalidation if you are living as man and wife.

What you can do is have your marriage convalidated now and then when you go to Peru have a renewal of vows. People often do this on their 25th or 50th anniversary or on some other day special to them – being with all the family in Peru for the first time in years seems like a special occasion for a renewal of vows to me.