Marriage in non-Catholic Church

[kmt768]

Hi,

My fiancee & I are both divorced Catholics - my marriage is annulled, his is not. I am trying to figure out what the repercussions might be if we are married in an Episcopal Church. I really want a Christian cermeony in a church setting and see this as a solution.

Would we still be able to receive communion in the Catholic Church? If we have a child, could the baby be baptized in the Catholic Church?

• Karen

 

[PatienceAndLove]

Would we still be able to receive communion in the Catholic Church? If we have a child, could the baby be baptized in the Catholic Church?

Let me warn you by saying that you are going to get a lot of answers. The main one is going to be to wait to marry until his annulment comes through. And I agree.

No, you will not be able to receive, as you will be living in sin, since your marriage will not be recognized by the Catholic Church. You could marry, live as brother and sister til his annulment occurs, get the marriage convalidated and go to confession. But waiting, to me, sounds like a better option.
I don’t know about the baptism question. Others are more knowledgeable about that than I am.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi,

My fiancee & I are both divorced Catholics - my marriage is annulled, his is not. I am trying to figure out what the repercussions might be if we are married in an Episcopal Church. I really want a Christian cermeony in a church setting and see this as a solution.

Would we still be able to receive communion in the Catholic Church? If we have a child, could the baby be baptized in the Catholic Church?

• Karen

You would be in an invalid Marriage, you would not be able to receive Holy Communion because of the sin of adultry.

 

[stbruno]

The child would not be refused the sacrament of baptism, however, at the time of the baptism, you the parents are asked to raise the child Catholic, in all ways. In word, in deed, in example…and how can you do that if you are not fully practicing your faith, beginning with being in a sacramental marriage?

You still are obliged to follow the commandments…like attend mass regularly, however you cannot receive Holy Communion because of the status of your relationship.

the best advice is to wait and not cohabitate…because that is a recipe for disaster statistically speaking. inside.growthtrac.com/inside/2007/08/cohabitation-po.html

Explore the new website just launched by the US Catholic bishops too…
foryourmarriage.org/ With all things, pray on it.

 

[pigtown]

My husband and I were married by a Bishop in the Old Catholic Episcopal Church in California. When our daughter was born 2 years later we had left California and I asked a priest in our local parish to baptize her but he refused since we were not married in the church. We finally found a priest who baptized her but he was not in our parish. We later had our marriage blessed in the church.

 

[Brenda_V]

I am going to give a slightly different point of view on this situation. The facts as the OP has given them:

1. You have received a Decree of Nullity already.
2. Your Fiance has not received a Decree of Nullity meaning that until that happens in the eyes of the Church he is still Married (in other words, until proven otherwise).

You are free to get married but he is not. He may never be free to get married as he may never receive a Decree of Nullity and if that should happen (small chance that it might be since we don’t know all the details and it is not up to us here on these forums to determine that) then you can not be ever married. This does not bode well for starting a family; bringing children into a situation that is not “regular” is not wise and neither is attempting a Marriage.

Wait, all good things are worth waiting for.

Brenda V.

 

[1ke]

My fiancee & I are both divorced Catholics - my marriage is annulled, his is not. I am trying to figure out what the repercussions might be if we are married in an Episcopal Church.

He is not free to marry.

The repercussions would be that you would be committing adultery, a mortal sin. You would not be able to receive the Sacraments. You would, in effect, have put yourself outside the church until such time as you cease living as husband and wife or have your marriage convalidated.

This is a very bad idea.

I really want a Christian cermeony in a church setting and see this as a solution.

Karen, You are missing the point! He is not free to marry.

This is not a solution. It’s a plan to commit mortal sin.

The solution is to wait until he obtains a decree of nullity and then marry validly.

What happens if you go ahead and marry him and then his tribunal case comes out with a decree that his first marriage is valid???

Don’t play with fire here, Karen. He cannot be your fiance until he is free to marry. And, if it is determined he is not free to marry, you cannot marry him!

Would we still be able to receive communion in the Catholic Church?

No. Nor would you be able to receive any of the other Sacraments.

If we have a child, could the baby be baptized in the Catholic Church?

Possibly. It would be up to the priest as to whether he believed you would raise your child in the Catholic faith.

Going against Church teaching, marrying in the Episcopal church, and denying the Church’s authority over marriage is not a very good way to convince a priest you want to raise your children Catholic.

 

[kmt768]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. It has given me a lot to think about, somethings that I hadn’t thought of. I am going to pray on this.

 

[DJgang]

Even in the Episcopal Church you will probably have to get permission from the Bishop because it is your second marriage. (According to my confirmation education) However, most Bishops will sign off on a second marriage, but the third…they start really questioning things.

Have patience and get married in the Catholic Church. If you and he really want to remain Catholic.

I must be honest…The ECUSA church that I did attend is kinda full of couples just like your situation…they were Catholic.

 

[puzzleannie]

Hi,

My fiancee & I are both divorced Catholics - my marriage is annulled, his is not. I am trying to figure out what the repercussions might be if we are married in an Episcopal Church. I really want a Christian cermeony in a church setting and see this as a solution.

Would we still be able to receive communion in the Catholic Church? If we have a child, could the baby be baptized in the Catholic Church?

• Karen

this attempted marriage would be invalid from the gitgo since the gentleman is still married. neither party would be able to receive commuion in a Catholic church, because objectively they would not be in a state of grace. theoretically they could not be denied baptism for any child of the marriage, but they must demonstrate good faith intention to raise the child Catholic, and the priest would be within his rights to delay the baptism until he received such assurances. my comments refer only to what I interpret as a hypothetical situation based only on facts in OP. it is a matter that requires urgent pastoral counselling to save both parties from a mistake that could have eternal repercussions because the mortal soul could be in jeopardy, and for a situation that has a remedy offered by the church.