Non-catholic married couple and baptism

[vince2paul]

Hi all,

I’m not sure how to put the title for this post. Let me explain it to you.

This case is about my friend, Mary. She got married in a Buddhist temple (both of them were Buddhist at that time). Not long after that, she started attending RCIA and was baptized a few years ago.

My question is, does her marriage need to be blessed in the Church?

Thanks all.

 

[meherdmann]

No, marriages between two non-Catholics are presumed to be valid

 

[1ke]

My question is, does her marriage need to be blessed in the Church?

Non-Catholic marriages are valid.

Is there a particular reason you are asking this? It seems you doubt the priest who brought her into the Church knows what needs to be done during her RCIA preparation. Each candidate provides all their information on marriage and such before being received, and any issues are dealt with before baptism.

 

[vince2paul]

Because she was baptized in another province, so nobody knows for sure. Even she is in doubt about it.

I asked a priest before, and he said the marriage is valid, because both of them weren’t Catholic. So the Church recognized their marriage and thus she doesn’t need to have her marriage blessed in the Church.

Non-Catholic marriages are valid.

Is there a particular reason you are asking this? It seems you doubt the priest who brought her into the Church knows what needs to be done during her RCIA preparation. Each candidate provides all their information on marriage and such before being received, and any issues are dealt with before baptism.

 

[1ke]

Because she was baptized in another province, so nobody knows for sure. Even she is in doubt about it.

The people who prepared her for baptism know for sure.

I asked a priest before, and he said the marriage is valid, because both of them weren’t Catholic. So the Church recognized their marriage and thus she doesn’t need to have her marriage blessed in the Church.

But yet you felt you needed to ignore what the priest told you and come here to post to random strangers who may or may not give you accurate information?

Your priest knows what he is doing.

 

[vince2paul]

But yet you felt you needed to ignore what the priest told you and come here to post to random strangers who may or may not give you accurate information?

Your priest knows what he is doing.

The truth is the priests in my parish have been giving misleading information. For example, 2 years ago, a priest didn’t want to celebrate requiem mass for suicide victim, because “he will go to hell as it’s a sin against holy spirit” and he event took the time to write it in the church bulletin (quoting CCC 2280-2282, for some reason, he didn’t include 2283). I have 4 priests in my parish and none actually to go to the wake and they didn’t allow prayer service and the family can’t even offer mass for this poor soul because the priest said, “mass shouldn’t be offered to suicide victim.”

The sad thing is this priest still tells people that suicide victim couldn’t be offered mass and I was a heretic for saying otherwise (he just taught that in the RCIA class recently and my friend told me about it). Even the RCIA coordinator told his class this, “there’s a person saying that suicide victim could be offered mass, he’s wrong and he’s evil.”

So tell me, should I believe that mass shouldn’t be offered for suicide victim? because none of the priests in my parish believe that mass should be offered for suicide victim. and in Indonesia, suicide is still a taboo subject to talk about in the Church. I talked to a lot of priests around the country and quite a few of them also believe the same thing, because offering a mass to suicide victim could cause a scandal.

and from what I experience in the past, this forum has been giving useful information.

Thanks you & God bless you.

 

[1ke]

The truth is the priests in my parish have been giving misleading information. For example, 2 years ago, a priest didn’t want to celebrate requiem mass for suicide victim, because “he will go to hell as it’s a sin against holy spirit” and he event took the time to write it in the church bulletin (quoting CCC 2280-2282, for some reason, he didn’t include 2283). I have 4 priests in my parish and none actually to go to the wake and they didn’t allow prayer service and the family can’t even offer mass for this poor soul because the priest said, “mass shouldn’t be offered to suicide victim.”

The sad thing is this priest still tells people that suicide victim couldn’t be offered mass and I was a heretic for saying otherwise (he just taught that in the RCIA class recently and my friend told me about it). Even the RCIA coordinator told his class this, “there’s a person saying that suicide victim could be offered mass, he’s wrong and he’s evil.”

So tell me, should I believe that mass shouldn’t be offered for suicide victim? because none of the priests in my parish believe that mass should be offered for suicide victim. and in Indonesia, suicide is still a taboo subject to talk about in the Church. I talked to a lot of priests around the country and quite a few of them also believe the same thing, because offering a mass to suicide victim could cause a scandal.

and from what I experience in the past, this forum has been giving useful information.

Thanks you & God bless you.

that’s unfortunate.

I’m sorry that happened to the family.

 

[InThePew]

The sad thing is this priest still tells people that suicide victim couldn’t be offered mass and I was a heretic for saying otherwise (he just taught that in the RCIA class recently and my friend told me about it). Even the RCIA coordinator told his class this, “there’s a person saying that suicide victim could be offered mass, he’s wrong and he’s evil.”

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

One of the best homilies I ever heard was preached by my bishop at a requiem mass for a priest who committed suicide. The bishop’s opening words were: “people have asked me over the last few days if many priests commit suicide”, before going on the explain that, while the answer is thankfully no, some sadly do even though it might seem counter-intuitive like doctors getting sick. Before that point, I had no idea how the priest had died (nor did my friend who was with me). What impressed me was how the bishop dealt with the subject directly and immediately, rather than avoiding it and leaving it to whispers and rumours passing from those in the congregation who were in the know to the rest of us.

Sadly however, sometimes cultural taboos can get in the way of pastoral care and too often are left unchecked in the name of “cultural sensitivity”.