Question Re: Marriage

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St_Anthony_1

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My wife and I were married civilly in a mormon church, we were both Mormons at the time. We were married freely, with consent, sober, legally, open to children etc.

Can someone confirm for me that the Catholic Church would view this as a valid marriage?

Secondly, we both later left the mormon church, I became Catholic, and my wife became Church of England.

Now that we both have Christian baptisms and I am a Catholic does our marriage become sacramental automatically or is there another rite that has to be performed?

I would be very grateful if anyone could clear this up for me.🙂
 
St_Anthony said:
My wife and I were married civilly in a mormon church, we were both Mormons at the time. We were married freely, with consent, sober, legally, open to children etc.

Can someone confirm for me that the Catholic Church would view this as a valid marriage?

Secondly, we both later left the mormon church, I became Catholic, and my wife became Church of England.

Now that we both have Christian baptisms and I am a Catholic does our marriage become sacramental automatically or is there another rite that has to be performed?

I would be very grateful if anyone could clear this up for me.🙂
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Yes, you are correct as long as there weren’t any other impediments and no other marriage attempts then your marriage is valid and sacramental.
 
Your marriage would have to be convalidated (which is what I’m doing in a couple of days) I believe. It’s a blessing of your marriage by a priest.
 
heathernoel said:
Your marriage would have to be convalidated (which is what I’m doing in a couple of days) I believe. It’s a blessing of your marriage by a priest.
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No, since neither was Catholic at the time of the wedding the Church considers them validly married – as long as there were no impediments such as kinship or a previous marriage.
 
None of us are comptent to answer your question. The best thing to do would be to talk with your pastor regarding the situation. Though previous responders are correct, that the Church assumes marriages to be valid, that doesn’t mean that it automatically is.

For example, if neither of you was baptized into a Christian community, using the appropriate formula, that might be an impediment.
 
929dad said:
None of us are comptent to answer your question. The best thing to do would be to talk with your pastor regarding the situation. Though previous responders are correct, that the Church assumes marriages to be valid, that doesn’t mean that it automatically is.

For example, if neither of you was baptized into a Christian community, using the appropriate formula, that might be an impediment.
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That wouldn’t be an impediment to a valid marriage, only to a sacramental one.
 
St_Anthony said:
My wife and I were married civilly in a mormon church, we were both Mormons at the time. We were married freely, with consent, sober, legally, open to children etc.

Can someone confirm for me that the Catholic Church would view this as a valid marriage?

Secondly, we both later left the mormon church, I became Catholic, and my wife became Church of England.

Now that we both have Christian baptisms and I am a Catholic does our marriage become sacramental automatically or is there another rite that has to be performed?

I would be very grateful if anyone could clear this up for me.🙂
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you are correct on both counts. Two non-Catholics who are otherwise free to marry are considered validly married unless and until proven otherwise. Two unbaptized persons who are validly married who then are baptized (into any denomination with valid baptism) automatically now have a sacramental marriage, no further action is necessary.

This assumes neither party was ever baptized Catholic, and that they are free to marry in natural law and canon law (no prior marriage, no impediments etc.).
heathernoel said:
Your marriage would have to be convalidated (which is what I’m doing in a couple of days) I believe. It’s a blessing of your marriage by a priest.
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this is not true in the case as described in OP

when you became Catholic this should have been addressed and the priest should have answered these questions. since it has arisen now and you need an answer please speak with him or your current pastor again so you can get a good answer that applies to your personal situation.

for one thing, the fact that you are validly married should be entered into the sacramental record of your Catholic baptism, and if you did not get advice on marriage at that time, it may have been overlooked.

Welcome Home!
 
Code of Canon Law
TITLE VII.
MARRIAGE (Cann. 1055 - 1165)
Can. 1055 §1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.
§2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament.
Can. 1056 The essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility, which in Christian marriage obtain a special firmness by reason of the sacrament.
Can. 1057 §1. The consent of the parties, legitimately manifested between persons quali-fied by law, makes marriage; no human power is able to supply this consent.
§2. Matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which a man and a woman mutually give and accept each other through an irrevocable covenant in order to establish marriage.
Can. 1058 All persons who are not prohibited by law can contract marriage.
Can. 1059 Even if only one party is Catholic, the marriage of Catholics is governed not only by divine law but also by canon law, without prejudice to the competence of civil authority concerning the merely civil effects of the same marriage.
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As stated by others, if you were free to marry, your consent makes a valid marriage. Since the Catholic Church does not recognize Mormon baptisms,due to our differing interpretation of the Trinity, a Mormon marriage is valid, but not sacramental. When you were both baptized in a Christian rite the marriage automatically became valid. I had a similar case a few years back when a Jewish couple became Catholic.}
 
Thanks everyone for clearing this up, looks like my marriage is now sacramental.

Great news 😃
 
929dad said:
None of us are comptent to answer your question.
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Not true: We are capable of knowing and understanding the Church’s law.
929dad said:
The best thing to do would be to talk with your pastor regarding the situation. Though previous responders are correct, that the Church assumes marriages to be valid, that doesn’t mean that it automatically is.
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It would have to be a tribunal that gave a definitive ruling.
929dad said:
]For example, if neither of you was baptized into a Christian community, using the appropriate formula, that might be an impediment.
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That is not an impediment to marriage.

Assuming there were no impediments their marriage is valid. On being baptised their marriage became sacramental.

There is no need to convalidate because they weren’t Catholics at the time of their marriage.
 
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