Sacraments and marriage into Catholic Church

[CdnCatholic]

Hello all! 2 questions I need some help with:
A bit of background info:
Recently married and my wife was a non catholic.

Her parents were fully baptized and practising. She attended catholic school et all. But never received any sacrament. She was never baptized etc.

I have received all sacraments and we were married in my Catholic Church. We did not have communion though given my wife has not been baptized.

Brings me to my 2 questions regarding situations we now face:

1. Can my wife receive communion at mass now?
2. Can my wife be a godparent of our catholic friend’s children?

My assumption is that if you marry into the church or a fully catholic person in a Catholic Church you re catholic and thus obtain all the other sacraments that usually happen before it.

Pardon my ignorance. I have no facts to back it up and is a vague idea.

All in all my wife is happy to be married and we strongly believe and practise our faith and plan to raise our kids catholic as well.

Any answers or citations or links from canon law would help!

If there is any other information or a heads up to what she/we can or cannot do would be appreciated as well

 

[Phemie]

No, until she is baptized your wife can neither receive Communion nor be a godparent. Baptism is the gateway to all the other sacraments. You don’t become a Catholic by marrying one.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."5

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Brings me to my 2 questions regarding situations we now face:

1. Can my wife receive communion at mass now?

The gateway to all the other sacraments is baptism. If your wife goes through RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, she will be baptized, confirmed, and receive her First Communion. Until then, she remains an unbaptized non-Catholic. Non-Catholics cannot receive communion.

1. Can my wife be a godparent of our catholic friend’s children?

One of the requirements to be a Catholic godparent is to be a fully initiated Catholic. That means the person must be baptized, confirmed, and have received their First Communion.

My assumption is that if you marry into the church or a fully catholic person in a Catholic Church you re catholic and thus obtain all the other sacraments that usually happen before it.

Each person receives the sacraments on their own. Your wife didn’t somehow become Catholic by marrying a Catholic. If she wants to become Catholic she is definitely welcome in the Church. By virtue of being married to a Catholic and attending Mass, she probably has a head start on being familiar with the Church and her teachings.

 

[DoGodsBidding]

The gateway to all the other sacraments is baptism. If your wife goes through RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, she will be baptized, confirmed, and receive her First Communion. Until then, she remains an unbaptized non-Catholic. Non-Catholics cannot receive communion.

One of the requirements to be a Catholic godparent is to be a fully initiated Catholic. That means the person must be baptized, confirmed, and have received their First Communion.

Each person receives the sacraments on their own. Your wife didn’t somehow become Catholic by marrying a Catholic. If she wants to become Catholic she is definitely welcome in the Church. By virtue of being married to a Catholic and attending Mass, she probably has a head start on being familiar with the Church and her teachings.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Her parents were fully baptized and practising. She attended catholic school, et al. But never received any sacrament. She was never baptized etc.

This is difficult to believe. If her parents were practicing Catholics, why didn’t they baptize their child?

All in all my wife is happy to be married and we strongly believe and practise our faith and plan to raise our kids catholic as well.

If she considers herself a believer and wants to practice Catholicism and raise her children Catholic, why didn’t she ever receive the sacraments?

 

[Regina_Love]

I could marry a Doctor, but that would not make me a doctor. Many years of study would be required to earn such a recognition. She can ask your local priest about joining RCIA - (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes. Imagine the wonderful discussions you could have as a couple if you took the classes together! I’ve often thought of going through the classes to discuss the faith on an adult level.

 

[LROH]

Please check with priest or religious ed director at local parish. Also check with her parents to see if she was baptized but never went back for first penance, holy communion & confirmation.

Local parish will be able to start investigation as to whether wife has ever been baptized if her parents recall that she was. If not they will help both of you understand the process to become a Catholic Church member.

Things have changed tremendously since you were a child. It used to be the child was prepared by the church, now the family is expected to be ready and an integral part of the child’s formation to receive the sacraments.

As a convert to the Catholic Church via RCIA, my husband seemed shocked and surprised at all he didn’t know as a cradle catholic. It was a wonderful experience for both of us.