sikh and catholic marriage.

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I am no expert but I think that it would be very unlikely. Sikh’s are not Christian and are not even monotheistic in their faith (according to my understanding) so I cannot imagine the Catholic Church condoning a Catholic marrying in a Sikh religious ceremony. I am not sure what the Sikh religious ceremony is like but I wonder if it is similar to the Hindu puja ceremony?
I also wonder how the couple would reconcile the differences in their religious lifestyles. The few Sikh’s that I have met (and that was years ago) practice kundalini yoga, the men wear turbans as part of the religion, and they have an Eastern (Indian) focus in their religious life. They are quite religious so I would think it best for a Sikh to marry a Sikh so that they can maintain a religious household based on their values just as a Catholic would find marrying another Catholic much easier to live out the life of the Church. I think Sikh’s honor Christ as a religious man but not as the son of God.
 
It’s a little late to answer, but…

I married a Sikh man. He agreed to marry in my (catholic) church and raise our children as Catholics. I did not attempt to get married in his faith, and he didn’t ask me to. He is very tolerant of my religion, and I have found that to be true of most Sikhs. It is a monotheistic religion, but it has borrowed elements from both Islam and Hinduism. The most problematic aspect of it is his belief in reincarnation. Contrary to what the New Agers tout it as, it is a rather sombre thing…it is nothing to look forward to! I don’t think the religion would be an issue in marrying a Sikh, but the phrase “When you marry, you marry the family, too” is never more apt! They put great emphasis on family!!!
Just my two cents.
 
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bindybox:
It’s a little late to answer, but…

I married a Sikh man. He agreed to marry in my (catholic) church and raise our children as Catholics. I did not attempt to get married in his faith, and he didn’t ask me to. He is very tolerant of my religion, and I have found that to be true of most Sikhs. It is a monotheistic religion, but it has borrowed elements from both Islam and Hinduism. The most problematic aspect of it is his belief in reincarnation. Contrary to what the New Agers tout it as, it is a rather sombre thing…it is nothing to look forward to! I don’t think the religion would be an issue in marrying a Sikh, but the phrase “When you marry, you marry the family, too” is never more apt! They put great emphasis on family!!!
Just my two cents.
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Well as long as the marriage is given to you by God, meaning that special someone is the best for you. Else he won’t even tolerate your believe right. So Bindy, you’re blessed to have a marriage bless from god…hooray
 
You can marry a sikh, but you cannot have two ceremonies. You must get the proper dispensations from your bishop. Also the sikh party must be aware of your responsibilities for raising any children as Catholics. Talk to your pastor and discuss all of this with him.
 
Its been over 3 years that anybody posted her but I am in a similar situation…

I am an Indian Catholic who has been dating a Sikh girl for around 10 years now.( I know its a long time, she was the 1st and only girl that I fell in love 🙂 )

I am not a devout catholic but I am very proud of the catholic faith.I am getting engaged to her this october; after years of convincing her parents,they’ve finally agreed.

She was born a Sikh but is an atheist.(Atheisim in India is a very subjective term, a person might be an atheist but will still get married according to his/her religious rites because the family is a very important part in our culture)

She has no problems of converting but doesnt want to hurt her parents by converting.So we’ve decided that she wouldnt convert(she was willing to convert for me but I guess the bible teaches that no one can come to christ unless he call him/her

We will be getting married in both the sikh tradition and the catholic way.I do not believe in any other god, I firmly believe that the only way to the lord is through christ, so the sikh wedding will be a mere mechanical act for me.
She has agreed to allow us to bring up our kids the catholic way.

My question is what is the procedure for marrying a non catholic in the catholic church. will the priest not marry us during mass? Apart from her receiving communion, will everything else be just like a catholic wedding? Will we have to give it in writing that our kids will be raised catholics?

Looking fwd to ur replies.
God bless,
Franklin
 
franki_rulz said:
Its been over 3 years that anybody posted her but I am in a similar situation…

I am an Indian Catholic who has been dating a Sikh girl for around 10 years now.( I know its a long time, she was the 1st and only girl that I fell in love 🙂 )

I am not a devout catholic but I am very proud of the catholic faith.I am getting engaged to her this october; after years of convincing her parents,they’ve finally agreed.

She was born a Sikh but is an atheist.(Atheisim in India is a very subjective term, a person might be an atheist but will still get married according to his/her religious rites because the family is a very important part in our culture)

She has no problems of converting but doesnt want to hurt her parents by converting.So we’ve decided that she wouldnt convert(she was willing to convert for me but I guess the bible teaches that no one can come to christ unless he call him/her

We will be getting married in both the sikh tradition and the catholic way.I do not believe in any other god, I firmly believe that the only way to the lord is through christ, so the sikh wedding will be a mere mechanical act for me.
She has agreed to allow us to bring up our kids the catholic way.

My question is what is the procedure for marrying a non catholic in the catholic church. will the priest not marry us during mass? Apart from her receiving communion, will everything else be just like a catholic wedding? Will we have to give it in writing that our kids will be raised catholics?

Looking fwd to ur replies.
God bless,
Franklin
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You need to make a appointment to speak to your Priest. If she is not going to Convert then you more than likely would not have a full Mass, for the wedding but you would still need to have the Priest there to preside or obtain a dispensation from your Bishop to marry in a non Catholic service. Talk to your Priest he will be able to answer all those question and guide you in the right direction.

God Bless
 
franki_rulz said:
We will be getting married in both the sikh tradition and the catholic way.
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You cannot have two ceremonies.

You can get married in a sikh ceremony or a Catholic ceremony, not both. From Canon Law:

Can. 1127 §3. It is forbidden to have another religious celebration of the same marriage to give or renew matrimonial consent before or after the canonical celebration according to the norm of §1. Likewise, there is not to be a religious celebration in which the Catholic who is assisting and a non-Catholic minister together, using their own rites, ask for the consent of the parties.
franki_rulz said:
My question is what is the procedure for marrying a non catholic in the catholic church. will the priest not marry us during mass? Apart from her receiving communion, will everything else be just like a catholic wedding? Will we have to give it in writing that our kids will be raised catholics?
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You will go through Catholic marriage preparation with your priest and whatever your diocese requires. This will include all the premarital paperwork and your priest will guide you through it all.

To marry an unbaptized person you will need a dispensation for disparity of cult from your bishop. Your priest will help you with this paperwork.

If you decide to marry her in a sikh ceremony you will need permission to marry outside canonical form-- which your priest can help you with.

Or, you can choose to get married in the Catholic form. You would not have a Mass since you are marrying an unbaptized person. You would have the Marriage Rite only.

Regarding promises about children, you must make a promise to do all in your power to raise your children Catholic, and she must acknowledge that she has been *informed *of this promise. She does not *make *a promise since she is not a Catholic. How this promise and acknowledgement is done will depend on your diocese, probably a form you have to sign during the premarital sessions.

I hope you will encourage her to learn about the Catholic faith and hopefully she will come to Christ for the right reasons.
 
1ke said:
I hope you will encourage her to learn about the Catholic faith and hopefully she will come to Christ for the right reasons.
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I have tried but it hasnt helped till date. Since she is an atheist, she tends to question everything; for instance, has anybody seen christ being crucified and then being raised from the dead?. I have tried convincing her a lot of times but it hasnt helped till date. 😦

I want everyone to pray for us.I really want her to come to accept christ.
 
franki_rulz said:
Its been over 3 years that anybody posted her but I am in a similar situation…

I am an Indian Catholic who has been dating a Sikh girl for around 10 years now.( I know its a long time, she was the 1st and only girl that I fell in love 🙂 )

I am not a devout catholic but I am very proud of the catholic faith.I am getting engaged to her this october; after years of convincing her parents,they’ve finally agreed.

She was born a Sikh but is an atheist.(Atheisim in India is a very subjective term, a person might be an atheist but will still get married according to his/her religious rites because the family is a very important part in our culture)

She has no problems of converting but doesnt want to hurt her parents by converting.So we’ve decided that she wouldnt convert(she was willing to convert for me but I guess the bible teaches that no one can come to christ unless he call him/her

We will be getting married in both the sikh tradition and the catholic way.I do not believe in any other god, I firmly believe that the only way to the lord is through christ, so the sikh wedding will be a mere mechanical act for me.
She has agreed to allow us to bring up our kids the catholic way.

My question is what is the procedure for marrying a non catholic in the catholic church. will the priest not marry us during mass? Apart from her receiving communion, will everything else be just like a catholic wedding? Will we have to give it in writing that our kids will be raised catholics?

Looking fwd to ur replies.
God bless,
Franklin
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Hi Franklin,

I am a Catholic marrying a Sikh as well. We are getting married next year.

We had been told by a priest a long time ago that we were not going to be able to marry in both places of worship. At that point we just decided to go ahead with a ceremony at his Gurdwara and a symobolic ceremony at the venue precided by an officiant.
A month or so ago we found out that we could in fact get married in the church and Gurdwara. We went to speak to the priest who was absolutly fabolous and understanding. In order to get married in the Catholic church we have to get a dispensation from the Bishiop (which is easily granted), go through the courses and my fiance does have to swear on his holy book that we will baptize our children in the Catholic faith. Due to the latter and conflict with dates we have decided to go through with our originnal plan of getting married at his Gurdwara and at the venue.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions!

Melissa
 
Melissa I may be reading this wrong but are you saying that you are intentionally disobeying Church Law?
 
Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any controversy but yes, that is what I have chosen to do. Maybe later on we are ready to have children we will go through with a catholic ceremony. I believe that God blesses my union non the less.
 
MP1982 said:
Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any controversy but yes, that is what I have chosen to do. Maybe later on we are ready to have children we will go through with a catholic ceremony. I believe that God blesses my union non the less.
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Your choice, however, and I mean this with respect, I do not think you are the person who should be answering questions about what someone should do when they have asked about doing things according to the Church.
 
I apologize if I didn’t express myself correctly, I didn’t mean to give spiritual guidance on right and wrong in the Catholic church…I meant to share my own experience, which was similar to the person who originally posted. I merely shared with that person what the process was, what that person chooses to do is their own personal decision. I’m not here to pass any judgment onto others.
 
MP1982 said:
Hi Franklin,

I am a Catholic marrying a Sikh as well. We are getting married next year.

We had been told by a priest a long time ago that we were not going to be able to marry in both places of worship. At that point we just decided to go ahead with a ceremony at his Gurdwara and a symobolic ceremony at the venue precided by an officiant.
A month or so ago we found out that we could in fact get married in the church and Gurdwara. We went to speak to the priest who was absolutly fabolous and understanding. In order to get married in the Catholic church we have to get a dispensation from the Bishiop (which is easily granted), go through the courses and my fiance does have to swear on his holy book that we will baptize our children in the Catholic faith. Due to the latter and conflict with dates we have decided to go through with our originnal plan of getting married at his Gurdwara and at the venue.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions!

Melissa
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What religion will you raise your children?
 
Hi Melissa,

Would you raise you k kiids as christian or sikhs?.. Just a word of caution;although non muslim Indian men are generally very tolerant,when it comes to raising kids,they would not like it if their kids are raised in the mothers religion. Reason: family pressure.Its an unwritten norm in India that the kids generally follow the fathers religion.
I pray that in your case that doesnt happen.
God bless.
Franklin
 
We will teach the kids both religions. As you know Franklin, Sikhism is a very open and toleran religion. Also, I am very aware of of how Indian men and families are as we’ve been together for a very long time. I’ve lucked out as my future husband and in-laws are wonderful people and share our views on how to raise our children.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey and hopefully it works out for you.

Melissa
 
LDNCatholic said:
Your choice. however, and I mean this with respect, I do not think you are the person who should be answering questions about what someone should do when they have asked about doing things according to the Church.
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Seconded.
 
My understanding of Sikhism from reading the Guru Granth Sahib is that there is nothing - again, absolutely nothing - contrary to Catholicism; it simply lacks some doctrines that can only be known through Divine Revelation (such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Church). I don’t remember seeing any references to reincarnation; if there are, it’s just a part of the culture where it was written, and something most people (pace the New Age freaks) would be glad to escape from. Monotheism is quite clearly taught; the Hindu deities are portrayed very specifically as creatures adoring their Creator as we do.

It is treated at times in the Guru Granth Sahib as a sort of church - there are many references to salvation and grace coming through the Guru - which may be a divergence of doctrine. Frankly, I don’t know and can’t know what graces come through the Guru; given the truth of his teachings, he may very well have shared in and communicated grace from the Church outside of which nobody can be saved.

If my impression is correct, how does this affect our understanding of the canon law quoted above? Of course we should always obey canon law with absolute obedience - I’m not advocating getting married in a gurudwara, in disobedience to the Church - but it may be possible in the future (if the mind of the Church permits it) to absorb Sikh religious practices into Catholicism.
 
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