Valid marriage between Catholic and unbaptized being elevated to Sacrament after conversion?

[Thais]

Please read carefully because our question may not be as simple as it may seem.

My husband and I are validly married in the Catholic Church.
I’m a cradle catholic, he is non-denominational with an invalid baptism. We got married in the Church 3 years ago - with the proper archbishop’s dispensation due to the disparity of cult/worship as he is considered unbaptized.
Yesterday, by God’s grace, my husband finally decided to become Catholic: be baptized, receive all the sacraments, etc. He had already gone through 2 years of RCIA, without ever being ready to make the final commitment for baptism.
We understand that our marriage has always been valid, but it’s not yet a Sacrament due to him not being baptized yet.

We have 2 questions to which we would like, not so much an answer, but most importantly official sources from the Church’s documents, Catechism or Canon Law - which we have already tried researching:

1. Is any special blessing or rite required in order to elevate our valid marriage to the condition of a Sacrament, or will that automatically happen immediately with his baptism?
2. If no special blessing is required, would that a possibility? In other words, even if it’s not required, I would love to have an external sign of the reception of this enormous Grace that both he and I will be receiving “in the background”.

We have already called our parish’s RCIA coordinator and will be meeting with him this week and he will be meeting with our priest beforehand. We will make sure to discuss this with them, but we would like to get the answer from the Church’s official documents ahead of time.

We appreciate your help!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Please read carefully because our question may not be as simple as it may seem.

My husband and I are validly married in the Catholic Church.
I’m a cradle catholic, he is non-denominational with an invalid baptism. We got married in the Church 3 years ago - with the proper archbishop’s dispensation due to the disparity of cult/worship as he is considered unbaptized.
Yesterday, by God’s grace, my husband finally decided to become Catholic: be baptized, receive all the sacraments, etc. He had already gone through 2 years of RCIA, without ever being ready to make the final commitment for baptism.
We understand that our marriage has always been valid, but it’s not yet a Sacrament due to him not being baptized yet.

We have 2 questions to which we would like, not so much an answer, but most importantly official sources from the Church’s documents, Catechism or Canon Law - which we have already tried researching:

1. Is any special blessing or rite required in order to elevate our valid marriage to the condition of a Sacrament, or will that automatically happen immediately with his baptism?
2. If no special blessing is required, would that a possibility? In other words, even if it’s not required, I would love to have an external sign of the reception of this enormous Grace that both he and I will be receiving “in the background”.

We have already called our parish’s RCIA coordinator and will be meeting with him this week and he will be meeting with our priest beforehand. We will make sure to discuss this with them, but we would like to get the answer from the Church’s official documents ahead of time.

We appreciate your help!

1. No, nothing else needs to be done, your Marriage becomes a Sacramental Marriage at the moment of his Baptism.
2. Yes, you could ask for a Nuptual Blessing.

 

[armywife]

I don’t have anything official yet, but I’m researching.

I can answer you though, because my husband and I are in the exact same situation. He just started RCIA a few weeks ago. We have all the proper dispensations and our priest told me, when we were married that if DH did convert, then our marriage would automatically become a sacrament. Nothing else need be done. I also heard Jimmy Akin on Catholic Answers radio give the same answer if that’s any consolation.

As for your second question I don’t think there is another blessing, unless you wanted to renew you vows. I think that would be the only option, although the Book of Blessings is quite large.

 

[1ke]

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.

 

[Thais]

I looked at the Nuptial Blessing and it talks about the “handmaid that is about to be joined in marriage” or something similar, so that wouldn’t quite fit our situation.
Then I didn’t want necessarily a Vow Renewal because at this point I do not know what to think of that procedure, since that sounds a bit contrary to the covenant nature of Matrimony as opposed to a contract. But I’m not condemning it, it’s just something I need to look further into what exactly the Church says about it later.

But both suggestions led me to the Book of Blessings from the Roman Ritual and this “Blessing of a Married Couple within Mass on Other Occasions” sounds perfect.

armywife, I hope you and your husband will be united in Faith soon this coming Easter Vigil. You might want to take a look at this blessing, it talks about exactly what I think will start happening to my husband and I more than ever once our marriage is elevated to Sacrament.

Option B in catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=697

Thank you all for your comments. You definitely pointed us in the right direction!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I looked at the Nuptial Blessing and it talks about the “handmaid that is about to be joined in marriage” or something similar, so that wouldn’t quite fit our situation.
Then I didn’t want necessarily a Vow Renewal because at this point I do not know what to think of that procedure, since that sounds a bit contrary to the covenant nature of Matrimony as opposed to a contract. But I’m not condemning it, it’s just something I need to look further into what exactly the Church says about it later.

But both suggestions led me to the Book of Blessings from the Roman Ritual and this “Blessing of a Married Couple within Mass on Other Occasions” sounds perfect.

armywife, I hope you and your husband will be united in Faith soon this coming Easter Vigil. You might want to take a look at this blessing, it talks about exactly what I think will start happening to my husband and I more than ever once our marriage is elevated to Sacrament.

Option B in catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=697

Thank you all for your comments. You definitely pointed us in the right direction!

There are several different Nuptual Blessings available for different situations.