Validity of my marriage?

[LightFury]

I have a serious question, and because I can’t get a meeting with my pastor yet and haven’t heard back from my sponsor about who to talk to, I’m asking here.

I am not baptized. My husband is. We were married in Hawaii in 2016 on the beach. Neither of us were “practicing Christians” at that time. I am currently in RCIA and will be baptized, confirmed and receive the Eucharist on Easter Vigil. We have a baby girl and she was born in 2018, so well within my marriage to my husband. My question is, is my marriage considered valid by the Catholic church? If not, what does that mean? Does that mean we don’t have an actual marriage, are living in sin, and that my child was actually born out of wedlock and is illegitimate? I have a marriage certificate and we are legally married according to US law. I’m just confused as to how I could be in the wrong somehow?

No one seems to know how to answer this for me so I was told that someone “with more experience” could talk to me about it and explain it to me, but it’s been three months and I still have no answers. This is seriously bothering me.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Sit down with either your Pastor (just call and make an appointment) or call the Tribunal office at your Diocese and ask for the name of an advocate.

The basic is, if both parties are free to marry and neither were ever baptized Catholic, you can get married on a beach or at an Elvis chapel or in a Baptist auditorium. As long as it is legal, it is presumed valid.

Your pastor or advocate will go into your specific details in a way we cannot do online.

This was moved from Prayer Intentions to Family Life.

 

[TC3033]

Yep, like what TheLittleLady said.

It depends on:

What denomination your husband was baptized into.

And if you were free to marry.

If you were both free to marry and your husband was baptized in a Christian denomination other than Catholic…you’re good to go.

If he was baptized Catholic (free to marry) and you didn’t get the correct permissions from the church for the marriage outside of form…ya, it isn’t valid and you’ll need a convalidation.

 

[Horton]

This is such simple question I can’t imagine why the RCIA director can’t answer it.

Were either of you married before this marriage?

Was your husband baptized Catholic?

These are the only two questions that need answered to make a determination. If your husband wasn’t baptized Catholic it doesn’t really matter what church he was baptized in to make a determination if it is a valid marriage.

 

[1ke]

Neither of us were “practicing Christians” at that time.

You need to elaborate regarding your husband. You are unbaptized. What about him? Wherher practicing or not, was he baptized Catholic (or Orthodox) or baptized at all?

And were either of you previously married?

No one seems to know how to answer this for me so I was told that someone “with more experience” could talk to me about it and explain it to me, but it’s been three months and I still have no answers. This is seriously bothering me.

I’m sorry, I’m not sure why you received that answer.