Wedding mass on Jan 1st

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xlhtnx

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I’m planning to have my wedding on Saturday, January 1, 2011 and wondering if that is allowed by the church since it is a Holy Day of Obligation (Mary, Mother of God). Would it be okay to have it at 4pm since it is consider as Sunday?
 
You really should talk to the parish where you are planning to be married.

This link indicates that it may be possible to be married on a Holy Day of Obligation (January 1) but the readings for the Mass would have to be the readings for the Holy Day of Obligation, rather than readings chosen for the wedding liturgy.

catholicweddinghelp.com/topics/readings-days.htm

Again, the best thing to do is talk with the parish where you are getting married and see what their practice is for Saturday weddings in general, and for this day in particular.
 
A friend of mine from high school got married on 1/1 the last time it was on a Saturday. No issue. She was also permitted to select readings appropriate for a wedding and forgo the readings for the Solemnity of Mary. Which is, as I understand the rubrics, not allowed.
 
How wonderful, to know you will celebrate your wedding anniversary every year in Mass 😃
 
xlhtnx said:
I’m planning to have my wedding on Saturday, January 1, 2011 and wondering if that is allowed by the church since it is a Holy Day of Obligation (Mary, Mother of God). Would it be okay to have it at 4pm since it is consider as Sunday?
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Actually you have two issues here. The first, whether or not such a wedding is allowed is one. Keep in mind that your own diocese may have its own rules. The second issue is whether or not there is a priest or deacon available to marry you on that day. If you parish has limited Masses on January 1st it may be that the clergy won’t be around. The week or two after Christmas is a time that priests and deacons may try to sneak in vacations of their own.

…of course they’ll need to be back for Epiphany so they can’t have gone TOO far.
 
xlhtnx said:
I’m planning to have my wedding on Saturday, January 1, 2011 and wondering if that is allowed by the church since it is a Holy Day of Obligation (Mary, Mother of God). Would it be okay to have it at 4pm since it is consider as Sunday?
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We just got married on September 25th which isn’t a HDO, but we originally wanted to get married on August 15th which is. It was a Saturday. We were told by two different priests, that it is up to the priest that is marrying you if he is OK with performing a wedding on that day. Also, technically since that Holy Day of Obligation falls on a Saturday, unless there is daily Mass there, the Sunday Mass usurps it and they don’t do the readings for that day anyway. I should say that this has been my experience in my diocese and I think it is up to the local ordinary to decide on this. Please correct me if I’m wrong (no really, please, then I can take it to the BIshop ;))

The best place to check this out though is with your priest.
 
Jea9 said:
We just got married on September 25th which isn’t a HDO, but we originally wanted to get married on August 15th which is. It was a Saturday. We were told by two different priests, that it is up to the priest that is marrying you if he is OK with performing a wedding on that day. Also, technically since that Holy Day of Obligation falls on a Saturday, unless there is daily Mass there, the Sunday Mass usurps it and they don’t do the readings for that day anyway. I should say that this has been my experience in my diocese and I think it is up to the local ordinary to decide on this. Please correct me if I’m wrong (no really, please, then I can take it to the BIshop ;))

The best place to check this out though is with your priest.
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It depends on what time the wedding will be. The feast is still a feast day whether or not it’s a Holy Day of Obligation (it isn’t one in the US this year because it falls on Saturday but in Canada it is one because our obligation is not abrogated on Saturdays or Mondays). If the wedding is a day wedding I would think the feast day readings apply (although one can be from the choices for the Nuptial Mass).

BTW, don’t aren’t many of us celebrating Epiphany on January 2 this year?
 
Well, you wouldn’t be able to at our Parish or almost anywhere in our diocese as we have confession at 4pm followed by Mass on Saturdays. Unless you were going for a public wedding during a typical Mass. First step call up your parish and ask. Don’t **plan **until you know if it’s available.
 
xlhtnx said:
I’m planning to have my wedding on Saturday, January 1, 2011 and wondering if that is allowed by the church since it is a Holy Day of Obligation (Mary, Mother of God). Would it be okay to have it at 4pm since it is consider as Sunday?
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There are 2 questions here. The first is whether or not the Rite of Marriage itself is permitted in your own diocese on solemnities (Jan 1 in particular of course).

Ritual Masses are not permitted on Solemnities, however, that doesn’t mean that the Rite of Marriage can’t take place during the solemnity Mass. In fact, the liturgical norms for marriages (#11) specifically makes provision for this. The Mass (prayers and readings) is that of the Solemnity, but the marriage rite is done within that Mass.

Your diocese will have a clear policy on both of those issues. It’s good that you’re planning ahead here.

If you have at 4 PM or later (assuming the pastor can even schedule it that way), it would be Sunday, and not the Solemnity, so the rules for Jan 1 wouldn’t apply; but you still run into the issue of whether or not your own bishop allows weddings and/or the wedding Mass on Sundays.
 
Is your reason something more than “we want a kewl date, dude. We can say we got married on 1/1/11…” ???
 
I am also getting married on January 1, 2011!

First, as Fr. David pointed out, the Rite of Marriage is what you need to consult for this issue. You must use the Mass for the Day, the Solemnity, and the Rite of Marriage is within that Mass setting. So, there are implications for the reading selections, etc.

Second, my pastor is having a 10 am Mass for the Feast, and a vigil Mass the night before also, making the rehearsal for the Wedding 3pm on New Year’s Day, possibly! So, consider that also. My pastor and the priest marrying us are both OK with that day, and, as my pastor jokingly said, “the only problem is that you will be interrupting a football game!” So, no problems. Plus, if there are any non-Christians invited (as is the case for many friends of my brother with whom I am also close and who are invited), then perhaps you can prevent them from imbibing too much on New Year’s Eve!

Third, the selection of this date, for my fiancee and me, was not to just have a “kewl date” but because it is a greeeeeeat Feast Day of the Holy Mother of God, and thus every anniversary is on a Solemnity. What blessings! Plus! …there will be the Gloria and Credo at the Mass! Plus, think how much more solemn will be the tradition of taking flowers to a statue of Mary at the end of the Wedding, on the Feast of Mary’s divine Motherhood!

A good day to be married! 🙂
 
Jan 1 is a Saturday this year so I know the obligation to attend Mass for the Holy Day is abrogated but I wonder if that also means you don’t have to use the readings for the day since it is still a solemnity.
 
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