Having a Catholic Wedding (3)

(Frequently Asked Questions Part 3: Questions 1 to 21)


Will the Church let us have a Catholic Wedding?


1. We’re living together. May we still be married in the Catholic Church?

2. I am a Catholic, but I’m pregnant. May I have a Catholic wedding?

3. I was baptised a Catholic, but I don’t go to church. May we still have a Catholic wedding?

4. I’ve had a vasectomy/tubal ligation. Can I have a valid church marriage?

5. I’ve had an abortion. I deeply regret this. I now wish to marry. Can we have a church marriage?

6. My child has a serious intellectual disability, can he/she get married in the Church?

7. My fiancé and I have decided we will not have children. Is that a problem for a valid Church marriage?

8. I’m Catholic, but I haven’t been confirmed yet. May I get married in the Catholic Church?

9. My fiancé belongs to the Ukrainian (Eastern) Catholic Church. Can we get married in my local Catholic Church?

10. I’m a Catholic but my fiancée is a non-Catholic. What is the procedure for us to get married in the Catholic Church?

11. I’m Catholic but my fiancé, who is a non Catholic, is divorced. His divorced is recognised by his Church. Can we get married in the Catholic Church?

12. I’m waiting for an annulment. It’s almost certain. Can we get married in anticipation?

13. My spouse and I are both baptised Catholics but we were married in a civil ceremony. What do we need to do to get our marriage recognised by the Catholic Church?

14. I’m a baptised Catholic and my spouse is a non-Catholic. We were married by the Minister from her church without seeking approval from the Catholic Church. What do we need to do to get our marriage recognised by the Catholic Church?

15. I’m Catholic but my fiancé isn’t. Does he have to become a Catholic to be married in the church?

16. I’m a Catholic but my fiancée is Muslim. Can a Catholic marry an unbaptised person?

17. Neither of us is Catholic, but my fiancé is preparing to become one. May we have a Catholic marriage ceremony?

18. My fiancé and I are both non-Catholic but would like to use the local Catholic Chapel for our wedding. Is this permitted?

19. We are unable to have children. May we still get married in the church?

20. Can a paraplegic who is totally impotent be married in the Church?

21. My homosexual partner and I want our union to last forever. May we have a ceremony in the Catholic Church?


1. We’re living together. May we still be married in the Catholic Church?

Cohabitation is not a canonical impediment to marriage, so a couple may not be refused marriage solely on the basis of cohabitation. Marriage education and a valid wedding in a Catholic Church may proceed even if the couple continue to live together.

Nevertheless, sexual intercourse outside of marriage is contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible (Ex. 20:14; Dt 5:18; Mt 15:19; 19:18; Rom 13:9; Eph 5:3) and of the Christian tradition throughout the ages. After discussion with a cohabiting couple, the priest should encourage them to separate, or at least live chastely, for the remainder of the period leading up to the wedding. This is not due to a negative attitude of the Church to sexual intercourse, but reflects the Church’s belief that sexual love is a total gift of self which can only be made within the commitment of the marriage vows: “it cannot be an arrangement ‘until further notice’ ” (CCC 1646). The couple are urged to use the period leading to their wedding as a time of building mutual respect, deepening their emotional intimacy. This time frees the couple to reflect on their decision to marry and to develop their appreciation of the full meaning of the commitment upon which they are embarking.

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2. I am a Catholic, but I’m pregnant. May I have a Catholic wedding?

Pregnancy is not a canonical impediment to marriage, so a couple may not be refused marriage solely because the woman is pregnant.

In a culture which all too often disposes of human life through the tragedy of abortion, a couple who have chosen to respect life and accept God’s gift of human life should be commended for their courage and their respect for human life.

The priest will want to be certain, however, that both partners are freely making their commitment to a lifelong relationship together and that the marriage is not simply to avoid scandal or due to pressure from parents or partner. In some situations it may be for the long term good of both partners and the child to postpone the wedding until after the birth of the child or even to decide not to proceed to marriage.

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3. I was baptised a Catholic, but I don’t go to church. May we still have a Catholic wedding?

Couples seeking marriage in the Church are encouraged to participate regularly in Mass and the sacraments, but they may not be refused marriage in the Church solely because they have not been active Catholics. Nevertheless, both partners will be encouraged to attend pre-marriage education where the Catholic understanding of sacramental marriage is explained.

Since the essence of the Sacrament of Matrimony is the mutual consent to be married that the bride and the groom exchange in the wedding vows, it is essential that both persons understand and intend what that exchange of consent means. The question your priest will have to answer is whether your reasons for not participating in the Mass affect your ability to consent to sacramental marriage.

If neither partner can accept the fundamentals of Church teaching on marriage, it would be hypocritical to have a Catholic wedding. Indeed, in his encyclical letter on Families in the Modern World, Pope John-Paul II wrote: “… when in spite of all efforts, engaged couples show that they reject explicitly and formally what the Church intends to do when the marriage of baptised persons is celebrated, the pastor of souls cannot admit them to the celebration of marriage… it is not the Church that is placing an obstacle in the way of the celebration that they are asking for, but themselves.”
SOURCE: The Christian Family in the Modern World

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4. I’ve had a vasectomy/tubal ligation. Can I have a valid church marriage?

Catholic teaching regards any form of contraception or sterilisation, including vasectomies and tubal ligations, as morally wrong. In this case the sterilisation is in the past. Provided it has been sincerely repented of in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the sterility due to the operation is not a barrier to a sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church.

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5. I’ve had an abortion. I deeply regret this. I now wish to marry. Can we have a church marriage?

Church teaching (CCC 2272) and Church law (Can. 1398) provide that a Catholic who, knowingly and willingly performs an abortion, has an abortion, or cooperates in the procuring of an abortion automatically places themselves outside the Church. (Of course, only God knows the human heart and the degree of culpability in such matters.) Sincere repentance in the Sacrament of Reconciliation results both in God’s forgiveness of the sin and in the removal of the excommunication. Assuming there are no other impediments, there would then be no barrier to a valid Church marriage.

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6. My child has a serious intellectual disability, can he/she get married in the Church?

Disability in itself is no bar to marriage if the physical, emotional and psychological capacity to enter into a permanent union is present. The fundamental question is whether both partners are capable of giving genuine consent to marriage as the Catholic Church understands it, because consent is at the heart of a sacramental marriage.

Persons wishing to marry need to be free of any grave lack of discretion that might affect their ability to make valid judgements about the rights and duties they are to commit themselves to in marriage. Also, emotional maturity and the ability to relate to others is an important basis for the permanent loving relationship of Christian marriage. In the case of someone with intellectual disability, the medical, intellectual and/or psychiatric issues relating to the capacity for marriage should be examined with the help of experts in the field and wise counsellors. However, if the requirements for a valid marriage are present, then people with disabilities are not to be treated differently from anyone else.

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7. My fiance and I have decided we will not have children. Is that a problem for a valid Church marriage?

For a marriage to be valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church, there must be an openness on the part of both partners to have children. The timing and the number of children is, however, a matter for their individual consciences, properly formed in Catholic moral teaching, and their mutual decision.

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8. I’m Catholic, but I haven’t been confirmed yet. May I get married in the Catholic Church?

Catholics who have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation should receive it before they are admitted to marriage, if it can be done without grave inconvenience. (Can. 1065 §1) This can usually be arranged with the celebrating priest.

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9. My fiance belongs to the Ukrainian (Eastern) Catholic Church. Can we get married in my local Catholic Church?

The marriage of Catholics canonically enrolled in any of the Eastern Catholic Churches is governed by the prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. For example, the Code directs that such marriages are to be celebrated in the Church of the groom unless a just cause excuses. There are a variety of other differences in rules regarding marriage and in the wedding ceremony itself. You should discuss these differences with your respective parish priests.

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10. I’m a Catholic but my fiancee is a non-Catholic. What is the procedure for us to get married in the Catholic Church?

During the Pre-Nuptial Inquiry, your local priest or pastoral assistant will prepare a written request is also prepared in which the Catholic seeks the permission of the bishop to proceed with a marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic, an inter-Church marriage, popularly known as a “mixed marriage”. In most cases this request is readily granted. As part of the request, the Catholic party promises to do his or her best to raise the children as Catholics.

In a few cases of marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic, the bishop may also authorise a non-Catholic minister rather than a priest to act as the official witness to that marriage, for example if one partner is the daughter or son of a clergyman. This marriage still remains within the law and pastoral care of the Catholic Church.

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11. I’m Catholic but my fiance, who is a non Catholic, is divorced. His divorced is recognised by his Church. Can we get married in the Catholic Church?

The marriage of a Catholic to a divorced person is not valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church if that original marriage met all the requirements for a valid Church marriage. However, there are situations where a Church Marriage Tribunal may declare that the original marriage was not a valid marriage according to the laws of the Church. This is called a ‘Declaration of Nullity’, popularly termed an ‘annulment’. In such a case a Catholic could marry a divorced person, Catholic or non-Catholic. Such situations require advice, assistance and guidance from a priest.

For more information regarding annulments refer to the companion publication: “Divorce and the Catholic Church – Frequently Asked Questions”, available free of charge from:

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12. I’m waiting for an annulment. It’s almost certain. Can we get married in anticipation?

The Church regards a marriage as so important that all marriages are presumed to be valid, whether they are celebrated in or outside the Catholic church in any place, until a decree of nullity is definitively promulgated. Even if your previous marriage is eventually found to be invalid, it is not permitted under Church law to enter into another marriage before an annulment has been formally ratified by the appropriate Church Tribunal. (Can. 1085 §2)

For more information regarding annulments refer to the companion publication: “Divorce and the Catholic Church – Frequently Asked Questions”, available free of charge from:
Divorce & the Catholic Church – FAQ .

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13. My spouse and I are both baptised Catholics but we were married in a civil ceremony. What do we need to do to get our marriage recognised by the Catholic Church?

Even though your civil marriage is recognised by the State, the Church requires that, to be sacramentally valid, the marriage of a Catholic must take place according to the laws of the Church. Assuming the criteria for a valid Catholic marriage are met, you would get your civil ceremony convalidated. Convalidation is a true wedding ceremony, the Sacrament of Matrimony, but is a simple ritual, including the reading of scripture and exchange of vows. Rings can be either exchanged or the original rings blessed, according to the desire of the couple. You should speak to your local priest about this.

Depending on the circumstances, another way a marriage can recognised as a valid Catholic marriage is through Retroactive Validation (Can. 1161 §1). This does not require a new formal exchange of consent although the couple must, of course, continue in their consent to be married. In this case, the couple, or the Catholic partner, would ask the priest to seek to have their marriage validated in the eyes of the Church. They present the necessary papers – the marriage certificate of their original marriage, baptismal certificates, etc – and the priest will forward these to the diocesan bishop, who, if satisfied that the criteria for a valid Catholic marriage are met, issues the validation. When it is granted, the couple are considered to have been married validly in the eyes of the Church from the date of their original invalid marriage.

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14. I’m a baptised Catholic and my spouse is a non-Catholic. We were married by the Minister from her church without seeking approval from the Catholic Church. What do we need to do to get our marriage recognised by the Catholic Church?

Even though your civil marriage is recognised by the State, the Church requires that, to be sacramentally valid, that all the conditions set out in canon law be followed, including getting dispensations such as marriage in a non-Catholic church or before a minister of a non-Catholic denomination. However, provided you are both free to marry according to the laws of the Catholic church, you can approach a priest, and seek retroactive validation. This form of validation can be granted even if one of the parties, e.g. the non-Catholic, is unaware of it.


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15. I’m Catholic but my fiance isn’t. Does he have to become a Catholic to be married in the church?

The Catholic Church honours the conscience of the non-Catholic party, respecting his/her religious convictions. In other words, there will be no pressure placed on the non-Catholic to “convert” to the Catholic tradition. However, assuming the criteria for a valid Catholic marriage are met, the Catholic must still seek permission from the local bishop to marry a non-Catholic. You should discuss this with your parish priest.

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16. I’m a Catholic but my fiancee is Muslim. Can a Catholic marry an unbaptised person?

The Church respects the natural right of every person to marry. However, assuming the criteria for a valid Catholic marriage are met, the Catholic must still seek permission from the local bishop to marry a non-baptised person. You should discuss this with your parish priest. There are some slight variations in the marriage ceremony.

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17. Neither of us is Catholic, but my fiance is preparing to become one. May we have a Catholic marriage ceremony?

A Catholic wedding must include at least one partner who is a baptised Catholic.

If both of you are baptised Christians, and you decide to go ahead and get married according to the norms of your particular denomination(s) before he is received into the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church regards your marriage as a valid sacramental marriage, assuming that the conditions for a valid marriage are met.

If, prior to your fiance being received into the Catholic Church, you have a civil wedding, this is also recognised as valid by the Church, but not necessarily as sacramental. In this case, after your spouse is received into the Church, you can approach a priest, and seek retroactive validation, as discussed in a previous question.

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18. My fiance and I are both non-Catholic but would like to use the local Catholic Chapel for our wedding. Is this permitted?

Catholic churches are consecrated or blessed buildings which have an important significance for the Catholic community. They are therefore generally reserved for Catholic worship. However, if ministers of a non-Catholic community do not have a place for celebrating worthily their religious ceremonies, the diocesan bishop may allow them the use of a church or a Catholic building. (1993 Directory of Ecumenism, par. 137).

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19. We are unable to have children. May we still get married in the church?

Inability to have children, whether due to age or infertility, is no bar to marriage. The Code of Canon Law affirms, “Sterility neither prohibits nor invalidates marriage” (Can. 1084 §3).

Appreciating the suffering of an infertile couple, the Catechism states, “Spouses to whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice” (CCC. 1654).

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20. Can a paraplegic who is totally impotent be married in the Church?

This is a complex canonical and medical issue and any particular case should be referred to competent authorities in the field.

Sexual intercourse is an integral dimension of sacramental marriage, the “one flesh” union of a man and a woman. In Catholic theology, whilst consent is central to the sacrament of marriage, it is consummation, the act of sexual intercourse, that constitutes marriage as indissoluble. Accordingly, pre-existing and permanent impotence prior to a marriage, that is, the permanent inability to complete sexual intercourse, whether on the part of the man or the woman, by its very nature invalidates marriage (Can. 1084 §1).

However, establishing that impotence is permanent is not always so easy, especially with advances in the medical and pharmacological sciences. In this regard, Can. 1084 §2 is an important qualifier. “If the impediment of impotence is doubtful, whether the doubt be one of law or one of fact, the marriage is not to be prevented nor, while the doubt persists, is it to be declared null.”

It is emphasised that impotence that arises after marriage does not invalidate the marriage.

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21. My homosexual partner and I want our union to last forever. May we have a ceremony in the Catholic Church?

The Catholic Church does not recognise a same-sex union as equivalent to a marriage.

The natural structure of human sexuality makes man and woman complementary partners for the transmission of human life. Only a union of male and female can express the sexual complementarity willed by God for marriage. The permanent and exclusive commitment of marriage is the necessary context for the expression of sexual love intended by God both to serve the transmission of human life and to build up the bond between husband and wife (CCC, 1639-1640).

In marriage, husband and wife give themselves totally to each other in their masculinity and femininity (CCC 1643). They are equal as human beings but different as man and woman, fulfilling each other through this natural difference. This unique complementarity makes possible the conjugal bond that is the core of marriage.

On several counts a same-sex union contradicts the nature of marriage. For example, same-sex union is not based on the natural complementarity of male and female; it cannot cooperate with God to create new life; and the natural purpose of sexual union, the conception of a child, cannot be achieved.
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<align=”center”>Having a Catholic Wedding – Key References

Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Hypertext version: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: The Sacrament of Matrimony
<align=”left”>Download from link:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Code of Canon Law
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Code of Canon Law

The Christian Family in the Modern World (Familiaris Consortio)
<align=”left”>Download from link:
The Christian Family in the Modern World

Divorce & the Catholic Church: Frequently Asked Questions
Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life. Canberra, 2006.
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Divorce & the Catholic Church – FAQ

Marriage in the Catholic Church: Frequently Asked Questions
Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life, 2006.
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Marriage in the Catholic Church – FAQ

God’s Gift of Life & Love: A Pastoral Letter to Catholics on Natural Fertility Methods
Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life, 2009.
<align=”left”>Download from link:
God’s Gift of Life & Love

The Sacramentality of Marriage. Grace for Marriage and Family Life
Bishop Peter Elliott, 2001.
<align=”left”>Download from link:
The Sacramentality of Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage
Includes discussion of marriage preparation, details of the wedding ceremony and FAQs on marriage in the Catholic Church
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Catholic Australia – Marriage

Catholic Society for Marriage Education
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Catholic Society for Marriage Education

Catholic Inquiry Centre
<align=”left”>Download from link:
Catholic Enquiry Centre

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<align=”center”>Having a Catholic Wedding – Glossary

Baptism
Baptismal Certificate
Canon Law
Canonical form
Catechism
Conscience
Consent
Convalidation
Diocese
Dispensation
Sacrament of Holy Communion / Eucharist
Extraordinary_Minister
Impediment
Liturgical Act
Mass
Nuptial Mass
Parish
Parish Priest
Retroactive Validation (Radical Sanation)
Rite
Rite of Marriage
Sacrament
Sacramental Marriage
Marriage Tribunal
Valid Marriage

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Canon Law

The canon law of the Catholic Church is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. The Code of Canon Law 1983, referred to in this document, is the body of Church Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 25 January, 1983. It is binding on all baptised members of the Latin (or Roman) Catholic Church.

Canon law regarding marriage in the Catholic Church prescribes certain rules, give discretion on some rules to the local bishop and give discretion in other areas to the local priest. Apart from these, neither the bishop nor priests may impose restrictions or requirements beyond those already defined by canon law

Eastern Rite Churches which are in communion with the Pope have their own Code of Canon Law (Code of Canons of Oriental Churches, 1990) which governs their members. The laws regarding marriage for members of Eastern Rite Churches differ in some respects from those of the Latin Church.

The English edition of the Code of Canon Law is available at the Vatican web site:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

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Canonical Form

Canonical form refers to conditions required under the canon law of the Catholic Church for a valid marriage where one or both parties are Catholic. For the marriage of a Catholic to be valid, it would be celebrated in a Catholic Church, by the local bishop or the local parish priest (or a priest or deacon delegated by either of them) and before two adult witnesses. For a valid reason, a dispensation from the canonical form can be obtained, for example for the marriage ceremony to be in a different location than a Catholic Church, or for a minister of another Christian denomination to be the celebrant.

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Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (or CCC) is a statement of the Church’s faith and of Catholic doctrine. Pope John Paul II declared it to be “a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith”.

The English edition of the Catechism is available from the Vatican web site:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

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Consent

In addition to being free to marry, both parties must intend marriage. In the Catholic Church, it is consent that creates marriage. Consent consists in a human act by which the partners mutually pledge themselves to each other. Consent must be a free act of the will of the consenting parties, free of any coercion or grave external fear. If freedom is lacking, the consent is invalid and the marriage is invalid. See also CCC 1625-1632.

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Conscience & the Catholic Church

Pope John Paul II taught that conscience is an “interior dialogue of man with himself” about right and wrong. Conscience is a judgment of reason by which a person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act (CCC 1976). A person must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience (CCC1800). However, one’s conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous judgments (CCC1801). Every person, therefore, has a lifelong obligation to form their conscience especially, in the case of Catholics, by seeking to understand the teaching of Scripture and of the Church (CCC 1794).

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Convalidation

There are many baptised Catholics whose marriages do not meet the legal requirements of the Church. A common situation is where the marriage took place in a civil ceremony or in a non-Catholic church without prior approval of the bishop. Such marriages may be valid in the eyes of the State but are invalid in the eyes of the Church.

Validation or convalidation of marriage is the process under the canon law of the Catholic Church by which a couple can seek to have a valid sacramental marriage (Canons 1156-1160).

Provided that there are no impediments to a Catholic marriage, the convalidation ceremony, through the mutual consent of the couple before the priest and witnesses, confers the sacramental marriage.

The convalidation ceremony is a true marriage ceremony, but simpler than a normal wedding. However, through discussion with the parish priest, it may be kept simple and discrete or incorporated into the liturgy of the Mass.

See also Retroactive Validation (also referred to as radical sanation)

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Diocese

A Diocese is the district under the spiritual authority and pastoral care of a bishop. It is divided into Parishes.

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Dispensation

A dispensation is the relaxation, for good and valid reasons, of the Church’s canon law in a particular case. It only relates to purely Church laws, for example the requirement that a Catholic marriage should take place in a Catholic Church. Dispensations cannot be given from Church doctrine which has its origin in divine law, for example Jesus’ teaching on divorce. Canon law specifies where dispensations may be granted and who has the authority.

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Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is, under the Code of Canon Law, an acolyte or other baptised Catholic deputed, in certain specified circumstances, to distribute Holy Communion (Can. 910). The term “extraordinary” distinguishes such a person from the ordinary (normal) minister of Holy Communion, namely a bishop, priest or deacon. “Extraordinary” also refers to the circumstances, namely that the priest is prevented from distributing Holy Communion due to injury, age or some other significant reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged.

Refer: Redemptionis Sacramentum, “On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist” (2004).
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html

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Impediment

In the canon law of the Catholic Church, a canonical impediment is a legal obstacle that prevents a sacrament from being performed validly and/or licitly. Impediments are either from divine law, and so cannot be dispensed, or from Church law and, for a good and valid reason, may be dispensed by the competent Church authority (typically, the local bishop).

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Liturgy / Liturgical Act

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions. In the Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in the Work of God. It refers to the celebration of divine worship and the proclamation of the Gospel, and in this it is participation in Christ’s own prayer to the Father in the Holy Spirit. (CCC1069-1073.)

Of particular importance for liturgy is the action and full participation of the congregation as a body. The liturgical act is done by every individual, not as an isolated individual, but as a member of a body which is the “we” of the prayers. Its structure is different from that of any other collection of people meeting for a common purpose. In the liturgical act the celebrating individual becomes part of this body, the “Church”, the body of Christ. (CCC1140.) This is true also with the liturgy of marriage. Whilst it is the couple who are the ministers, the celebration of the sacrament takes place amongst the community of Church; it is witnessed by the Church; and the Church as a whole prays for, rejoices with and welcomes the couple into a new ministry within the Church. (CCC 1630-1631.)

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Mass

The Mass is the complex of prayers and ceremonies that make up the Eucharistic celebration in the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church.

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Nuptial Mass

A Nuptial Mass is a marriage celebrated in the context of the Catholic Mass. The readings from Scripture and the celebration of the Eucharist are woven around the wedding ceremony. (CCC1621-1622.)

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Parish

A parish is typically the territorial unit served by a parish church or local church. It also refers to the community of baptised Catholics who attend the local church and whose pastoral care, under the authority of the diocesan bishop, is entrusted to a parish priest.

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Parish Priest

The parish priest exercises the pastoral care of the Church community entrusted to him under the authority of the diocesan bishop, so that for this community he may carry out the offices of preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments and ministering to those especially with spiritual needs.

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Retroactive Validation (Radical Sanation)

The retroactive validation of an invalid marriage is its subsequent validation without the renewal of consent, granted by the competent authority (typically, the local bishop). It involves a dispensation from an impediment if there is one and from the canonical form if it had not been observed. (Can. 1161 §1).

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Rite

A Christian rite comprises the manner of performing the diverse services for the worship of God, including formal prayers and blessings, the administration of the sacraments including the Sacrament of Marriage, and the service of the Holy Eucharist, the Mass.

In a slightly different sense we call the whole complex of the services, or liturgical tradition, of any Church or group of Churches a rite. For example, we speak of the Latin or Roman Rite, the Byzantine Rite, and various Eastern rites. In this case it refers to the distinctive liturgical practices of the different Churches. (CCC 1200-1206.)

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Rite of Marriage

The ‘Rite of Marriage’ is the official guidance of the Catholic Church regarding which details and wording are essential (for example in regard to the wedding vows, the words of ‘consent’), where there may be choice (for example regarding which readings from scripture are used), and where there may be cultural variations in the ceremony (for example, the exchange of wedding rings). The Rite of Marriage specifies these details for:

    • the order of a Catholic wedding ceremony during Mass;

 

    • the order of a Catholic wedding ceremony outside of Mass; and

 

  • the order of a wedding between a Catholic and an unbaptised person.

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Sacrament

A sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which invisible grace, divine life, is communicated to the receiver. The outward visible rites by which a sacrament is celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to the sacrament. A sacrament bears fruit in those who receive it with the required dispositions.

The fruit of sacramental life is both personal and ecclesial. For every one of the faithful on the one hand, this fruit is life for God in Christ Jesus; for the Church, on the other, it is an increase in charity and in her mission of witness. (CCC 1131-1134.)

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Baptism / Sacrament of Baptism

The Sacrament of Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of the Body of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (CCC 1213-1274.)

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Baptismal Certificate

A ‘Baptismal Certificate’ is a document, kept at the parish where a baptism took place, which certifies that a person has been baptised. Any subsequent marriage in the Catholic Church is also registered on the baptismal certificate.
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Sacrament of Holy Communion / Eucharist

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church. The Eucharist is the memorial of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is Christ himself who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice. (CCC 1322-1344.)

Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicants’ union with the Lord, forgives their venial sins, and preserves them from grave sins. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between communicants and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.

Benedict XVI talks of a “profound bond” between the sacrament of the Eucharist and that of marriage, noting how “the liturgy places the celebration of the sacrament of marriage at the heart of the celebration of the Eucharist. […] In their daily lives, couples must draw inspiration for their behaviour from the example of Christ who ‘loved the Church and gave himself up for her.’ “

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Sacramental Marriage

The Catholic Church understands that Marriage is a sacrament instituted by Christ to provide special graces to the couple. Indeed, canon law is even more precise: “a valid marriage cannot exist between two baptized persons without it being by that very fact a sacrament” (Can. 1055 §2).

The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself. The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God’s covenant with man. In the words of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: “Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ’s redeeming power … so that this love may lead the spouses to God with powerful effect and may aid and strengthen them in sublime office of being a father or a mother.”

This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple’s love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they: “increasingly advance the perfection of their own personalities, as well as their mutual sanctification, and hence contribute jointly to the glory of God.”

Christ is the source of this grace. Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love.

This means that when, for example, two Catholics, two Protestants, or a Catholic and a Protestant marry validly, their marriage is by definition a sacramental marriage. Ironically, not all Protestants agree with this! Lutherans, for example, do not believe that there are seven sacraments, for they accept only two, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This means that when two baptized Lutherans marry validly in a Lutheran church, they themselves do not believe that their marriage is sacramental. Catholics, in contrast, will unhesitatingly assert that this Lutheran marriage is in fact a sacramental marriage. Simply put, the Catholic Church believes that it is impossible for two baptized people to validly marry without their marriage being a sacrament. See also CCC 1615, 1639-1642

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Tribunal / Marriage Tribunal

A Marriage Tribunal is a Church court, established in each diocese under canon law, to assist with the pastoral care of divorced persons seeking to remarry or seeking clarification of their standing in the Church and of divorced and remarried persons seeking to have their subsequent marriage recognised in the Church. The Tribunal does not grant divorces. Rather, it looks at all the circumstances of a ‘failed’ marriage, from the perspective of Church law, to determine whether there were impediments or other factors associated with the original marriage which meant that it was never a valid sacramental marriage in the first place. In such a case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged.

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Valid Marriage

Both the Church and State have legislation governing who may marry and the conditions required for marriage. If the conditions of Church canon law are not met (for example, if one of the parties had previously had a valid marriage and their spouse is still alive, or if the marriage is celebrated only in a civil ceremony) the Church considers that marriage to be invalid. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, if a marriage is judged to be invalid, it never existed and a decree of nullity (an annulment) can be issued to this effect. A couple may be validly married according to civil law, even though the marriage is invalid in Church law.

For a Catholic marriage to be a valid sacramental marriage:

    • the wedding must be celebrated in the presence of a Catholic priest/deacon/bishop (unless a dispensation is given) and two adult witnesses, normally in public and usually in a church (Can. 1108 §1);

 

    • both parties must be free to be married, that is neither person has a prior valid marriage (Can. (1085 §1);

 

    • both partners must understand and accept the nature of Catholic marriage, namely that it is a lifelong, faithful partnership which is open to the gift of children (Can. 1101 §2);

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    • both partners must be emotionally and psychologically mature and capable of consenting to the marriage and they must freely express their consent to give and accept one another irrevocably in order to establish a Catholic marriage (Can. 1095-6); and

 

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