Getting married in the Catholic Church Can there be a nuptial Mass when one of the parties is not Catholic?
By the staff of the Department for Canon and Civil Law Services Couples considering marriage within the Diocese of Pittsburgh can avoid many problems and misunderstandings if they become familiar with the diocesan regulations for this foundational sacrament before they begin planning their wedding. Questions that one couple has are generally common questions that many couples have. The purpose of this article is to clarify and provide answers to some of these common questions.
Although is it not the norm, the law of the church permits the celebration of a nuptial Mass for the marriage of a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic, if the couple wishes. Marriage between a Catholic and a nonbaptized person always takes place outside of Mass.
Why does the Catholic Church have all of these marriage requirements?
When should the engaged couple contact a priest? Engaged couples are required to contact their parish priest to discuss their plans at least six months before their intended wedding date, since the church considers all plans tentative until the marriage applications and documents are completed. Additionally, there may be necessary steps that the couple needs to take if one or both of them have lived outside of the Diocese of Pittsburgh as an adult, and these steps can take time to complete. The priest determines if there is freedom and readiness to marry or if other reasons prevent the marriage from taking place in the Catholic Church.
Are marriage classes still required? Yes, marriage preparation classes are considered an important component of the couple’s readiness to be married. Couples can choose from various formats contingent upon their personal schedules and preferences. Evening sessions are held four times a year in the St. Paul Cathedral Parish social hall in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Engaged Encounter weekends (http:// www.pittsburghengagedencounter.org/) are held at various locations in the diocese. This consists of a Friday evening through Sunday afternoon format. Also, various parishes throughout the diocese conduct their own classes. Couples should contact the Office for Marriage, Family
4 Pittsburgh Catholic
and Life at 412-456-3157.
May I get married any day of the week? Weddings may not be performed on Sundays nor on holy days of obligation in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Church law also prohibits weddings during the Easter triduum — Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday. Though permitted in serious circumstances, marriages are discouraged during the penitential season of Lent.
What happens when one of the couple is not Catholic? For a wedding to take place in the Catholic Church, at least one of the parties must be Catholic. Permission for this type of marriage (between a Catholic and a non-Catholic Christian) is required from the diocesan bishop. To obtain permission from the diocesan bishop for a mixed marriage (a marriage in which each party is of a different faith), the Catholic party must sign documents stating he or she will do everything possible to remain in the faith and to raise children as Catholics. The non-Catholic party is to be aware of these promises but is not requested to sign for the promises.
Marriage between the baptized is a sacrament. So, of course, the Catholic Church is concerned with the proper and dignified celebration of this sacrament as well as all of the sacraments of the church. Just as there are regulations, for example, for the reception of the Eucharist, for baptism and for confirmation, there are regulations that the church imposes for the reception of the sacrament of marriage.
Is it possible to have a Catholic priest and a non-Catholic minister officiate at the ceremony? No, because only one person may officiate, according to church and civil law. Similarly, services in which both the Catholic marriage ritual and the non-Catholic ritual are performed jointly or successively are not permitted. Also, for example, a priest may not elicit marital consent from the Catholic party while a minister elicits consent from the nonCatholic party. It is permitted, however, for a non-Catholic minister to participate in the Catholic marriage service. The minister may give additional prayers, blessings or words of greeting or may read a lesson if the ceremony is not part of a Mass. In ceremonies of dispensation from canonical form, the Catholic Rite of Marriage is dispensed in favor of the non-Catholic party’s wedding service, which takes place in a non-Catholic church. The Catholic
Wedding Guide 2016