- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I'm not catholic but i'm not sure if they "believe" in divorces, so I'm not sure if you can get married in a catholic church. I'd say call a local church or search online like google. Good luck!
You cannot get married in a Catholic church unless you have your previous marriages annulled.
Sorry to tell you that, but you can still have a gorgeous wedding! Good luck!
I think you should look into Catholic churches in your area and start attending if that is what you want. Perhaps even schedule a meeting with the Priest there if you have questions. If you attend on a regular basis, you can then look into baptism, if that is what you choose for yourselves and your children. It is never too later to find your faith and if you believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church, then I think you should find a church to attend and go for it!
The other ladies are correct though - the Catholic Church does not believe in divorce. I do not know the details about that, so you may have to check with the local Church or diocese to see what your options are.
Best of luck in your journey :)
I'm not Catholic either, but from my understanding you can still get married in the Church, although it takes paperwork and contact with the Ex's.
However, things might be different if neither of you have converted to Catholicism yet. There are plenty of Catholic bees on the board that I'm sure will help you!
I tried to do some quick research online because I was interested too. I'm not sure, but it sounds like you need to contact a catholic church and they might have to have a meeting about it and something about your first marriage needing to be annulled or something. They said the process can be lengthy so depending on when you want to get married, I'd start soon.
Her first marriage was not in the church-so according to the Catholic church it was not a real marriage. Therefore no annulment would be necessary.
In order to convert and then be married in the church there will be many requirements. It is certainly something you can do, but it won't happen overnight. You may have to wait awhile to get married. I would suggest talking to a priest right away.
One of you at least will have to become Catholic to be married in the church, and likely both of you will need annulments of your previous marriages. I really think the best thing to do is find a priest and talk to him! Explain the situation and ask his advice - he will know better than any of us.
Praying that all this works out for you!
I believe you can get married in the church but they won't recognize it as a sacrament. If you want it to be considered one you both need the marriages annulled.
thank you Cakegal! and every one else.
I have looked into it and from what I have found out that I think I can get married in the Catholic Church. and the date is not set until 2012 so I have some time. I am going to be calling the local Catholic Church tomorrow! with any luck it will all work out for us! Thank you and if any one has any more information or opinion please feel free to state them and Thank you all very much!
Thank you
Mrs.Miller2be
Have you thought about the Lutheran Church. The beliefs are very similiar.
Good luck with your search for a church, and with your wedding plans! I agree with Cakegirl. If your previous marriage was a civil ceremony, and not in any kind of Christian church (Catholic or Protestant), you should NOT need an annulment. This seems to be the OP's situation.
The Catholic church recognizes marriages between two Catholics and marriages between two Protestants as being valid if recognized by the marrying parties' church. Therefore, if you were married in a church, you will likely need an annulment to marry again (or, more technically from the church's standpoint, to marry at all- since an annulment means your previous marriage was not valid).
These same things are important to consider for your new husband's previous marriage, as well.
The best thing to do is to contact your local church and ask, as it sounds like you are doing. The priest and marriage tribunal will be able to help you.
@ MrsMiller2Be - Are either one of your baptized and/or confirmed Catholic? If so, then there should be no issues with getting married in a Catholic Church. However, if you guys are not, then you would have to go through RCIA to become baptized and confirmed into the faith. From there, you would be able to start the process of getting married in the Catholic Church.
Does this throw a hamper into you marriage schedule? Sure, to some it may appear so. But, if you look at what you are asking the Church for... which is one of the most Holy Sacraments, then you may then realize that it is all worth it. There is nothing better than to be married in GOD's house and have HIM fully present in the Eucharist.
GOD BLESS...
1) You must attend RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) to become a member of a parish and be baptized/receive first communion. Contact a parish closest to your house for details.
2) You will be confirmed as they put it next Easter.
3) You need to meet with a priest and discuss options to have both marriages annulled.
4) You need to meet with a priest for pre-cana (pre-marital counseling).
5) You need to accept the decision made by the tribunal (I think that's what it's called) based on if your previous marriages for either you were valid. They don't grant annulments easily, and rarely do. If they find that your marriage vows were not valid when you two married other people, then they'll grant an annulment.
You can still become a member of the parish; however, you will have to be sure to attend Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) and not marry this guy until you have the annulments. RCIA is a valuable class, it'll explain Catholicism. However, if you want your children to be Catholic, just start attending Mass. Don't receive Communion( Eucharist), get your children baptized and first communion, then they'll go through confirmation at age 14. These things should be discussed with your parish priest. Good luck!
I think that you only need an annulment for a Catholic marriage.
It sounds like God is working in your heart and that's why you are pulled to this. Really explore it, and don't let the divorce thing discourage you. He's a forgiving God, from what I hear.
Congratulations!
The process to become a Catholic is called RCIA and is available at all churches. It can take up to six months. Contact a priest to discuss your marriage situation as you move through the conversion process.
One of you must be catholic to be married in a catholic church. Although catholics "don't believe in divorce" you weren't technically married in the eyes of the catholic church unless your marriage was blessed by or performed by a catholic priest. Therefore, if neither of you were married in the catholic church previously and one or both of you converts to catholicism (which is a process in itself, and is not a quick easy ordeal), then yes you can potential be married in the catholic church.
Unfortunately, I have to disagree with most of the Bees and say you would likely both need a full annulment heard before a tribunal in order to be free to marry in a Catholic Church. Contrary to what people might think, a good percentage of marriages that are annulled at a Catholic tribunal are marriages of non-Catholics...usually so that they can marry a Catholic.
Although CATHOLICS are not considered validly married when married outside of the Catholic Church, the Church DOES recognize marriage between non-Catholics. Thus, the Church considers two non-Catholics married in another church/synagogue/temple (or in a courthouse or on a beach, for that matter) to be validly married. As long as it was a first marriage for both parties, and, as long as neither party was a Catholic, then their marriage is considered valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church
There are two ways I can think of off the top of my head in which your previous marriage (or your FI's previous marriage) might not be recognized by the Church:
1. If your first spouse was Catholic. If you married a Catholic person outside a Catholic Church, then your marriage would be invalid for lack of canonical form. You would still need to submit documentation to the tribunal, but it is very routine and takes usually only a few weeks.
2. If your first spouse had been married before. If your previous spouse had been married before marrying you, and had not obtained an annulment through the Church, then you can have a documentary case annulment based on "prior bond."
You really should talk to a priest who can give you specific advise for your situation. A priest can guide you through all that would need to be done to obtain an annulment (if necessary) and guide you through RCIA so that you can become a full member of the Catholic Church. I became Catholic through RCIA and it was a very worthwhile and valuable experience.
@Mrs.Miller2be: You most certainly can go through RCIA to become Catholic and it is very possible that you can have your prior marriages annulled. However, depending on the circumstances, attaining an annullment may be quick and easy or you may have to go through a longer process depended on your individual situations. This you need to speak with a priest about to get started. You can start the annullment process before beginning RCIA. Sometimes annullments can take a year or more to come through, or they can take just a few weeks - like I said, it depends on your individual situations.
I am a confirmed Catholic and FI was baptized Baptist. He was married twice before, but both were through a courthouse and not in a church. So he had two marriages to get annulled.
We want to get married in the Catholic Church, too. FI spoke with a priest (in the location where his divorces took place) about getting his previous marriages annulled. Both of them were annulled within 3 months of the paperwork being sent in to the tribunal due to: in his first marriage, his wife was Catholic but they did not marry in the Church (and she cheated on him, but I don't know if that was a factor or not); in his second marriage, his wife had been married previously and was therefore not "free" to marry him when they were married at the courthouse.
FI is currently going through RCIA classes to become Catholic. He does not need to be baptized again, as his baptism in the Baptist church is recognized. He will be Confirmed once his classes are completed, and we will both be able to be married in and recognized by the Catholic Church. Of course, we still need to go through the Pre-Cana (required pre-marriage counseling) before the wedding.
I hope this was helpful and if you have any more questions, feel free to PM me and I will do my best to help you out!
Good Luck! :)
Catholic girl here.
My husband is non-denom. Christian, and was divorced from a Jewish woman.
We were not able to get married in the Catholic church. They told us that he would have to go thru the annulment process, there was no way around it. They said that they tell people NOT TO PLAN their wedding if going thru the annulment process, as it can take up to 18 months or longer if it's complicated.
We got married in a Methodist church, and will have a convalidation ceremony once his annulment is finalized.
Good luck!
If you got married by a justice of the peace you DO NOT need a annullment. My aunt (a confirmed catholic) was married in the catholic church last year. She and her current husband were BOTH married to other people previously. She was previously married in the catholic church and got divorced. Her ex husband passed away about 5 years ago (which means she can re-marry in the catholic church without having to do ANYTHING like getting annullment). Her current husband (who is also confirmed catholic) was previously married in a ceremony in his back yard led by a justice of the peace. Because he was married by a justice of the peace he was able to remarry without having to get an annullment. I am 100% sure neither of them had to get an annullment (called my aunt earlier today to double check). In the catholic church, a ceremony performed by a justice of the peace is NOT a valid wedding if it hasn't been blessed in the church by a priest, therefore NO annullment is necessary. At least that's how it works in the Syracuse, NY diocese. I would assume that the rules are the same everywhere, as that's how the Catholic church seems to work.
maggiegirl, I don't think that's totally accurate.
My husband and his ex-wife were married at the courthouse by a JOP. He still would have required an annulment to get married in the church.
Sometimes a particular pastor will over look the required protocol & it sounds like that might be what happened. If you can find that go ahead, but most priests will not do it... even my childhood priest, who went to high school with my dad, wouldn't do it w/o the annulment.
Hmm...I always thought you didn't have to get an annulment if you weren't Catholic. But it sounds like you do from these posts.
My guess is its a lot easier to get an annulment for a non-Catholic marriage.
@Mrs.Miller2be:Have you talked to your church yet? How'd it go?
jedeve, actually if my husband had been catholic, and his wife hadn't, the catholic church wouldn't have recognized his marriage, and we wouldn't have required an annulment.
The church is full of crazy rules - you'd think they would care more about a wedding where one of them was catholic, and married outside the church, than one where neither of them had anything to do with the church.
Sigh...
@ the OP. Well the good news is that since you and FI are motivated to become Catholic, you can take the time to prepare for RCIA, and go through the annulment process. They take a while, but I'd hope you could do them simultaneously. (And my guess is based on your JP wedding, that your annulment wouldn't take as long as a Catholic marriage annulment.)
Good things come to those who wait. Talk to a priest. Take the steps if you're being called. And they'll be able to give you an idea of how long the annulment should take. (I doubt too long in your case.) RCIA will take close to a year. Good luck. Keep us posted.
Ella, all the details I gave you are totally accurate and there was no "bending of the rules" that happened for them. I did however forget to add the detail that my aunt's current husband was previously married to a non-catholic (the woman he married in his back yard). That must be the difference.
I don't think that the Catholic church recognizes ceremonies performed by JOP's. That is something I would double check, though. I do have a suggestion, though (that may be out of date, but I wanted to throw it out there). There may be a way to get married in a Catholic ceremony, without having to go through the long and grueling process of an annulment. Some priests may agree to perform the service in the rectory, or somewhere within the church, but not part of the altar. This was a long time ago, but my grandparents ran away to get married. When they returned, they knew they had to marry in the Catholic church, but since they were already married in the law, they couldn't get married in the church, the priest performed the service in the church rectory. They were then considered married in the eyes of our Lord. I would definitely consult a priest. He would know best.
Also, if you aren't Catholic, but want to convert, keep in mind that is also a long process. There are many great things about the Catholic church, but be sure it is really want you want to do. Talking with a priest is really the best way to go.
As I think someone else poitned out, just keep in mind there are several OTHER sacraments you'll need to take care of before waltzing in and getting married. It sounds like you'll have time if you're looking at 2012 dates, but def get started on it!
I was always under the impression that if you were married by a justice of the peace and your marriage was not blessed by a catholic priest than your marriage is not considered "valid" in the eyes of the church. In fact, this is the exact thing a catholic priest told my brother last year after a justice of the peace married him on the beach in florida.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Lyndzo | 46 |
| AshleyR83 | 24 |
| rebwana | 24 |
| mypinkshoes | 23 |
| Ms. Salamander | 23 |
| beargoose | 22 |
| kat2014 | 22 |
| funkymunky85 | 22 |
| Cady | 22 |
| his chippymunk | 21 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| KCKnd2 | 2 |
| Magdalena | 1 |
Hi,
I am a 23 year old mother of 2. I am divorced however I didn't get married in a church. I was married at the court house in a town i lived in and never attened Church much in my life. I am divorced from the father of my children and I have looked into many different religions. I have alwasy been pulled to the Catholicism growning up however never got to go to a church more then one time and then my mother would pulls us away to a different town. I feel it is important for my Children to grow up in a Church. I am planning to remarry to the most amazing man i have ener known. However we are both divorced and not part of any church. I need to know if we would if we converted be able to get married in a Catholic church. It is very important to us to get married in a church and we both believe in the same things as the Catholic Church. I just don't know what to do! Help please if you can!
thank you,
Mrs.Miller2be