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Church Wedding Mixed Religion Marriage, Is it possible?

  • 16-11-2013 3:20pm
    #1
    Livinginexile
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭


    Hi All, I recently got engaged. My partner is Presbyterian and I am Catholic. We are no zealots but we would really like a christian wedding, in a christian church.

    Our local clergy of our respective faiths are not supportive of facilitating a mixed religion marriage.

    Does any one have a solution as I doubt our situation is unique. The wedding will hopefully take place in the Wicklow/ Kildare area?

    Is there Unitarian churches in the area, or old churches one can rent out?



    All comments welcome.
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    tatli_lokma
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,332 ✭✭✭tatli_lokma


    The Presbyterian's would probably be more open than the catholics. Although to be fair our parish priest was happy to marry us and we are Catholic/Muslim!!! Having said that he wanted it to be a full Catholic ceremony as opposed to a blessing

    the unitarians would almost certainly facilitate you and I am sure that there are also Catholic and Presbyterian churches that would be willing to accommodate you - I mean, it is just a difference of dogma really rather than a mixed faith? You are both Christian, so the essential faith is the same??


  • #3
    pa4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 617 ✭✭✭pa4


    I'm fairly sure a catholic has to get permission from the bishop to marry a non catholic. I'm surprised that their unsupportive, I was at a wedding a few years back in a catholic church between a catholic and a member of the church of Ireland and there was no problem at all, they just had to get permission from the bishop. Same thing goes if a catholic wanted to get married somewhere other than a catholic church. Dispensation may be granted on a case by case basis but I've never heard of permission being denied, not in recent times anyway.


  • #4
    tatli_lokma
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,332 ✭✭✭tatli_lokma


    pa4 wrote: »
    I'm fairly sure a catholic has to get permission from the bishop to marry a non catholic. I'm surprised that their unsupportive, I was at a wedding a few years back in a catholic church between a catholic and a member of the church of Ireland and there was no problem at all, they just had to get permission from the bishop. Same thing goes if a catholic wanted to get married somewhere other than a catholic church. Dispensation may be granted on a case by case basis but I've never heard of permission being denied, not in recent times anyway.

    There was never any mention to us of needing permission or dispensation. And as I say, we were enquiring about a Christian and non-Christian marriage and it still wasn't an issue. The only issue was that my husband accept the sacrament of marriage and that our children be raised Catholic, which I had issues with for several reasons so we had a civil ceremony in the end.


  • #5
    Bettybluebottle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23 ✭Bettybluebottle


    Sorry to piggy back on your thread but I am in a similar situation. My fiance in addition to being protestant is divorced. Is there any way we can marry in a Catholic Church?


  • #6
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    Bettybluebottle wrote: »
    Sorry to piggy back on your thread but I am in a similar situation. My fiance in addition to being protestant is divorced. Is there any way we can marry in a Catholic Church?

    No. The Catholic church does not recognise divorce as you know.

    But for you and the OP. Have you spoken to a Methodist minister? They will marry divorcees and will facilitate mixed marriages.


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  • #7
    catrionanic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭catrionanic


    I've been reading up on this (currently engaged to someone who isn't baptised), and so long as you are both baptised as Christian, there should be no impediment to marrying in a Catholic church with a full Catholic ceremony, ie. Mass. In fact, we have a priest who is happy to marry us even though my fiancé isn't baptised at all.

    I'd suggest speaking to another priest about this.


  • #8
    catrionanic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭catrionanic


    Bettybluebottle wrote: »
    Sorry to piggy back on your thread but I am in a similar situation. My fiance in addition to being protestant is divorced. Is there any way we can marry in a Catholic Church?

    Unfortunately not. In the eyes of the Catholic church, your fiancé is currently still married to somebody else.

    One of the first questions my priest asked me was whether either of us had been married before.


  • #9
    Livinginexile
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭Livinginexile


    Thank you all for your replies.


  • #10
    sweetie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,797 ✭✭✭sweetie


    My parents are COI and Catholic and were married in a church in that area (West Wicklow) nearly 40 years ago. The usual 'children have to be catholic thing' which hasnt endeared me to religion whatsoever. I think your priest is the issue and you will get satisfaction elsewhere.


  • #11
    BC
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭BC


    Livinginexile wrote: »

    Our local clergy of our respective faiths are not supportive of facilitating a mixed religion marriage.

    I'm surprised at this. I know lots of people from different religions who have got married in a catholic church. As others have said you need a dispensation from the Bishop. There is info available on gettingmarried.ie although the website appears to be having issues at the moment.

    I would go back to your priest and ask for clarification as it's certainly possible.


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  • #12
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    BC wrote: »
    I'm surprised at this. I know lots of people from different religions who have got married in a catholic church. As others have said you need a dispensation from the Bishop. There is info available on gettingmarried.ie although the website appears to be having issues at the moment.

    I would go back to your priest and ask for clarification as it's certainly possible.

    I'm surprised as well. Our priest married us without any issues. I'm RC and my husband is COI. My brother (also RC) married a jewish girl, ceremony was also with a catholic priest.

    Maybe it's at the priests discretion, but ours had no issue with it and was very welcoming of other faiths. For my brothers wedding the priest even incorporated some jewish traditions into the ceremony, and her family did those readings and traditional bits.


  • #13
    Jerrica
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭Jerrica


    ABajaninCork wrote: »
    Have you spoken to a Methodist minister? They will marry divorcees and will facilitate mixed marriages.

    + 1. I'm CoI, my husband is Catholic, we had a Methodist Ceremony in a non-church venue and it was the best of every world (to us anyway!).

    As an aside, one of the things I really liked about the Methodist ceremony (fairly sure it's rote, not just for ours) I wasn't "given away" as a bride, rather our parents - my Dad, his Mum - "presented" us to be married :)


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