Catholic wedding forms...confused

Moonriver99

My partner and I (both Irish but different parishes) intend on getting married in my parish this year.

However i am confused on some of the paper work. Currently my finace lives in london since 2011 and has been told he needs a letter of freedom from 2011 onwards and that he needs to find a priest in London to sign a letter of freedom. He went about it and the priest in London said they didnt do that. I want to know will an affirdavid from a solicitor do?

Also, im not sure if my own priest is misinforming me but he has said that my pre nuptial form for me is done with me while my fiance is to do his in his own local parish. However they are telling me he has to do it in my parish with my priest. So sorry for long post, im ringing back my priest(again) to ask is this correct. If any of you have a similar situation to me or have gotten married recently i would appreciate some help.

Thank you

Atomic Pineapple

I think your fiance should just be able to get the letter of freedom from their own native parish? Has the priest from the parish requested the letter from the UK? Seems very odd if they have.

Moonriver99

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

I think your fiance should just be able to get the letter of freedom from their own native parish? Has the priest from the parish requested the letter from the UK? Seems very odd if they have.

Yes. My fiances parish will write a letter of freedom but ONLY until 2011. They are saying because he moved away they will only date it until then. So they told him from 2011 to 2017 he has to get it from London. I personally think its bizarre because my fiance knows no priests at all in London. And he did ring one up in London who said they wouldnt do it which makes sense as they do not know him and he has never attended mass. Its so strange. Maybe il ask my priest will a solicitors letter do now because his parish refuse to give one.

Jwacqui

You fill in the paperwork in the parish you live - so if you live in separate places you will have to fill them in separate places.

You should ideally have a letter of freedom for every parish you have lived in for more than 6 months. If you can't get a letter of freedom from London you can ask a family member to write a signed letter stating he has not married before (i.e. his parents)

My fiancé lived in Canada for a year and didn't need one - priest said ideally it was required but as we were together 5 years and knew each others families well he was comfortable my fiancé wasn't married while he lived in Canada - just before we met.



http://www.together.ie/Statement%20of%20Freedom%20to%20Marry.docx

Moonriver99

Thank you all. I think my priest will be easy going about the situation so I will ask my priest if a letter from parents will do and failing that a signed affitdavid.

In relation to signing the pre nuptial forms, it was told to my fiance that it was to be done in my parish which contradicts what my priest told me. Good grief. I think the priest in his parish asked him "when did you last go to mass?" and said he had to sign the pre nuptial form elsewhere.

Luckily, i think my priest is very understanding so fingers crossed it wont be too complicated. Thanks for all the help!!!!

An Bhanríon

As far as I can remember we had letters of freedom from our parents too. We both filled in the prenuptial agreement in the parish where we lived which was not the parish we were getting married in.

Moonriver99

[4quote="OSI;103539721"]Do ye live together? If so are you going to the priest local to where you are living, or are you going to the priest "back home" for both of you.[/quote]

Hi, currently i live in ireland and he is in england. His parish at home is separate to mine. My parish is where we will wed. I guess my priest decides ultimately what to accept.

mcgiggles

OSI wrote:

My wife and I just got our parents to write letters of freedom for us.

Does this cover all? Like would any other letters of freedom be needed with the letter from parents? We lived in Canada for a few years and my mums priest who is marrying​ us said that we had to get a letter from canada.. but sure we never stepped foot in a church over there and we're home 4 years now so how would we even contact them! :-) we've been together sinve we were 18 like, neither of us were married before that and we certainly haven't married each other yet.. its a bit ridiculous imo!

Moonriver99

mcgiggles wrote: »

Does this cover all? Like would any other letters of freedom be needed with the letter from parents? We lived in Canada for a few years and my mums priest who is marrying​ us said that we had to get a letter from canada.. but sure we never stepped foot in a church over there and we're home 4 years now so how would we even contact them! :-) we've been together sinve we were 18 like, neither of us were married before that and we certainly haven't married each other yet.. its a bit ridiculous imo!

Totally agree. Its ridiculous. My partner and i have been together a decade and there is no real way to prove anything only our word! Best thing is to ring and say a letter from my fiances parents will have to do as no priest in london is gonna write a letter of freedom anyway since hes never attended mass. What a waste of time. Sure my priest is happy with my word. Honestly i dont know why they have to make it so complicated. Ha ha...rant over