Q :
Do Catholics have to get married in the Church? What if it is at the beach and the Priest officiates the wedding?
【 Question from 】 Canada 加拿大
Fr. Francis :
Technically, that is not true, though in practice, yes. Let me explain.
According to Church practice, every Catholic has to be married through the Church. That means, either only one party is Catholic, or both parties are Catholic, when they have decided to get married, they are required to notify their pastor so they can be properly prepared for matrimony. This preparation will take some time, as the world understands marriage today is often quite far from what the Church understands marriage. The couple will need to take a marriage course that covers a variety of subjects. As well, if one or both parties has had previous marriages, there may be need to go through the annulment process, which may postpone the marriage significantly.
This usually also means that the marriage will take place in a Catholic Church, depending on a number of factors. It is best to consult the local priest where the couple will be making their preparation.
Some typical exceptions:
– mixed marriages between a Catholic and another Christian denomination: while the couple will still need to be prepared through the Catholic Church, it may be arranged to have the wedding liturgy celebrated in the other denomination, provided a representative from the Catholic Church is there to witness, e.g., the Catholic priest or a delegate.
– some dioceses at resort locations do have special provisions for Catholics to have their wedding there, provided they are duely prepared by their pastor at their home parish, and a priest can be found to perform the wedding. Couples will be required to contact the diocese of the resort location to have this arranged.
I always tell people, the best strategy is: talk to your parish priest before planning anything. And if you don’t have a familiar parish, go to the nearest Catholic Church and talk to the priest there. This way, you can be sure that the marriage will be valid in the Church.