The Basics of Being Married in the Catholic Church
By Rev. Raymond L. Harris, Jr.
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(3.) Marriage between a Catholic and a person who is not baptized

This category includes Catholics who want to marry someone who is not a Christian. However, it may include Catholics who want to marry someone who professes to be a Christian but is not baptized. Baptism is not practiced in some denominations.

A Catholic is still bound to be married according to canonical form, and it will be outside the context of Holy Mass. There could be some options for a minister to participate in the Catholic ceremony. However, only the Catholic cleric receives the exchange of marital consent.

If the couple wants to be dispensed from canonical form in order to be married before a minister of the non-Catholic party, the conditions mentioned in the previous section apply. The wedding should occur in a sacred space. A couple would not be permitted to marry before a justice of the peace.

Either way, the parish will request the diocesan bishop for a dispensation of the impediment of "disparity of cult (or worship)."

(4) All must participate in a marriage preparation program.

Regardless of the scenario, the couple is required to participate in a marriage preparation program led by members of the clergy and trained married couples as mentors or teachers. My experience as a parish priest and university chaplain shows that many couples have not sufficiently discussed important matters prior to marriage (e.g., role of faith, rearing of children, involvement of families, finances, etc.). The preparation program helps to facilitate these conversations.

Conclusion

There are other considerations but space prevents further examination here. The purpose of this article is to provide basic information for Catholic Christians who want to get married. Further information is available from local parish clergy or the diocesan chancery.

Rev. Raymond L. Harris, Jr. was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1994. He is studying for a licentiate in canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Endnotes

1. The canons are quoted from: Codex Iuris Canonici auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1983. English translation from Code of Canon Law, Latin-English Edition: New English Translation. (Washington, D.C.: Canon Law Society of America, 1998).
2. Apostolic Letter on Mixed Marriages, no. 7; Statement on the Implementation of the Apostolic Letter on Mixed Marriages, National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Washington, D.C: USCC Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, 1971).

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