Catholic Church "VENT"

Catholic churches can be somewhat disorganized. They are run as any non for profit: very slow and inefficiently. You need to have extra patience when dealing with them. That being said, it seems obvious that the week of Easter might not be the best time to schedule a wedding at a church.

p.s. I also had to talk to a father before scheduling my date...it's how things work.

Thanks KM for your reply and actually reading my long post, I thought I was able to organize my wedding ahead of time but now it's just this waiting game :/

Your not allowed to get married the week before or the week after Easter. some churchs are very slow getting things done you just have to stay on top of them about it. I called our church once a week for three weeks before I got our date. there are also other days you can't get married on during lent in the catholic church

Are you getting married in the church, or just wanting that priest to marry you in another venue?

Typically churches like money so if they can't do it I would suggest saying right infront of him, I guess we'll have to go with a city clerk or go with your moms church FH. That might make them a little more willing.

Osiris- Feel free to PM me. I got married in the Catholic Church && have tons of information on it.

I was unbaptized and completed the RCIA Program since my DH is Catholic because I wanted to become Catholic too. We had a ceremony outside of Mass (just means without communion) and I had difficulties dealing with DH's childhood church.

Generally in order to be married Catholic it will need to be done in the church, they do not do ceremonies outside of the Catholic church. You will need to complete some form of Pre-Cana (aka marriage prep classes) through your local Diocese. Your best bet is to contact your local Diocese directly and ask to speak with their marriage prep division. They can give you the most correct info on the classes. Then from there you will need to meet with the Priest of your church AND THEN they will schedule your wedding. You will also need about 6months to a year to plan in the eyes of the Catholic church. Also special rules depends on the church & *cont*

Their head Priest. Your best bet is to contact the Priest you want to marry you in person. Sometimes the church staff doesn't know the answer to a lot of your questions since they are only volunteers.

~Good Luck & please PM if you need help with anything~

Honey B....That is excellent advice. Congrats on your embracing Catholocism.

I would also speak to the priest you see at Mass weekly. He knows your face and knows you are practicing and participating Catholic. Sometimes, total stranges walk in seeking the sacrament when they haven't been inside a church since CCD.

You need to be confirmed because Confirmation is the last sacrament of initiation. It is the final step to being a fully initiated Catholic.

Yes, dealing w/ the rules can be burdensome & a PITA. However, since marriage is a sacrament, they need to be certain you are fully prepared to receive the sacrament, hence the classes & interviews.

This is not about $. This is about having all the ingredients to having a marriage in Christ. If money is an issue, please let your priest aware of it. Often times, your parish will waive fees for those who truly lack the funds, but have the desire to receive the sacrament.

Thanks Carole!

I completely agree with the additions that you have given. It was a total PITA dealing with the church secretary & was way easier to go directly to the Priest. My DH took a lot of stress off of me by doing that instead of me contacting the secretary who was over the top mean to me since I did not technically belong to the church.

I don't understand how Catholic church can expect people to follow Gods word in Marriage but yet make it so difficult to do so.

I do hope it works out.

The Catholic Church is a pain to deal with....which is why we got married in an Episcopal Church instead. It's pretty much the same but they are SO much easier to deal with. No Pre-Cana classes, no conversion necessary. Plus, they will go to another venue if you want. The priest asked us if we had been baptized in any Christian religion..we had. Then he sent a letter to their bishop asking for permission to marry us. A few weeks later...all was approved. I was raised Catholic, DH was (lapsed) Baptist and divorced. We would have had tons of hoops to jump through if we hadn't gone Episcopal instead. We didn't do a full mass with communion because nobody but us would've taken it (Catholics can't do that). Our ceremony was about 30 minutes and not much different from a Catholic one.

Mrs Smith I am already married through Civil since 10 yrs ago but now I want to get married in our church through gods eyes =) I know what you mean I am going to mention it that if I can't get married there ike I hoped then Ill just get married in Mexico by my Venue and see how that goes hopefully he doesnt get mad hehe

Honey B thanks for all your info I will definetly PM you regarding more info thanks a million =)

No problem- you may have a bit more hoops to jump through so to speak since you are legally married. I think they would call it a "blessing of the marriage" so that it will be recognized in the church & through God's eyes.

My FI is Catholic, however I am not. We decided to have a non-denominational wedding in front of friends/family (my parents are not Catholic and are very against having a Catholic wedding, but that is a completely different issue). Anyway a few months after the wedding, we are going to have a small private Catholic wedding - just us and a few witnesses so that my FI can be recognized as married within the Catholic church. If the date issue doesn't work out, maybe you could consider this as another option?

I highly recommend that you try to attend an Engaged Encounter session instead of doing marriage sessions with volunteers from the parish. I got a lot out of that. I also recommend speaking directly with the priest.

Honey B....You are spot on again. I love how much information you have. I love it when adults embrace a new religion. They truly learn about doctrine and dogma. It is very different than attending Catholic school or CCD class.

Sara...One of the reasons they do make it difficult is because we view marriage as a sacrament. It is sacred and holy. The rules, classes etc are put there to be certain the couple is ready to be married and have all the necessary ingredients to have a marriage in Christ. By going through the hoops, hopefully, the marriage will not end up in divorce. Every organization has rules. Without rules, there is chaso. It's life.

Dawn B.....Catholics can have just a ceremony. They dont have to have a full Nuptial Mass.