| The
ordinary place for a Catholic wedding is the parish church. Marriage is
a commitment of two partners to live out their baptism in a particular
way. By their love, husband and wife are signs of God’s love.
They
pledge to witness the Gospel to their children and community. The church
building symbolizes the faithful, the community of believers who have formed
the couple in their faith, who will witness their consent, and who will
benefit from their service. In the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacred
ritual that finds its home in the sacred place designated by the community.
The couple’s union finds its spiritual strength in the people whom that
parish church represents.
Couples
sometimes ask if the marriage can be performed outdoors. The pertinent
canon (1118) does not completely exclude the possibility. Whenever a Catholic
marries another Catholic or any other baptized Christian, the ceremony
should take place in the parish church or another church or chapel.
The
bishop can permit the marriage to be celebrated “in some other suitable
place.” A bishop’s judgment on the suitability of outdoors may vary from
one diocese to another. Further, if the Catholic marries a nonbaptized
person, the wedding may be celebrated in a church “or in some other suitable
place.” Because the bishop’s judgment is not explicitly needed in this
case, a pastor presumably could decide on suitability. In fairness to the
canon, the sense of suitability clearly refers to a place recognizably
sacred. Besides, a pastor may be limited by a definition of suitability
established by the bishop of his diocese.
Valid
outdoor Catholic weddings have taken place, but our church discourages
them because of the sacredness we attach to the ceremony and to our church
buildings. Couples curious about exceptions to the norm in their locale
may contact their pastor or bishop’s office.
If you are interested in weddings, take a look at Paul Turner's new book: The Catholic Wedding Answer Book.
What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML Editor
or post an entry on the ML Current Issue
Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may
be edited for length.)
Copyright
© 2000, Resource Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San
Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505. This article may not be reproduced in any
form without permission from the publisher. For permission e-mail
info@rpinet.com.
Paul
Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO, holds a doctorate
in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome. |
