Catholic
Wedding Traditions
- by KissMeGoodnight.com
In many cases a marriage is recognized both
by a church and the state. While the legal requirements for
a wedding are established by the state, many couple wish to
follow certain religious traditions to have their marriage
recognized in their church as well. In the Catholic religion
marriage is considered sacred and is one of the sacraments
of the faith. The Catholic Church puts forth their own requirements
for a marriage to be recognized in the eyes of the church.
One
of the most important aspect of a Catholic wedding is the
location. Many couples may wish to be married in an outdoor
ceremony but it is important to realize that an outdoor wedding
would not be recognized by the Catholic Church. The purpose
of holding your wedding ceremony is to demonstrate that you
are seeking God’s blessing and influence in your marriage.
For this reason the Catholic Church does not recognize any
marriage ceremonies that are held outside of a church. While
you will still be legally married in accordance with all state
guidelines your marriage will not be recognized by the church.
A
Catholic wedding does not have to include a Mass as part
of the wedding. The church will recognize a union that is performed
in a church and by a priest without the full Mass. Many couples
will opt for a full Mass to have the opportunity to receive
additional blessings during their wedding. A wedding that includes
a full Mass can be slightly over an hour long in terms of length.
A wedding that does not include a Mass can be approximately
20 minutes long and usually includes readings, hymns and psalms
as well as blessings from the priest but does not include a
celebration of the Eucharist.
Another
Catholic wedding tradition requires that previous marriages
receive an annulment before the couple can be married
in the church. Even if the previous marriage was not held in
the church or recognized by the church, they still require
an annulment before they will perform a marriage ceremony.
In this situation a divorce decree is not enough. The previously
married party will have to seek an annulment that verifies
that the previous marriage was not valid.
The
music of a Catholic wedding also holds quite a bit of tradition. While religious music is encouraged, many churches
will allow secular music as long as it is approved by the priest
prior to the wedding. Although there are many beautiful love
songs that have been written over time, it is important to
understand that since a Catholic wedding takes place inside
of God’s domain, many priests are hesitant to allow any music
that might be offensive. They take extra precautions to ensure
that the music will be appropriate and that guests will not
be offended. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to not
include secular music in a Catholic wedding.
One additional tradition of the Catholic Church is requiring
the couple to attend pre-marital counseling sessions, sometimes
called Pre-Cana. These are extremely worthwhile because the
give the couple the forum for talking about various serious
issues. This time honored tradition of the Catholic Church
goes a long way in ensuring that the couple is right for each
other and that their marriage will last. These sessions are
usually hosted by a priest and can also include young married
couples who testify to the joys and tribulations of marriage.
These can be either individual or group sessions and include
weekly or monthly sessions or may be one intensive weekend
of counseling.
Both
parties do not have to be Catholic in order to have their
wedding recognized by the Catholic Church. It is required,
however, that at least one member of the couple be an active
member of a Catholic Church. The non-Catholic party, however,
is required to participate in the required pre-marital counseling
in order to ensure that the church will recognize the union.
Additionally, if either party was married previously, they
would have to seek an annulment before they could be married
in the church.
In order for a marriage to be recognized by the Catholic Church
it is important to adhere to certain traditions. These traditions
include location, music selections, seeking annulments for
previous marriages and participating in church sanctioned counseling
sessions.
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KissMeGoodnight.com : 2005
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