Catholic marriages

[Jillie42]

I was rereading a family research magazine in my lunchbreak today. It's an article written by Michael Gandy on catholic ancestry and I just want to know whether what he has written is ALWAYS the case.

I'll paraphrase as I'm not sure about copywrite rules.

Catholic/ protestant marriages were NEVER carried out in a catholic church ( unless the protestant had converted)

So does this mean that both the bride and groom who married in a catholic ceremony were, at least at the time of the marriage, catholic?

Jillie

[stanmapstone]

According to "Marriage Laws, Rites, Records & Customs" by Colin R. Chapman, A marriage at a Roman Catholic church between two Catholics is celebrated during the service of Mass, on which occasion it is termed a Nuptial Mass. If only one party is Catholic, usually the communion is omitted and hence the service takes place "outside of Mass"


Also, from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09698a.htm
 For the issuing of a dispensation for a mixed marriage, the Church requires three conditions; that the Catholic party be allowed free exercise of religion, that all the offspring are to be brought up Catholics and that the Catholic party promise to do all that is possible to convert the non-Catholic.

Stan

[PaulineJ]

Just about sums it up. I've PM'd you about a specific example.

Pauline

[Jillie42]

I must admit to still being a bit confused (nothing new for me I'm afraid)

So the original article is not strictly accurate. There were protocols in place whereby a mixed marriage could be held in a catholic church but it seems to have been heavily frowned upon?

In your considered veiws (it's ok, I won't hold you to this ) would you say that it was far more likely that both bridge and groom were catholic if the marriage took place in a catholic church/chapel?

[jacquelineve]

Jillie

      My grandfather (catholic) gran (non) married in a
C. of E. church in 1917 and a year later in Catholic church.
I'm not sure if my gran became a catholic.

                   Jackie.

[madfan]

Jillie,

Thank you for posting that question as it was something I have been wondering about myself. My g g grandfather was catholic and he married in a catholic church, I'm pretty sure that my gg grandmother wasn't catholic.

The other posting regarding the '3 rules' laid down by the catholic church regarding bring up the children as catholics and tring to convert the non catholic etc I have heard of before. In fact it happened with my family. My dad is catholic, my mum wasn't, we were brought up as catholic and my mum eventually converted.

Madfan

[Subaru]

My grandfather was Irish catholic and my mother staunch protestant.  I have searched GRO, and apparently though they said they were married, there is no record of it.  On my uncle's birth certificate (he was born in Glasgow) they said their marriage date was 1919 in London.  He wasn't baptised until 5 years after his birth at a catholic church.

My mam remembers going to church with them on a Sunday, her mam would go to the protestant church just down the road from the catholic church, where her dad, uncle and her would go.

I don't know how easy it was in those days for a mixed religion marriage, but for whatever reason, they didn't actually get around to it.

Not many people nowadays have the full nuptial mass, just the blessing.  But years ago if you were a strict catholic it was the done thing.

[Jillie42]

Not many people nowadays have the full nuptial mass, just the blessing.  But years ago if you were a strict catholic it was the done thing.

Sorry, you will have to forgive my ignorance. There have been no baptised catholics in my family since my grandmother and she died before I was born. What is the diiference between the nuptial mass and the blessing? Would the relevant church hold records that actually stated the difference? Would it be indicated on a normal marriage certificate? Do churches hold records of conversions?

My gt grandmother married an Irish catholic in London and I have their marriage certificate but I've no idea if she was a catholic.

My grandfather married a baptised catholic but I feel fairly certain he was a protestant despite the fact the marriage certificate says they were married in a catholic church. Certainly their children, my mum and uncles believe they were baptised C of E. I have emailed the priest asking for details on my mum's baptism. Initially he was quite happy to help. I've never heard from him since.

[MarieC]

Jillie,

The nuptial mass involves the bride and groom taking communion as well as the ordinary marriage service - ie, there is a special Mass incorporating the marriage.  For this, both parties would have to be Catholic.

I am sure it is (and was) quite possible for a Catholic to marry a non-Catholic in a Catholic church, just with the normal marriage service, not a mass, as long as both parties agreed to the rules alluded to in this thread!

Interestingly, my gggrandfather, a Catholic, married a C of E Yorkshire lass in a C of E church in London (pretty much about the time the requirement for marriages to be according to the rites of the C of E was dropped) but she seems to have converted him!  At least the children were brought up C of E - one became a nun, one a priest, and one married a priest within this church!

MarieC