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Nick —
First it is not possible for you
to have her convert. Conversion
must be her free choice, and you
should not get married under the
assumption that she will. You can
hope and pray, but that assumption
can't be the condition of your marriage.
Second, yes, unless you have a dispensation,
a Catholic wedding ordinarily must
take place in a Catholic Church.
This is because marriage is a sacrament
of the Church, and an act of worship,
not just a private romantic contract.
Actually, all sacraments, themselves,
are acts of worship. They are liturgical
acts in which we join with Christ
in His prayer to the Father, and
in which He gives us grace.
The neat
thing about Matrimony is that: it
is a sacrament in which the principal
Liturgical actors, the priests,
if you will, are the couple, who
are the head and heart of the domestic
church, the natural image of the
Church, the family. That is why they process into the ceremony, rather than the priest.
If she is of a different religion,
you may get permission to have the
wedding at her church, but with an
official Catholic witness.
God bless.
Mary Ann
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