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Cathy (JC)
Goodman
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I live in San Francisco, California. I do not have a
strong religious background and was never baptized.
I've been married to my husband for eight years.
We were married in a civil ceremony.
My husband
is Catholic and his prior marriage was in the Catholic
Church. It has not been annulled as yet. I want
to become Catholic and want to take Catechism
classes at our parish. We attend Mass each Sunday.
- Will I be able to take Catechism classes and
eventually be baptized into the Church?
- Should the annulment process he is going through prevent me from being
baptized?
I understand that my husband and I cannot
marry in the Catholic Church until his former marriage is annulled. That
I understand. I just want to know if I can be baptized without an annulment
of his former marriage.
Thank you for your response.
Cathy
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{
Can I be baptized and join the Church without an annulment
of my husband's former marriage? }
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Fr. Nick replied:
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Dear Mike,
Currently Cathy is in an irregular marriage, not recognized as a legal church marriage.
She and her husband would need to have their marriage senated, or Blessed
before she would be free to be baptized. However, this would be dependent upon her
husband's civil marriage being declared null and void due to lack of form.
She needs to meet with her local priest to review the particulars. This is a Canon
Law problem that has to be address in order to ensure she is able to go forward.
Fr. Nick
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Cathy replied:
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Hi Mike,
My husband's former marriage was not civil
- it was a Catholic marriage.
- So are you saying his marriage must be annulled before I can be baptized?
- I have trouble understanding that if my marriage is not recognized by the
Catholic Church, since we were married by a civil ceremony, why can't I
be baptized?
- Are you saying that his prior Catholic marriage would prevent me from becoming
baptized?
Thank you in advance for responding.
Cathy
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Fr. Nick replied:
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Dear Mike,
She actually needs to have her current marriage validated before she can be baptized,
unless her parish priest lets it occur.
To complete the RCIA program, any impediments to being received into the Church need
to be addressed. She is currently in a marriage that is not recognized by the Church
and cannot be baptized until her husband has completed the annulment process.
She really needs to have a sit down with her local priest to discuss this, as he can best
explain what needs to be done within her diocese.
Fr. Nick
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Fr. Jonathan replied:
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Hi, Mike —
Cathy wanted an explanation of why her husband's first marriage affected her if the Church doesn't recognize it.
Her husband's first Marriage was presumably valid as it was done in the Church. He is trying to get it declared null and when that happens he will be free to marry her in the Church.
In the meantime, he is unable to receive Holy Communion in the Church. The reason he is unable to receive Holy Communion is more then because they were married outside the Church. While this is correct, it is imprecise. The reason is actually more subtle than that.
He cannot receive Holy Communion because he is presumably engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage (i.e. with Cathy) which he is unable to confess as he is unable to give a firm purpose of amendment to sin no more (because he is married civilly) and therefore cannot be absolved of his sins unless he is able to inform the priest in Confession that he and his civil law wife are not having sexual relations.
The reason this all affects Cathy is that if the Church were to Baptize her, the moment after she is Baptized she too becomes a Catholic who is unable to receive Holy Communion for the same reason.
Therefore, Cathy should do as Fr. Nick said and start preparing for entrance into the Catholic Church and hope that her husband gets his first marriage declared null.
Hope this helps,
Fr. Jonathan
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