It’s no secret that a lot of Catholics get married without the benefit of the sacrament of holy matrimony. In short, that means they marry “outside the Church.” The reasons for this are numerous. Many couples ultimately come to realize that they would like to have their marriages “blessed” in the Church. What does this entail? Is it a difficult process? What should you do if you are divorced and remarried? If you need an annulment? The Church’s teachings and practices in this area are really very pastoral. Share your takes – and get great insights and advice from canon lawyer Dr. Edward Peters – on Thursday’s show!
RESOURCES:
Catholic Answers 2016 Conference- Restoring Marriage Today.
Take 2 with Jerry & Debbie 
February 17, 2016 at 11:57 pm
Well, first, the Church does not “bless” weddings. If the couple is otherwise free to marry the two options, depending on a lot of factors is sanation, a healing of the marriage as a whole, no additional ceremony allowed, or a convalidation, which is basically a new wedding that does not recognize the previous date. If a person is in an irregular marriage, they need to contact their diocesan tribunal to have them go over their situation and decide if they, the bishop, or the local priest can deal with it appropriately. Anything else could risk mistakes being made.
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February 18, 2016 at 11:45 am
Jason,
Thanks for your comment. You are correct in pointing out the proper terminology for what we’re going to discuss on the show today. We have one of the Church’s top canon lawyers joining us, so this will be explained on the broadcast. However, a majority of people in irregular or invalid marriages wouldn’t have a clue what “sanation” or “convalidation” mean. The colloquial term “blessed” is much more easily understood by many people. It is used quite frequently, even though it may lack a certain precision. Our aim on the show is to discuss matters in a way that is most easily understood by our listenership. But we do realize the importance of clarifying the terms. That’s why we have a canon lawyer on the show today. As you may know if you listen regularly, we rarely have guests on the show. Hope that helps.
God bless.
Jerry and Debbie
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