(source)The first and most important one is to make sure that both parties have been Baptized, have had their First Communion, and have been Confirmed in a Catholic Church. I know that the strictness of this rule depends on the priest of a particular parish, and there are priest out there that will agree to marry a Catholic and a non-Catholic as long as they promise to raise their children as Catholic. This is not the case in my church. Luckily, Mr. Pudding comes from a Catholic family, and has all three sacraments (despite not being super religious), so this is not something that we have to worry about.
When I called our parish priest to arrange to meet with him to discuss our wedding, he told me that there were several things that we needed to bring with us. The first was our marriage certificate, since we are already legally married. Our priest had no problem with this fact, although I have heard from some members of the hive that they have had problems with priests agreeing to marry them in a religious ceremony if they have already gone through the legal process.
He also asked us to bring our birth and baptismal certificates. I didn't think that this would be a big problem. We both had our birth certificates, and I was sure that Mama Pudding had my original baptismal certificate hidden away with other baby memorabilia. I was pretty certain that FMIL had Mr. Pudding's as well. That is when the priest dropped a bombshell: the certificate had to be no more than 6 months old, and needed to be obtained from the church where we were originally baptized. Now, normally, this would not be a problem - and indeed, it wasn't for Mr. P. But I had been baptized in Poland! How was I supposed to get a baptismal certificate from across the ocean, and what did it matter how old it was?! I mean, wasn't a certificate signed by the priest who poured the water on my baby head proof enough that I was baptized? I thought that this was a ridiculous request.
I am very lucky to still have family in Poland, and one of my aunts agreed to take care of this annoying errand for me. When I finally got my hands on the certificate, I realized why it was important that the baptismal certificate be no more that 6 months old: The Catholic Church actually tracks all of their members via their original church. The church where I was baptized has been informed of all the sacraments that I have received to date. They knew the date and place of my Communion and Confirmation, despite the fact that I received these sacraments in Canada! They also knew that I have never received the sacrament of marriage, which is very important, since the Catholic Church does not acknowledge divorce or re-marriage.
Now, before any of you decide to make any "Big Brother" connections, consider the fact that church records have been used for years as one of the few reliable sources of historical data. I think that it is pretty cool that my future great-great-great grandchildren will be able to trace and piece together my life story by simply acquiring my baptismal certificate.
Any other Catholic brides out there? Have you found any part of the journey to getting married in a church taxing or surprising?
When I called our parish priest to arrange to meet with him to discuss our wedding, he told me that there were several things that we needed to bring with us. The first was our marriage certificate, since we are already legally married. Our priest had no problem with this fact, although I have heard from some members of the hive that they have had problems with priests agreeing to marry them in a religious ceremony if they have already gone through the legal process.
He also asked us to bring our birth and baptismal certificates. I didn't think that this would be a big problem. We both had our birth certificates, and I was sure that Mama Pudding had my original baptismal certificate hidden away with other baby memorabilia. I was pretty certain that FMIL had Mr. Pudding's as well. That is when the priest dropped a bombshell: the certificate had to be no more than 6 months old, and needed to be obtained from the church where we were originally baptized. Now, normally, this would not be a problem - and indeed, it wasn't for Mr. P. But I had been baptized in Poland! How was I supposed to get a baptismal certificate from across the ocean, and what did it matter how old it was?! I mean, wasn't a certificate signed by the priest who poured the water on my baby head proof enough that I was baptized? I thought that this was a ridiculous request.
I am very lucky to still have family in Poland, and one of my aunts agreed to take care of this annoying errand for me. When I finally got my hands on the certificate, I realized why it was important that the baptismal certificate be no more that 6 months old: The Catholic Church actually tracks all of their members via their original church. The church where I was baptized has been informed of all the sacraments that I have received to date. They knew the date and place of my Communion and Confirmation, despite the fact that I received these sacraments in Canada! They also knew that I have never received the sacrament of marriage, which is very important, since the Catholic Church does not acknowledge divorce or re-marriage.
Now, before any of you decide to make any "Big Brother" connections, consider the fact that church records have been used for years as one of the few reliable sources of historical data. I think that it is pretty cool that my future great-great-great grandchildren will be able to trace and piece together my life story by simply acquiring my baptismal certificate.
Any other Catholic brides out there? Have you found any part of the journey to getting married in a church taxing or surprising?
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