Family Matters

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Is a Wedding Always a Mass?

Some Catholic weddings are celebrated within the context of Mass; others do not include the celebration of Eucharist but occur in the context of the liturgy of the word - the same ritual that forms the first part of the Mass. The church’s Rite of Marriage, published in 1969 as part of the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), actually provides three forms for a Catholic wedding liturgy. The Rite for Celebrating Marriage during Mass is normally used when two Catholics marry. The Rite for Celebrating Marriage outside Mass is generally used when a Catholic marries a baptized person from another Christian church. The Rite for Celebrating Marriage between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person is used when a Catholic marries someone who is not a baptized Christian, including a catechumen.

In the first form, the Rite of Marriage is celebrated within Mass - between the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. In the second and third forms, the marriage rite is celebrated after the liturgy of the word; the wedding liturgy ends with a concluding rite instead of being followed by the liturgy of the Eucharist. Each of these forms is equally valid and holy; a wedding is not any more or less complete because of the celebration of Mass.

In our recent past, when a Catholic married a non-Catholic, the wedding was sometimes treated as a second-class celebration. It was often performed in the rectory instead of the church building, or, if in the church building, at a side altar instead of the main altar. Such distinctions are no longer necessary. Whenever a Catholic marries a baptized person, whether that person is a Catholic or from another Christian church, the marriage is considered a sacrament. (When a Catholic marries someone who is not baptized, the marriage is recognized and blessed by the church, but it is not by definition a sacrament because sacramental marriage involves a covenant between two baptized people.) The different forms of celebration are an attempt to respect the consciences of all involved and to provide a celebration in which all in attendance can participate.

Why might it be a good idea to celebrate one of the two forms of the wedding liturgy that do not include a Mass? Even if only one partner is Catholic, shouldn’t she or he receive communion of the wedding day? It would, or course, be good for the couple to be able to share in the Eucharist after exchanging their vows. But if both bride and groom cannot receive communion (and this may also mean that many friends and family members of the bride or groom cannot either), it is often better not to celebrate the Eucharist. The Eucharist is our ultimate sacrament of unity, of communion. Celebrating the Eucharist in a situation in which a large number of those present - including the bride or groom - cannot receive communion runs the risk of turning this sacrament of communion into a sign of something that divides instead of unites us. This is why the church gives us three forms of the marriage rite.

As marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics grow in number, it is increasingly important for us to understand respect the validity of all forms of the wedding liturgy. Husbands and wives who do not share a common religious heritage need and deserve the support of family, friends and local parish community as they undertake marriage and seek to integrate each others traditions and spiritualities into their family life.

82000 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 north Hermitage Ave, Chicago Il 6-622-1101; 1-800-933-1800. Text by Paul Covino.