Do Weddings Have to Take Place During 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 more than one form for a Catholic wedding liturgy. The Rite for Celebrating Marriage during Mass is normally used when two Catholics marry. The Rite of Celebrating Marriage outside Mass is used when a Catholic marries a person from another faith.

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 other form, 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 in practice. Whenever a Catholic marries a baptized person, whether that person is Catholic or from another Christian church, the marriage is considered a sacrament. 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.

A couple other questions sometimes come up. For example, couples will inquire whether they can be married at the reception or in an outdoor setting. Church directives in the Archdiocese of Chicago state that the Sacrament of Marriage must be celebrated in church. For two Catholics, that means a Catholic church. But even in a marriage between a Catholic and a person of a different faith, when the Church has granted a dispensation for the ceremony to take place in the non-Catholic person’s church, it must take place in that person’s church, even if that minister would be agreeable to an outdoor or reception wedding.

Or couples will ask what role a non-Catholic minister can have in a marriage ceremony at a Catholic church, or what role the priest can have when he takes part in a marriage with a minister at that minister’s church. The role is that the priest or minister of the church where the wedding takes place must officiate the ceremony, conduct the exchange of vows and rings, and sign the wedding license. The visiting priest or minister can assist in the ceremony by proclaiming readings and leading prayers or blessings, according to the customs of the hosting church.

If you are taking part in a wedding soon, I pray it’s a joyous and prayerful celebration for all!

As marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics grow in number, it is increasingly important for us to understand and respect the validity of both forms of the wedding liturgy. Husbands and wives who do no share a common religious heritage need and deserve the support of family, friends and the local parish community as they undertake marriage and seek to integrate each other’s traditions and spiritualities into their family life.

Article from “Rite” magazine.