I am engaged to a man who was baptized Catholic but was raised in a mixed marriage and did not receive official sacraments after his baptism. He was not raised in Catholic schooling (but Episcopalian) until he decided to attend a Jesuit high school and college. In fact in his high school, a Jesuit priest asked him if he would like to reconcile his sins and showed him how; but he didn’t receive a certificate so I assume it is considered an unofficial reconciliation. Is my fiancé Catholic? Or is he considered a baptized non-catholic and therefore would need to go through RCIA to become Catholic? He wants to be Catholic.
The reason I ask is because I am a confirmed Catholic and want to receive the sacrament of marriage. Can we be married in the Catholic Church, with a mass, and receive the sacrament of marriage? Or no, because he is not considered a Catholic and therefore would be need to go through RCIA classes?
DennyandKay
MARRIAGE PREPARATION ADVISORS
May 27, 2007, 3:10 PM
Post #2 of 2
(657 views)
Re: [ermartin] Can we receive sacrament of marriage?
[In reply to]
Your priest will most likely be able to answer your questions. Perhaps the Jesuit priest your fiance spoke to in high school is still available to confirm his reconciliation. The diocese where he attended high school will have a directory of all the priests in the area, so the Jesuit priest should be easy to find, even if he is retired.
Since he was baptized in the Catholic Church and has not left the Church (although he may not be practiciing his faith at the moment), he is still considered a Catholic. It may be necessary to review the teaching of the Church but probably not complete the entire RCIA program. Your fiance must have had some basic teaching in the Catholic faith because he did attend a Catholic high school and college.
We recommend talking to your local priest, since he will most likely be the one giving you pre-marital counseling. He will know what to do.
Can we receive sacrament of marriage?
