A few days ago I was taking a walk and passed by a local hotel that was advertising a Wedding Fair. Unsurprisingly, the hotel management wanted more people to get married and, by hosting the wedding banquet (or indeed the ceremony as well), to boost their profits.
The liturgical celebration of the marriage of two Christians who seriously practice their faith can be one of the most beautiful and spiritual experience to be had in church. But I think that I can speak for most PrayTell regulars when I say that the liturgical celebrations of the marriage of non or marginally practicing Christians can be less than edifying. In 2016 Pope Francis even went so far as to say that “the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null.”
I think that we can all agree that it would be good to encourage the non-practicing to begin to practice a serious liturgical Christianity, which would include getting married in church as opposed to simply living together. But the question that I am asking here is, whether we, like the hotel owners, ought to encourage those who are not practicing to get married in church even if they are not interested in becoming more serious in their practice of the Faith? Pastorally speaking, ought we advise these people to get married in church or advise against it? Should we let it up to them? Is it good for them to receive a sacrament, even if they are not practicing the Faith at the moment or would it be better to wait until they actually have a deeper faith life? Is a sacramental marriage a gateway to a deeper practice of the Faith or could it even be a hindrance? Is it pretentious, or even “clerical”, to advise a couple to wait before taking the step of a church wedding? Or, at times, could we be saving them from future heartache? Finally can we even say anything more than this is a matter for serious discernment and that there are no easy answers?
Cover art: Wedding fair in Japan from Wikimedia Commons
Before I retired, when meeting couples asking for a church wedding, I would discuss with them the significance of getting married in a Catholic church. I would also give them a copy of my book, “A Wedding of Your Own.”
If it became apparent that they were not familiar with the Catholic ceremony or perhaps not even with Mass, I would do my best to encourage them to become more familiar, perhaps going to Sunday Mass in their parish(es) a number of times before the wedding so that it would not be too strange for them. If they really had no interest in this, sometimes I suggested to them to discuss together why they wanted to marry in the Catholic church, and whether it might be more honest to consider a non-church wedding, so that they would avoid some element of falsity in the ceremony.
No couple to whom I suggested this changed their plans, but I hope that at least it got them sharing with one another on that aspect of their wedding, and that perhaps as a result the wedding ceremony would prove to have deeper meaning for them.
“But the question that I am asking here is, whether we … ought to encourage those who are not practicing to get married in church even if they are not interested in becoming more serious in their practice of the Faith?”
No.
At times, it will save them (and pastoral ministers) from future headaches. More importantly, going through w/ a Church wedding w/o faith teaches the couple (and others in their orbit) that their interior attitudes don’t matter, just as long as they perform the rituals. And teaches them that the Church doesn’t care if the couple actually believes as long as they show up. Such practice can actually put-up hurdles to a future life of faith and virtue.
I would also say the same about the widespread American practice of celebrating the sacrament of confirmation on those who have no intention on darkening the doorstep of a church ever again. It puts up a barrier to future conversion.
Ditto First Communion when the parish school is in charge of preparation and it is done by the class, whether or not each child belongs to the tiny minority who ever go to church. These have been some of the most depressing Masses I have played at. No matter how good the catechesis they end up being about the dresses and photo opportunities. Awful.
I tend to agree with Devin on this in principle, but it all depends on how it’s done. If the couple’s takeaway is that “They don’t want us” and/or “They think we’re not good enough” it could really transform what might be the passivity of being “unawakened to faith” and turn it into resentment which will become a barrier to ever crossing the threshold again. Fr. Padraig’s approach seems pastoral to me and unlikely to burn bridges.
Of course no one will tell them that if they don’t get sacramentally married in the Church, they may more easily obtain a decree of nullity should they wish to marry another person in the Church at a future date…would that be considered a bug or feature these days?
When I interviewed Joseph Gelineau in 2003 for the Voices from the Council project, one portion of the interview ran as follows:
Over the years I have found more joy in weddings. Part of that was from serving in campus ministry at a state university where the people engaged (so to speak) had an intentionality about their faith that pervaded the community as well as most of the weddings we hosted.
When I saw “wedding fair,” I wondered if it was an effort to host one at a parish. A colleague in a huge and busy parish did them three times a year to assist couples in doing paperwork, choosing singers and musicians, hear talks from recently married and long-married couples. I never found support for doing that in my parishes. The clergy worked it their own way, usually. And in a few, they conceded it might be a good idea, but the weddings were so few and some of the couples so far away, it seemed like a lot of work for such small numbers.
When my wife was more active in music ministry, we would host couples in our home to do the prep for music and the liturgy. It was a parallel of sorts to RCIA’s pre-catechumenate which is held (or used to be) in parishioner homes in some places.
All that said, every so often I have encountered that glimpse into Fr Gelineau’s observation of the transcendent. I go into my very few meetings with couples these days with more optimism and with an eye to something beyond the ordinary. At the very least, I pray for it, and ask for the grace for them to see it in me as a representative of the Church.