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St. Joseph Catholic Church

1875 S C R 700 W
North Vernon, IN 47265

Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer, Administrator

Office Hours:

Monday Office closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 AM till 12:30 PM

St. Joseph Rectory Phone: 812-346-4783
Fax: 812-352-9033

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Interesting questions about the Holy Sacrament of Marriage

It is the wedding season. Between now and the end of the year I have 12 weddings to witness. Thus, for the next few weeks I would like to cover some interesting questions about the Holy Sacrament of Marriage.
Why does a Catholic wedding have to take place in a church? This question gets asked all the time. People want beach weddings, destination weddings, weddings in the park and in their backyard. For Catholics, marriage is not just a social or family event, but a church event. In fact it is a divine event. It is counted among one of the Seven Sacraments. For this reason, the Church prefers that baptized Catholics receive the sacrament of Holy Matrimony in a church building. Just as Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Confession etc. are intended to be received in a church building, Holy Matrimony “should” be received in a church building as well. The setting speaks volumes about what is going on: Marriage is when a man and women unite in a holy covenant united in Christian love. The man becomes a visible symbol of Christ and the woman a visible symbol of the Church. The two promise before God and the gathered Church to remain united as Christ and the Church are united, to remain faithful as Christ and the Church are faithful and to be fruitful as Christ and the Church are fruitful. This is a HOLY act and SOLEMN act, not just a civil act or a fairy tale dream come true! Now there are times when Baptisms, such as in an emergency, are not celebrated in the church building. There are times when the Anointing of the Sick, in times of emergency or when one is not able to get to the church, is celebrated outside of a church building. Thus, there are times when marriages can be VALID, and not be celebrated within a Catholic Church building. However, a Catholic marriage, outside of a Catholic Church building, is a valid sacrament, only if permission/delegation from the bishop has been granted and proper marriage preparation has been received from the local parish priest or deacon. For example: Let’s say a parish church building could only seat 100 people and there were going to be 400 in attendance. Permission could be grated for the wedding to be celebrated by the priest in a different location. For example: David (a faithful Catholic) wants to marry Sally (a Baptist, whose dad is the preacher at her church) Permission could be given for them to get married in her Baptist church building, by her father; although they would have to go through Catholic marriage preparation and have proper delegation and dispensation. All said and done- -Catholics receive sacraments in church buildings when possible. -Marriage prep is necessary and good. -Involving a Priest in your marriage is NECESSARY!