ÿþ<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0//en"> <html> <head> <meta name="description"content="Site to visit our church founded 1850, friendly rural Catholic Church located in a country setting."> <meta name="keywords" content="four corners, catholic, church, North Vernon, Indiana, Hayden, religion, Southern Indiana, 47265,"> </head> <body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="black" alink="black" vlink="black"> <A Name="top"> <A HREF="#bottom">Bottom</A> <div align="center"> <head><h3>St. Joseph Catholic Church</h3> 1875 S C R 700 W <br> North Vernon, IN 47265</head> <p> <h3>Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer, Administrator</h3> <h3>Office Hours:</h3> Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 1 PM - 5 PM<p> St. Joseph Rectory Phone: 812-346-4783 <br> Fax: 812-352-9033 <p> <a href="mailto:rectory@stjoefourcorners.org">Contact Office</a> <p> </div align="center"> <h3>Ask Fr. Meyer </h3> <a href="mailto:rectory@stjoefourcorners.org">Send Your Questions</a> <p> <p> <h3>Why do we not see Marriage Banns Published in our bulletin?</h3> <li>The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" are the public announcement in a parish of an upcoming marriage between a man and a woman. The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise any canonical or civil impediments to the marriage, so as to prevent marriages that are invalid. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage that has neither been dissolved nor annulled, a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, lack of freedom, or the couple's being related by blood or marriage. Marriage banns also serve as a formal announcement of the intent to marry. Marriage banns are rooted in centuries of Christian tradition, and for many couples, they are an important part of the wedding process. It publically proclaims/celebrates to the faith community that certain individuals are assuming the duties of the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Traditionally, the marriage banns state the name and parish of both bride and groom, and indicate that individuals with legitimate objections to the marriage should make those objections known before the wedding day. The original canon in the Code of Canon Law, intended to prevent clandestine marriages, was written at the Council of Trent in 1563. The Canon asked that prior to the celebration of any marriage, the names of the contracting parties should be announced publicly in the church during Mass, by the parish priests of both parties on three consecutive Sundays/Holy Days of Obligation. Traditionally, banns were read from the pulpit and were usually published in the parish weekly bulletin. In 1983 the Code of Canon Law was revised. The canon now reads: Can. 1067 The conference of bishops is to establish norms about the examination of spouses and about the marriage banns or other opportune means to accomplish the investigations necessary before marriage. After these norms have been diligently observed, the pastor can proceed to assist at the marriage. The USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) no longer requires that marriage banns be made. However, many parishes maintain the tradition in order to celebrate those who are receiving the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, bring recognition to the couple, and seek out any information that might not be known about the couples freedom to marry in the Catholic Church. After some thought and prayer I have decided to re-instate marriage banns here in Jennings County. I think it is important for us to pray for those who are preparing to receive such an important sacrament! It is also good for us to promote marriage in the church for our young people. All baptized Catholics are required to be married in the church and/or have a priest somehow involved in their marriage preparation/celebration. I hope that this constant reminder will help more young people make the right choice about marriage. Look for marriage banns in the bulletin soon! <p> <A HREF="#top">Back to Top</A> <A Name="bottom"> </body> </html>