Convalidation of a Marriage - Convalidation is the means by which a marriage celebrated outside the Catholic Church (a civil marriage or one in a non-Catholic church without permission) is recognized as valid in the Catholic Church.
To understand this topic, here is a bit of a primer about marriage in the Catholic Church. First, all Catholics are obligated to marry in the Catholic Church when they do marry. To do otherwise renders the marriage invalid by the Catholic Church. When marrying in the Catholic Church, both parties must be free to marry in the Church (big “C” Church) and they must follow the form of marriage which is that the marriage consent is received by a priest or deacon of the Catholic faith, in the presence of two witnesses, and it happens inside of a Catholic church (small “c” church building). Both of these requirements however, can be dispensed by the Bishop for good reason and often are. But if a Catholic does not receive that permission then the marriage is invalid and they themselves (not their children) are restricted in their participation of the Sacraments (they could attend Mass, but should not receive Communion) other than Confession (the penitent should reveal to the priest their marital situation) because they are living as husband and wife, but are not since the marriage is invalid.
Each such marriage has to be dealt with individually and sensitively. Both spouses must be in agreement to have the marriage convalidated. In some cases it does not take too much to have the marriage of the couple recognized by the Catholic Church and to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony with the couple in a rather simple ceremony. This is especially the case if this is the only marriage for both spouses or if a previous spouse is deceased.
Couples having their marriage convalidated will participate in a marriage preparation program which is typically an adapted version of the preparation that engaged couples undergo. The content of the preparation will vary from couple to couple, as different couples will have different levels of experience and knowledge of the Church, the Sacrament of Marriage, and of each other.
If there was a previous marriage then an annulment may be needed. A copy of the civil marriage license will be required as well as the Sacramental records of both spouses which are all easily attainable. As a side note, those who are asked to be a Godparent at Baptism or a Sponsor at Confirmation, if married, must be in a valid marriage to be eligible to serve in those very important roles.
If you are a couple who has married outside of the Catholic Church and would like to discuss your situation with one of the friar-priests just give us a call or send us an email and we will be most happy to sit down and help you work toward having your marriage convalidated and celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony with you. Please fell free to share this information with others who may be in this situation and tell them they can give us a call as well.