Catholic Online Forum

I just got a bit of a bad surprise via Face Book. A dear young friend who has been going to Mass with me for the last couple of years went back to her country to get married. The husband-to-be is a Jehovah's Witness. Both families were initially resisting the marriage but were won over. The girl's father was working on getting a dispensation from the bishop, but when we discussed all this, she told me that if it came to it, her fiancee would NOT lie and promise to baptise the children Catholic because he doesn't believe in baptising babies or children. He has no objection to her practicing her faith or exposing the (hypothetical) children to the faith, but no baptising.


So... the wedding pics were posted and I was so happy to see them... until I got to one that was clearly of a town hall and definitely not of a church. No pictures of a church anywhere. So I assume the bishop did indeed ask about children and refused the dispensation.

So. Wow. What can I say? This means she can't receive communion, doesn't it? I haven't even written "Congratulations." Would you? What would you say?
I gave her gifts already to take with her back to her country to open after the wedding.

What a disappointment, but I can only imagine how disappointed and conflicted she was.

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Grace

As to the past, let us entrust it to God's mercy, the future to Divine Providence. Our task is to live holy the present moment. - Saint Gianna Molla

I wouldn't assume that a dispensation was not granted. The law provides that a dispensation may be granted for disparity of cult, as well as from the Catholic form of marriage. And the marriage may take place in a "suitable place" aside from in a parish church.

Also, the non-Catholic spouse is no longer made to promise to baptize and raise Catholic the children resulting from the marriage. The Catholic spouse is to promise that he/she will do all in his/her power to baptize and raise the children as Catholics, and the non-Catholic spouse is to be informed of the promises made by the Catholic spouse. But no guarantee is extracted from either spouse that the children will be baptized and raised Catholic as a condition of receiving the dispensation.

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Dean
Most people's sense of history goes back to breakfast time - Benjamin Netanyahu

Dean,
I'm so glad and relieved to learn that! I hope it was granted. Thanks.

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Grace

As to the past, let us entrust it to God's mercy, the future to Divine Providence. Our task is to live holy the present moment. - Saint Gianna Molla