Dual ceremony with priest & justice of the piece

Agnieszka74

I am Catholic and my fiancé is Atheist. Had the idea of having a priest and a Justice of the Piece do the ceremony. Anyone had this done? Is it possible?

MairePoppy

Since marriage is regarded as a sacrament in the Catholic church, a Justice of the Peace would not be allowed to perform the marriage ceremony in the church. A priest will not perform a marriage ceremony outside of the church, so what your fi is proposing is not possible.

MelissaC315

Yeah I agree with PP. Unfortunately, I don't think this will work. Catholic churches require a priest to marry you. I would doubt any church will allow  a JOP too.

Avion22

Before you get married, you and your fiance should decide how you want to practice faith in your marriage.  The ceremony you plan should reflect this.   Do you (individually, or as a couple) plan on attending Mass on Sundays and raising your kids to be Catholic?    If not, then you should probably skip a Catholic wedding and do something that is more in keeping with how you plan to practice faith in your marriage.  

Riss91

According to Canon Law (Catholic Law), you cannot have two separate ceremonies, nor can you have a Catholic and a non-Catholic officiant. I have heard of priests allowing a reading that is not directly from scripture, as long as it does not offend or contradict the faith. Some will also allow non-Catholic traditions such as a Unity Candle. So there are ways to incorporate aspects that aren't directly Catholic. If you have any more questions, feel free to hop over to the Catholic board, which is under teh "Cultural Wedding" boards to the left...


Here is the reference to Canon Law:
Can. 1127 §3. It is forbidden to have another religious celebration of the same marriage to give or renew matrimonial consent before or after the canonical celebration according to the norm of §1. Likewise, there is not to be a religious celebration in which the Catholic who is assisting and a non-Catholic minister together, using their own rites, ask for the consent of the parties.

OliveOilsMom

OP, if you marry outside of the Catholic Church, you not be allowed to participate in communion during any Mass you attend.  In order to marry in the Church, your atheist FI will need to agree that any future children will be raised Catholic.  It is actually in the vows of a Catholic Ceremony.  Please hop on over to the Catholic board, as suggested.  The ladies there are very knowledgeable!  Also, talk with your priest, he too will be able to assist.

Riss91

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dual-ceremony-priest-justice-of-piece?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:0d0b6d8a-6a2c-410f-83a3-622d6f81cfe9Post:a88e25c3-7332-42a6-89e4-8291f72da059">Re: Dual ceremony with priest & justice of the piece</a>:
[QUOTE]OP, if you marry outside of the Catholic Church, you not be allowed to participate in communion during any Mass you attend.  In order to marry in the Church, your atheist<strong> FI will need to agree that any future children will be raised Catholic</strong>.  It is actually in the vows of a Catholic Ceremony.  Please hop on over to the Catholic board, as suggested.  The ladies there are very knowledgeable!  Also, talk with your priest, he too will be able to assist.
Posted by OliveOilsMom[/QUOTE]

This isn't perfectly accurate. Her FI will only need to vow not to interfere with her attempt at instructing their children in the faith.

NOLAbridealmost

What purpose would the JOP serve anyway?

I'm an atheist and even I would have to admit that having the JOP there would be redundant. The only point of the JOP is to legally marry the couple; there's other significance to his/her role like there is for a priest/pastor/rabbi.   If the marriage being performed by the priest is also legally binding (which it is) there's no point in having the JOP there.

mandctaft

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dual-ceremony-priest-justice-of-piece?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:10Discussion:0d0b6d8a-6a2c-410f-83a3-622d6f81cfe9Post:dca5328e-a3c2-437e-aad1-39c14283fab2">Re: Dual ceremony with priest & justice of the piece</a>:
[QUOTE]What purpose would the JOP serve anyway? I'm an atheist and even I would have to admit that having the JOP there would be redundant. The only point of the JOP is to legally marry the couple; there's other significance to his/her role like there is for a priest/pastor/rabbi.   If the marriage being performed by the priest is also legally binding (which it is) there's no point in having the JOP there.
Posted by NOLAbridealmost[/QUOTE]

Agreed.