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Pre-Nuptial Witness Testimony-Form B

melissahofmelissahof member
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in Catholic Weddings
Hi all, The priest who is marrying us gave us the Form B's to have our parents sign and be witnessed by a priest. We have had the forms awhile and we are meeting with a priest tomorrow. My Future In Law's are not Cahtolic and they are meeting us after mass tomorrow. But, I am hoping he will know where to sign. I am so confused....did anyone else have to fill out these forms? I believe the parents are the Witness and the priest signes as the Auditor and then stamps it with the parish seal?? Help!!!
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Re: Pre-Nuptial Witness Testimony-Form B

  • alliecarrie41alliecarrie41 member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    my parents didn't have to sign anything... what did our wedding have to do with them?  only MOH and BM signed the forms, and it didn't matter if they were catholic or not; they are just witnesses.  what are these forms?
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  • bel138bel138 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Our priest asked me for the names of two relatives or friends that have known me my entire life. He called them to ask questions like, "To your knowledge, has bel been married in or outside of the church?" I assume there was a form he was filling out while they talked. It seemed to be much like the questions he asked us, like, "Do you enter into this marriage of your own free will?"I'm pretty sure any grown adults can figure out where to sign a official document though. I'm sure there's a signature line.
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    i have never heard of this form in my life.  we didn't have to sign anything, we just swore on a bible that we had free will to marry and no known impediments.  are you regular parishioners?  maybe they have you sign these if you are complete strangers to the priest.
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  • Pirata13Pirata13
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think I know what you mean--I just got what is likely a similar form from my priest for FI's parents to fill out. FI is not Catholic either.  Calypso--on the certificate of my baptism, on the back there are spaces for the parish to fill out dates of First Communion, Confirmation, Wedding etc. Mine says "no notations" so the priest knows I have not been married before.  FI's baptismal certificate only verifies that he was baptized on x date.  The form his parents have to fill out is just a series of questions that verify he hasn't been married before and that he is in this freely, etc.
    Crosswalk
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    why wouldnt they take a bride or groom's word?  i mean, if they think the bride or groom would/could lie about being free to marry, why do they think the parents wouldn't do the same?
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  • agapecarrieagapecarrie member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Catholic church takes marriages seriously. Very seriously, and it is worldwide, across different rites and cultures. There are many scenarios that aren't everyday ones that these pre-nuptial investigations are meant to try to cover. Some cultures people marry very young. (young teens). Sometimes parents could remember these events that the couple wouldn't. Yes, parents might lie too, but sometimes this act of having to sign about it would cover when the couple doesn't tell the truth. The Church has to do all it can to keep from attempting to witness invalid marriages.
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  • Pirata13Pirata13
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm certainly not going to pretend I understand....
    Crosswalk
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  • Riss91Riss91 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I think I just went cross-eyed trying to read that response. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows the Catholic church takes marriage seriously...so....yeah. I had never heard of this form before, but both DH and I are Catholic, so I imagine it is a form for non-Catholics to sign, attesting to their background, in which case I would assume the witnesses are the people that have known you long enough to know you have not been married and the auditor is the church official. To the PP - I think that anyone who wants to lie about not being married previously, will find a way to do so, regardless of a form and regardless of how serious the church takes marriage. And if a child was married and they do not recall it because they were too young to realize they were married...then....I would think the church would possibly not recognize that marriage either....???

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  • agapecarrieagapecarrie member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yes, if a couple is too young to realize/remember they are married, it would be invalid, but still must go through to proper process to declare it so.I apologize my example wasn't very clear, but this is a true possiblity. It does sound foreign to us because it isn't very common. But I also think it is very evident by a few posts on here that not everyone understands the importance that the Church holds marriage. This is one of the steps taken by the church to try to keep from witnesses invalid marriages.
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    maybe this form is what some churches use to replace the Banns? our church posted the Banns for 3 weeks.  maybe that's why we didnt have to do it.  but as another poster said, we were both catholic and both had all of our sacraments, etc.
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  • bel138bel138 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We're both Catholic and have all our sacraments too. It wasn't an actual form, but both of our parents and my godmother were contacted for a "survey" of sorts. I think it's just something that depends on the diocese/archeparchy.
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    bel, on a side note, are you official yet or still waiting on paperwork?
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  • bel138bel138 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Still waiting. :/
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  • Leah&Christian09Leah&Christian09 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We had to do this form.  Our church gave us a packet of paperwork with our contract, and this was included, so I know it was required for everyone.  We didn't do Banns, though, so maybe it is a parish specific replacement?It just asked our parents whether they supported the marriage and whether we had been married before.  I asked the priest what would happen if our parents didn't support (I was curious!) he said if it was an issue, we'd have to discuss it in pre-cana.  Anyway, there was a signature line at the bottom, so that part was easy.
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  • nooniesinlovenooniesinlove
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Our parents also had to fill out surveys attesting to our freedom to marry.  This is standard and part of the normal paperwork in our parish.  I don't think it had an actual form number or name, but yours sounds kind of similar to ours.Our form was pretty intuitive...sign on the bottom line.  Our form also required for our parents to have it signed by a notary, so that was maybe the most complicated part.I don't see the problem with the church asking for signed statements from parents.  They also asked for baptism certificates even though I said that I'd been baptised; I see this as the same sort of thing.
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