What Makes a Mass Invalid? (Part II)

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Cathy Caridi

Q: At Mass, one visiting priest, consistently and with full intention, refuses to elevate the Eucharist at the consecration, rather he offers it to the congregation.  He says this is in line with the theology brought about by Vatican II; the focus should be on the sharing and communing with God as community rather than a sacrificial offering.

As a middle-aged Catholic with some self-education on such things, it seems to me he is missing proper intent and proper form required for a valid sacrament.  The Bishop has been approached on the matter and laughed.

What recourse do the faithful have in such a case? Clear and intentional rejection of the rubrics of the Mass is a sacrilege, or at the very least heretical, isn’t it?  If he does not intend to turn bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus, then what is it, if not wrong intent?  Again through self study, the rubrics are very specific on the elevation.  He clearly is protesting the form. –Stephen Continue reading →

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What Makes a Mass Invalid? (Part I)

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Cathy Caridi

Q1: My book-study group started talking about what constitutes a valid Mass.  One person is under the impression that as long as the consecration is completed properly, the Mass would be valid. Another person suggested that even if a part of the order of Mass is omitted, or all the words are not said correctly, Mass is valid as long as intent was pure in the celebrant. Could you help clarify? –Katherine

Q2:  I have a question that I think you have not answered already! During Mass yesterday the priest, instead of using the Gloria used “Angels We Have Heard on High.”  Does this make the Mass invalid? –Luke Continue reading →

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Discovering an Impediment Right Before the Wedding

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Cathy Caridi

Q:  My sister has an upcoming marriage in our Catholic Church in the USA. She is divorced for about 8 years now from her civil marriage. She did not tell her priest she was civilly married because she did not think it mattered since in the Church’s eyes a civil marriage is invalid (or so we read).

It obviously is too late to cancel her upcoming nuptials since we are a month away, can she get married and tell the priest about her prior marriage after the wedding and go through the annulment process then. There is no way she can get an annulment in a month and right now her focus is seeing that her wedding day goes through smoothly.

Can annulments be done after one’s second marriage? Will she have to let the priest know since he will be sending out her marriage license? Will they now have to get remarried after the annulment comes through so the church considers her marriage valid? –Laura Continue reading →

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What Happens when Canon Law Conflicts with Social Custom?

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Cathy Caridi

Q:  My boyfriend and I are Catholics, living in [an Asian country].  I am 33 years old.  We have wanted to get married for 8 years.   However, due to strong cultural issues … my parents are against my marriage.  Now I had to make a decision to get married without their consent, and my boyfriend’s family is ready and very supportive.

But my parish church wants approval from my parents for marriage which I do not have.  My boyfriend’s family also approached  their parish priest, he said he needs approval for marriage from my parents.

Please can you help me to know the procedure to find out if there is any other way that I can get a church marriage or does the Church also not approve of us getting married in the church? –Mary Continue reading →

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If I Become a Catholic, What Happens to My Marriage? (Part II)

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Cathy Caridi

Q: I was married in a civil marriage, and we are still happily married.  At the time, my husband was a baptized protestant (Baptist), and I was not baptized.

Recently I became a Catholic.  When I converted, it was my understanding that our marriage is considered valid by the Church. I was told that my marriage was “elevated to sacramental status” when I was baptized, in an automatic way.  This info was supposedly via the expert in Canon Law at the Archdiocese…. If that’s the case, that’s great!! As long as God is happy and that’s the final word, I’ll let the matter be.

But when I repeated this to my parish priest, he gave me a strange look and said he’d re-inquire, as that sounded confusing to him and he’d never heard of such a thing.

Adult baptisms in this country are fairly rare, and no one seems to know of precedent cases: already civilly married, then one party converts and is baptized. What is the status of our marriage? –Nora Continue reading →

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