Topic: Can a Catholic marry a practitioner of Pagan/Wiccan beliefs?

Date originally posted: May 5,  2003

Source of this posting: Moderator response to emailed question

Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Joe Vetter

Question:  I am a Catholic and I am currently in a long term relationship with a woman who is a Wiccan/pagan. My first question is about marriage, and please excuse the long question. She was baptized and confirmed Protestant, but later chose her current path. I have always been Catholic, but went through a 'dry spell,' to which, incidentally, she was instrumental in reminding me how important my faith was to me. Would our marriage be recognized by the church, either as a sacrament or as a covenanted relationship? I would be committed to raising our children Catholic, and she is aware and accepting of this fact. The second question is about ceremonies. I want/need a Catholic marriage ceremony, and I know that she would want a Wiccan ceremony. What is the Church's view on multiple marriage ceremonies for the same couple? Thank you very much for your time.

Answer:

How great that you and your fiancee/girlfriend are thinking about to incorporate your spiritual and religious traditions into your relationship! That's super! And how wonderful that she helped you to remember the importance of claiming as an adult your own spirituality; she must really be a good person...as you sound like you are as well!

If your fiancee was baptized, then in the mind of the Catholic Church, and according to our "sacramental theory," she has had the "seed of faith," so to speak, planted in her. So from a purely technical point-of-view, she is in the strictest sense of the word, "Christian."

That is just to say that insofar as the Catholic Church is concerned your marrying her is not a major problem because she is sacramentally a Christian.

And since you are committed to raising any children with which God might bless you in the Catholic community of faith, and since your fiancee knows about and is ok with your doing that, the other great potential obstacle is overcome.

Both of you would need to go through the full marriage preparation process set up for your Diocese and your local Parish. If she has some kind of marriage preparation in her way of being religious, that, too, should be respected.

Generally, a marriage between a Catholic and any non-Catholic (Protestant, Jewish person, Hindu, whatever) does not include a Nuptial Mass. Rather the Solemn Celebration of the Sacrament (since your fiancee was baptized, your relationship, assuming all the other requirements for marriage are in place, would be in the mind of the Catholic Church a Sacrament) of Matrimony would be what y'all would probably celebrate. Each parish and priest as well as each Diocese probably has particular assumptions, proscriptions, prescriptions, do's and don't's about Nuptial Masses and Wedding Ceremonies. Most are willing to work with the couple to include representatives of the non-Catholic faith tradition in the celebration itself. You and your fiancee would just need to work with the Deacon or Priest who is going to preside at your ceremony to see what and who and how can be included to affirm your fiancee's way of being open to God.

That is a long-winded way of saying that the Church generally does not encourage "multiple wedding ceremonies."

Sounds like y'all are doing all the right stuff!