Priests Performing Marriages in Non-Catholic Churches

Q: My wife goes to school with a young lady who is concerned about her future relationship with a young man. She is not Catholic; he is. She asked my wife about the possibility of a priest marrying them in her church rather than his home parish. She said she has always wanted to get married in her church because of its beauty and quaintness. She has no problem being married by a priest if that’s what has to be. Can a priest marry a couple in a non-Catholic church?

A: Yes, a priest can be given permission by the local ordinary to perform a marriage service in a Protestant church. It is also possible to have the service performed by both a priest and a Protestant minister, however in a single minister must ask for and receive the matrimonial consent of both parties (i.e., the husband’s minister cannot ask for the husband to say, “I do,” while the wife’s minister asks her to say “I do”).

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